Color balance a big part of Christmas decorating

Deep jewel tones like purple, hunter, navy and dark red go together. Pastels like mint, peach, butter yellow and baby blue go together. Likewise, so do autumn tones of rust, brown, beige and gold.

Painting your walls or coordinating upholstery and window treatments? Remembering these tips – grouping colors with others from the same color family – can be a big help, says interior redesigner Kelly Bernier, owner of Interior Style ReDesign of North Smithfield.

Bernier says to keep that same idea in mind when decorating for Christmas. Here’s her list of favorite colors that go together, whether mixing ornaments on the tree or setting the holiday table – red and green; all white; any color with gold, white or silver; ivory and brushed gold; sage green, ivory and pewter; bright purple, blue and green; icy blue, lilac and silver; forest green, burgundy and gold; primary colors like red, yellow and blue – combinations you may not have thought of.

Most colors of equal depth will go together, said Bernier, who in her ReDesign business, uses much of what her customers already own to redecorate their rooms.

Do the same with Christmas decorating, she advises.

“The same idea I use with color coordination at the houses, you can use with Christmas decorating,” she said. “Soft colors together, bold colors together.”

Here’s some other tips from the decorator:

Instead of dragging out all your boxes of decorations and just digging in, pulling out pieces at random, Bernier suggests that while pulling items out to put them aside in groups. Group all your Santas, sleds, snowmen, etc., together, then work them together as collections for displays.

“Make a little ‘wow’ statement” with them, she said. “People notice them more when they’re grouped.”

Also, instead of putting your collections on a plain tabletop, set a piece of velvet material or drape a Christmas scarf over surfaces to place your items on.

The tree, of course, is the focal point during the holidays. Stay true to what makes you happy, Bernier suggests. If you like contemporary style in your house, or traditional or country, that’s what you’re going to like best in your decorations. If you’re going for an elegant look, she suggests using just one or two colors on the tree.

“Red is big again this year,” she said. “Red and purple, green and purple … and silver and gold match with anything.”

She also suggests that instead of using standard ornament hooks, to use pieces of ribbon to string through the top of the ornament to hang them.

Bernier, who prefers colored lights to all white lights on her tree, and also uses a touch of tinsel, because “that’s how I grew up,” acknowledges that sticking with some traditions can be comforting.

“I like the old-fashioned ornaments and the ones the kids made,” Bernier said. If some of these are too big for hanging on the branches, she takes them and displays them beneath the tree.

Under the tree, she says, wrap boxes in Christmas fabric for a festive display, and for sidetables, fill clear glass vases with colorful, round ornaments.

Trade out your everyday throw pillows for ones with a Christmas theme or with animals in winter. Pull out your area rugs and substitute them with rugs that draw out the colors you’ve chosen to decorate with.

Decorate your kitchen a little bit, says Bernier, and don’t forget to add a couple of holiday accents in the bathroom.

“Use what you have,” is an important part of Interior Style ReDesign, and it can also apply to the holidays.

Bernier also offers consultations on wall colors and has a DVD, “The Magic of Paint,” available for $19.95. Her Web site is isredesign.com.

You can reach her at 765-7999 or e-mail your decorating questions to isredesign@cox.net.