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If you’re revamping your interior design scheme, you may be considering a new color palette. Should you go with earthy hues? Vibrant jewel tones? Cool blues and grays? Below are five ways to pick a color scheme that will work for you.

Choose from what you have. If you’re not revamping with an entirely new furniture set, then you may want to pick a color from what you already have. A boldly patterned sofa or floor rug can serve as a jumping off point.

Start with three. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with options, choose three colors you love and keep it to there, with one as your main color, another as your secondary and a third for accents. (Four if you count white, which is more of a neutral).

Base with black. If you can tie black into your color scheme, you’ll always have something easy (and versatile) to return to. No need to get macabre”think black appliances in the kitchen, black end and coffee tables in the living room, and black cabinetry in the bathroom.

Decorate with 60-30-10. This rule, used by many interior designers, gives you a mathematical breakdown of how much of each color you should use to give your space balance. Go with 60 percent of your main color (like, your walls), 30 percent your secondary (hello, furniture) and 10 percent that pop of accent”light sconces, art, throw pillows, blankets, etc.

Move from dark to light. So, you have your chosen colors”now what? A top designer tip when adding color to your home is to place the darkest colors low, like the carpet, floor or furniture, and then move to medium shades for the walls and art, and the lightest hue on the ceiling.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Whether you adore your new carpet or can’t afford to replace it every few years, below are a handful of ways to extend the life of your carpet”even if you have kids and pets.

1. Lay down a rug in high traffic spots. It may seem weird to lay a rug over your carpet, but in places that see a ton of foot traffic”like by the bed, couch or doorways”adding an extra layer of protection in the form of a rug or mat can seriously prolong your carpet’s life.

2. Vacuum frequently. Make sure you vacuum once a week to pull up damaging dirt and dander that can wear down your carpet overtime.

3. Take off your shoes. By enforcing a “no shoes inside” policy in your home, you will reduce the amount of dirt that gets tracked in. Add a shoe rack by the front door to help make it easy.

4. Act fast with spills. If you get a splash or spill on your carpet, tackle it immediately, but don’t rub it in. Instead, use a spray bottle to mist a bit of water onto the stain and then blot it up gently with a towel as many times as needed. If it needs more work, create a solution that is 1:1 white vinegar and water and repeat the process.

5. Deep clean. Once a year, deep clean your carpet with a professional carpet cleaning device. Often, you can rent out these cleaners, or hire someone to do it for you.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Regardless of the shade, adding elements of green to your home can improve your mood, complement your design, and more. Below are a few reasons to choose green for your interior design scheme.

It’s soothing. Green has long been used in decorating for its calming effect. Add some green curtains to your bedroom, paint the wall across from your sleeping space green and snag some easier ahhhhs.

It looks great with wood. If you have wood floors or furniture, tying in a shade of green will make your space even more lustrous.

It’s complimentary. There are so many gorgeous shades of green that it will be easy to thread a little green into your decorating scheme.

It’s natural. Don’t want to add any permanent green to your home? No problem! Just grab a few fresh houseplants and pepper them throughout your room for a fresh splash of green.

It may bring money. While you may not believe in this superstition, some swear that the color green brings wealth. Add some green to your home to call in a little windfall. It can’t hurt!

Published with permission from RISMedia.

According to leading home designers, bathrooms today should be more than utilitarian spaces. They are increasingly treated as cozy oases intended to comfort and pamper.

If that’s your goal, here are a few good ideas for transforming your bathroom:

Enlarge it if you can. A good contractor can steal space you didn’t know you had, taking it from an adjoining room or a seldom-used closet and adding it to your bathroom space.

Use reclaimed materials. Old is new again as homeowners choose recycled materials. Incorporate reclaimed timber into vanities or opt for recycled glass countertops for a sustainable bathroom style.

Choose clean lines. Modernize the look with the clean lines of a vessel sink and a freestanding European tub. If the budget allows, make it a spa tub to make the most of your idle hours.

Add a rainfall showerhead. Relax your back and soothe your senses in the spray of a rainfall showerhead. It’s all the joy of a trip to the tropics without leaving home.

Hang mirrors and art. Any mirror will make a room look larger, and a round, oval or irregularly shaped mirror will add a stylish note, as will a well-chosen print, framed and artfully placed.

Look up. Why settle for ordinary lighting when you can have the luxury of a crystal chandelier? Check your local home store for lighting options that add opulence with a small price tag.

Select spa-like accents. Candles should be a given, but not in any ordinary way. Try bubble glass votive holders along with rose gold towel holders and glass shelving options. A clear glass shower door is another way to add a spacious look to your bath.

Go for lush linens and more. Sink your tootsies into a lush, deep shower mat. Choose thick Turkish towels and plush robes, and a basket full of face and body-pampering soaps, masks and lotions.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

A cellphone bill is an expense almost everyone has to pay each month. Even if you set up automatic payments to make paying it easier, it’s still money you have to come up with monthly”and it can be a big bill.

Here are five ways to lower your cellphone bill:

Switch to no contract. One of the big costs of a contract plan with your phone provider is paying a subsidized price so that you can get the latest phone every two years. Some companies run the contract for 30 months, which lowers the payment, but also adds six months to the time it takes to pay off the phone.

A no-contract plan requires you to buy the phone upfront, but should give you a much cheaper monthly cost over the next two years.

Keep your phone longer. Your phone purchase is no longer bundled in a monthly cellphone bill with a no-contract plan, and you can continue that savings by keeping your phone for longer than two years. The savings increases each month you keep your phone.

Call with WiFi. Most phones offer the option of calling using WiFi, saving data usage and keeping your bill low. You can also use WiFi to send text messages or chat by video, as well as use the internet.

Keep the background silent. Even when you’re not actively using your smartphone, email and apps are running silently in the background and eating up data. Turn off this data usage in the settings menu and only check your email when you have free WiFi. Be sure to check out the background data usage for individual apps on your phone to get an idea as to which ones use the most.

Match your data to your usage. With an unlimited data plan, you may not be paying extra for using a lot of data, but you may see speeds drop when you hit a limit that resets every month. If you’re using WiFi often to save on data usage, look at your phone’s data usage in the settings section to see if it’s within a data amount your phone provider allows at a lower rate.

If you don’t use as much data as you have access to, why pay for it? Conversely, if you’re watching Netflix on your phone and use a lot of data, you may be able to save money by switching to an unlimited plan.

Published with permission from RISMedia.