Private residenceContemporary Living Room, San Francisco

Repotting. Repot your peace lily when the roots show or when it needs to be watered every few days. You should repot it every year or two at most, if at all. To check for a severely root-bound pot, which would necessitate repotting, hold the plant sideways and slide the pot off to see if the roots are tightly packed together. If so, the plant could use fresh soil and more room. Peace lilies bloom better when somewhat root bound. So if blooms are a priority, repot only if the leaves turn yellow or the plant seems to need watering more than once a week.

The true red ocher is that strip right above the mantel that looks almost brown, but these fall-friendly ochers are all in the same family and look great together.

This red, yellow and orange piece steals the scene against a series of walls in the same colors.

What a fun space! The periwinkle fireplace is the focal point of this room, and the orange walls really set it off. The chair and ottoman bring pale lime into the mix.

Three Isn't a Crowd. Using three colors in a room can look very harmonious and free flowing when you use colors with similar tonalities. In this space, each color is soft and slightly muted. Each hue also brings out the room's amazing architecture.

Purple, yellow and orange make another split complement, which is the basis of this room's color scheme.It's important not to get too hung up on the letter of these design rules; it's better to think of them as guidelines. Good design starts with the basics like the color wheel, then plays around from there. In the photo above, what started as a split complement veered off into something else when the designer added red above the fireplace. The red draws attention to the architecture above the fireplace, and it works perfectly.

Purple, yellow and orange make another split complement, which is the basis of this room's color scheme. It's important not to get too hung up on the letter of these design rules; it's better to think of them as guidelines. Good design starts with the basics like the color wheel, then plays around from there. In the photo above, what started as a split complement veered off into something else when the designer added red above the fireplace. The red draws attention to the architecture above the fireplace, and it works perfectly.