The choice of colors in the design of many modern homes often tends towards gray, black or white. Whether it is for painting the walls or for decorating the rooms, for the furniture or for the carpets, how do you choose between warm or light colors, between pastel or dark shades?
Combining all the colors from the chromatic circle can become a real headache! Mixing them to obtain the dream decoration is quite difficult for a novice. Here are some tips to master them well and not be confined to a washy and obscure set of colors in your interior design.
Know the color wheel and the meanings of these color:
Blue
The calming color, the ideal base for an office, also suitable for a bedroom or bathroom.
Red
An intense, warm color, which can help create an intimate ambiance. However, in excess, it causes fatigue. This color must therefore be handled with discretion.
Purple
A tertiary color imbued with spirituality and intellectualism. Useful in an office or meditation room, pairs harmoniously with earth colors such as dark green and brown.
Yellow
Stimulating, warm, soft and therefore, the ideal color to add light to dark rooms. Yellow has a reflective effect and enhances the brightness of any space. Yellow is very suitable as a base color for the dining room.
Orange
This color is closely related to yellow and also boosts brightness. But, like red, orange is a color that should be used with discretion. A good choice for a kitchen or an entrance hall.
White
A color which symbolizes purity and enlarges the space. Plus, white pairs well with all other colors. Warning: in excess, white creates confusion.
Brown
A color that, well balanced, gives a refined touch to a room. Brown is made up of a variety of colors and therefore pairs very well with other colors. Warning: dark brown shades used in excess create a negative vibe.
Green
Like blue, a color of calm and serenity, it gives strength and energy. Green stimulates concentration, so it is the ideal color for a work room. Shades of light green bring a lively touch to other rooms such as the kitchen.
Pink
Pink can be a calm component of a room and looks very great in the bedroom.
Black
This color absorbs light and should be combined with other colors to make them stand out. On the other hand, if you only use black, you risk creating a moody and pessimistic atmosphere.
Moreover, there are four essential concepts which group colors into specific categories. These must be also taken into account in order to achieve a dynamic and harmonious interior:
Basic colors
The basic colors are the colors which mix with each other and which constitute the basis of the decoration, in particular blue, brown, white, gray, sand. They go well together and are a sure bet when it comes to decorating. However, an interior made up exclusively of basic colors may lack dynamism and be bland.
Strong colors
Opposed to basic colors, they don't go well with everything, should be handled sparingly and not be abused. This is why it is best to use strong colors on accessories, because they are easier to change.
Contrasts
The color contrast is also to be taken into account to harmonize the interior. A contrast means mixing two opposing colors, one of which serves to make the other stand out and to energize the interior.
It is an interesting solution to create basic color contrasts, which limit risk taking. On the other hand, achieving contrasts between basic colors and strong colors is still quite easy and possible. The strong color contrasts are nevertheless more perilous. However, when they are well mastered, decorating has even more character.
Moreover, to have a pleasant interior, it is recommended to use no more than three colors. The ¾ of the interior must be contrasted with three basic colors (for ex. white, brown, blue) and by shades of a color that will be added to the basic colors (for ex. a shade of blue). For the remaining ¼, it is necessary to supplement with one strong color in order to energize the whole space (for ex. yellow).
To match the colors, here are two simple techniques:
- Copy and paste: replicating something that works identically has the merit of limiting risk-taking but does not allow you to personalize its decoration.
- Larger details: taking what is small and making it bigger ensures a color association that works. For example: take a vase that mixes three colors and do the same thing all over the room.
Finally, the best way to progress in decorating is to try, tempt, train, dare, and not forget about the furniture items that also play a great role in any chromatic decor of a home! For some stylish, beautiful, yet pleasant to the wallet items, shop now on the online catalog of HDS.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).