Balance THE DETAILS

Learn how to balance opposites for an overall cohesive flow in the bathroom.

• COLOR. Accents are essential in any room. Without an accent color, the room will look dull and flat. Richard has a neat tip for balancing the ratio between an accent color like black and white, when white is your primary color: He says to keep the contrast color at 25 to 30 percent of a room; otherwise, it will be overpowering.

• MODERN VS. TRADITIONAL. The trick to a farmhouse renovation is to find balance between modern and traditional aspects. Luckily, there’s an easy way to decide what to keep contemporary and what to keep vintage. Richard likes to keep light fixtures and hardware modern and the “core structure” authentic to traditional farmhouse style. Then layer in vintage items such as furniture.

• PATTERNS. Just as Richard found balance with the small herringbone wall tiles and a large chevron floor pattern, you can create balance if you use similar patterns in the same room. If both patterns are large, the details will lose their luster. If both patterns are small, the room might look too busy. Strike a balance with mixed patterns by mixing their sizes.