Friday, July 14, 2017

Creating Cohesion, Part 2

Creating a color palette for your home can be overwhelming, especially if you have a large home. But this is a fun, creative project, so feel free to let loose a little and play around with online tools to help you visualize.

Starting the process can be a bit daunting, so to ease you into the process, I'll share a few of my favorites in the image below. Following these steps and the selections below will get you started.

The trend cycle of neutrals can change, but they tend to last longer than colors. My best advice to to consider what type of environment you want to create and the architectural style of your home. Warm tones (A, B, and C below) tend to work well in spaces that are traditional, primitive, transitional, arts and crafts, Asian, country, French, and Mediterranean. Cool tones (D, E, and F below) are more popular in art deco, coastal, contemporary, eclectic, mid-century modern, modern, and shabby chic.

Once you choose your neutral, this will be considered your field color and you will paint all walls this color, with the exception of your accent walls. The next step is for those with painted trim and doors. You have a couple options here as well, and again you will want to consider your style. Contemporary homes typically have white trim, but it is also increasingly popular to opt for a taupe (see G, H, and I). If you decide to choose taupe, your selection should contrast your field color.  Go two steps down on your paint deck. If you selected a cool tone field color also move a couple of strips to the warmer shades. If you selected a warm tone, move a couple of strips towards the cooler shades. This helps to really neutralize the color and add contrast. If you tend toward an eclectic style, skip selecting a trim color and go for one of your accent colors. It should be colors that are almost black, like midnight blue, forest green, oxblood (see J and K below). This will add a lot of interest and look super unique. For modern, art deco, and mid-century modern black or very dark gray will accentuate the lines of your home (see L and M below)

a/ Sherwin Williams Macadamia b/ Sherwin Williams Softer Tan c/ Sherwin Williams Panda White d/ Sherwin Williams Passive e/ Sherwin Williams Gray Matters f/ Sherwin Williams Argos g/ Benjamin Moore Cotton Balls h/ PPG Winter Mood i/ PPG Shadow Taupe j/ Sherwin Williams Ripe Olive k/ Sherwin Williams Charcoal Blue l/ PPG Phantom Mist m/ Sherwin Williams Inkwell n/ PPG Aria o/ Sherwin Williams Ceiling Bright White

Next is the fun part, choosing accent colors. This will really be your preference, but I do have a couple of tips to steer you in the right direction. Unless you want your entire house to be very light and pastel, select your colors from the middle of the paint deck strips. The colors here will be saturated but not so dark that your colors all look alike. The number of accent colors depends on your personal taste and how big your home is. The bigger the house the more physical space for more colors. My home has eight rooms total and I selected eight colors but only plan to use four for paint colors. I can use these extra colors as inspiration for other decor like pillows, art, and rugs. Also, if I get tired of a color, I already have a batch of accent colors to choose from.

Last but not least, ceiling color is incredibly important! Unless you have an interesting architectural element that you want painted your trim color, I encourage you to opt for a cool white. Even if your walls and accent colors are warm, you don't want your ceiling to come across dingy and dirty. A bright and cool tone of white will keep your space from feeling enclosed.

For reference, my home is mid-century modern but I do tend to bring in a lot of eclectic elements. My doors and trim are all wood, so I don't have a trim color. If you're not sure what your style is, head over to Havenly and take their style quiz. It's fun because it's short and scary accurate!