Bright Bazaar blogger on color and gallery walls

Will Taylor of the blog Bright Bazaar recently talked to readers in an online chat. Here is an excerpt:

Q. I always hear the phrase "pops of color" thrown around on design shows. Do you have any tips for introducing small splashes of color into a room? What are your favorite ways to do this?

A. My advice for creating a balanced and considered color palette is the 60-30-10 rule. Sixty percent of your room is made up of the primary color palette (think the largest surface areas, such as floors, walls, ceilings, etc.); 30 percent is the secondary palette (this is for the furniture and soft furnishing elements of the space); and 10 percent is your accent color (or "pop" of color). This 10 percent can be made up of one hero piece, such as a piece of art, or it could be a series of three to five smaller items that add up to 10 percent, such as a vase, table lamp and throw pillow.

Q. What are your favorite paint colors for a bedroom?

A. Gosh, the opportunities are endless. I always say color choice is down to personal preference alongside the way natural light comes into the room. That said, I love dark and cocooning colors, such as a rich midnight navy or a hero wall of racing green paired with jewel-like eggplant-colored accent pieces.

Q. How do I get started on creating a color palette? I want to infuse more color into my home, particularly for summer. Right now, I have lots of creams, grays and browns.

A. Lots of people tell me they struggle with starting a color palette, and I always say that it's important to find a focus so that you always have something to refer back to when making color-based decisions for future pieces you will introduce into the space. For example, find a vase, piece of art, throw pillow - anything, really - that you love the color palette of. Make this the reference point for everything else you decide to do in the space decoratively. Take a picture of the piece on your phone so that when you are looking at an item in a store you can place them side by side and see whether they work well together. I think you'll find this helps give you confidence to make color decisions for the room.

Q. I love pink. Do you have any starter ideas for decorating with this color?

A. Pink is great and having a bit of a renaissance right now, probably because Pantone made Rose Quartz one of the Colors of the Year!

Pink accents pair beautifully with a dove-gray base palette for a sophisticated look; leopard print also works well with splashes of pink. For a more youthful and playful look, try pairing pink with sunshine yellow for a scheme that's full of energy. In my first book, "Bright Bazaar: Embracing Color for Make-You-Smile Style," I have a whole chapter called "Candy Crush," which is about decorating with yellow and pink.

Q. Do you think vignettes on trays look dated these days? What are other ideas for organizing and pulling together a coffee table vignette?

A. Personally, I still love to use trays and vignettes as a way to tell visual stories on coffee tables. My top tips: Break up linear lines with something eye-catching and sculptural, and remember: Things look great in odd numbers, not even!

Q. I've seen gallery walls everywhere (usually with mismatched frames and subjects). Is this trend here to stay? In my living room, I have a television wall, a dresser and sofa wall, a love seat wall and a patio doors wall. I'm not sure which one is supposed to be the gallery wall and how much art the other walls need.

A. Gallery walls are a great way to add personality to a space, especially if a room lacks original features or if you are looking to soften an existing architectural feature that's too commanding in the space (a wall of red brick, for example).

In terms of which wall to do a gallery wall on in your living room, it's hard to say for sure without seeing the space. That said, you can use the gallery wall in two ways: You could hang the art around the TV as a way to conceal it so that it blends into the design of the room. Or you could hang the gallery wall above the sofa to make a focal point on that side of the room. If you have a gallery wall on one wall, I'd keep your art choices more pared back elsewhere in the space. For example, if you have a cohesive gallery wall of pieces in black frames, consider switching up the pace with a fabric wall hanging or something sculptural on another wall.

Q. I scored a gorgeous Macey oak barrister (bookcase) that was covered in ugly paint. I stripped and cleaned the wood, which is in good shape, but dry. I applied some lemon oil, but I am unsure of which finish would be best. Do you suggest boiled linseed oil, Danish oil, Tung oil or wax?

A. When I have a project like this, I often think back to where I bought other pieces and ask the shop owners for their advice. If you've been a customer of a store or antiques dealer, they are often willing to share their knowledge or point you in the right direction of someone who can help. Forums, such as refinishwizard.com, are also great places to get specialized advice. Make sure to carefully research any advice you read before acting on it.