Dee Blakey, Lake Highlands resident and volunteer, is also the owner of Re-Sell It!, the local consignment store located in Northlake Center.

As a dealer in home furnishings, decor and estate items, she's got a few tips to offer our readers.

What are the best ways to use color and patterns in your home environment?

Dee has some easy tips to consider when you're looking to update, change or just add a little splash to your rooms.


Solids can be stylish, but patterns add pizazz.

For visual interest in your room, pair checks with stripes, plaids with dots, and florals with geometric patterns.

Any way you mix it, the result should add up to more than the sum of its parts.

Using different shades of color – such as various shades of blue – is an easy way to pull a room together.

To prevent monotony, vary the textures and use a different color in a pillow, throw or vase.

Next, work to follow the "Rule of 3." When you pick a color, use it at least three times in your room.

When you're spreading color around a room, think about proportion. If you're using three colors, try a 70/20/10 distribution, with the highest percentage going to the lightest color. For two colors, try a 70/30 split.

Try breaking up a room of matchy-matchy wood furniture with one painted piece. It doesn't have to be a bold color – think about combining natural wood with black.

Of course everyone thinks of walls when they think of color.

But using color in accessories – rugs, pillows, art – makes an amazing impression without going crazy on the walls.

Be sure to bring in fresh flowers, too. Floral arrangements offer color without commitment.

Art and fabric are great building blocks for a palette. Look closely at the item, then pull out the background colors to use as room accents.

If you pull the dominant color, it can actually be too much of a good thing.

A few resources you can visit, for more details and ideas, include Jaima Brown's blog, Decorating with Pattern and TLC's Decorating & Design page.

Be sure to drop by the store the next time you're out, too.

ReSell It! offers home furnishings on consignment, and we provide on-site estate sale services, as well.

Visit the store online here.