Decorating With Green

How to Add a Lot of Green

An overwhelming task? Nah. Putting together an all-green room is easy, and the result is refreshingly chic.

• Mix shades. Paint the walls your favorite green, then introduce other tones elsewhere. “In music, you want harmony,” says New York City interior designer Celerie Kemble, author of To Your Taste (Clarkson Potter, $45, amazon.com). “It’s the same with decorating. If everything is one hue, it’s blah.” Temper strong greens with mild ones, says Guido-Clark. “Lime looks beautiful with forest or olive,” she says―as shown here.
• When it comes to incorporating patterns, consider scale and motifs. Decorating with multiple patterns isn’t as daunting as you might think. To create a layered look (not an optical illusion), “combine large-scale prints with small ones, and florals with geometrics,” says Kemble. “It’s a game of balance.”
• Vary textures. Heavier materials, like the velvet on the bench and the headboard and the rug’s densely woven wool, ground the busy patterns.
• Add a natural touch. Place moss in a vessel lined with plastic wrap. It should last for several weeks.