I’m sorry that today is the last lesson in this Color School series, but all good things come to an end. Over the past three weeks, we’ve taken color theory from the ground up and explored how it applies to everyday home design. My favorite part was breaking down all the colors of the rainbow: reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples, pinks. But none of that is possible without first establishing a solid neutral base. This brings us to today (the last lesson). After all, how on earth can you put all this together and actually use color in a way that is both flowing and meaningful? This lesson provides some tips and tricks to help you design a consistent home color palette. Who doesn’t like game plans?
entry mirror | bench | candlestick
This lesson is part of the Color School series. If you want more confidence in your color decisions, be sure to check out our past lessons.
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What is Home Color Palette?
In the world of brand design, professionals often create “style guides”. This is a summary of the do’s and don’ts when it comes to using logs, typography, colors, image styles, graphics, and more. A home color palette is similar, but for your home. You don’t necessarily have to plan your entire home before you pick up your paintbrush and actually start working. (of course not), but it can help you get an idea of the overall color palette you want for your home. For example: 👇
(If you have registered, color school email series, you will receive this template by email. )
You can tell I like warm woods, clean whites, beiges, greens, blues, and warm accents. But you’ll also notice that none of these colors are that vibrant. I love the contrast between light and dark tones, but my color choices tend to be muddy. Try what works for you.
start with what you have
When we lived in our Rexburg home, we had a slower renovation schedule than we do now. In other words, we use outdated tiles, carpets, cabinets and finishes and over the years have made changes to suit our style and aesthetics. You may not be on a mission to renovate your entire home, but if you do, you have my permission to paint the walls or buy furniture that “doesn’t match” the finish you don’t like. Over time, you can transition your home’s color palette and, in the meantime, put a rug on the floor you hate.
On the other hand, if you plan to keep existing fixed finishes as they are, consider them part of your color palette.
establish a neutral base
wooden credenza | white bowl | coffee table book | white urn | candlestick
We covered this in more detail in the last lesson on neutrals, but before we can incorporate color we need to have a solid base of neutrals. Consider the walls, ceilings, trim, and doors of your home’s major connecting areas.The first thing we did in this house (before moving) New floors were laid, all walls and ceilings painted with Eggshell SW White Flowers, and the trim and doors finished with a satin finish.Ever since I moved, I’ve left the connections white (front entrance and hallway) Added pockets of color to branched rooms.
Our modern cottage home looked a little different as it had an open concept living area.
buy this view
The walls and ceilings of the living room, dining room, kitchen, and corridor leading to the entrance were all painted with SW alabaster. Therefore, we gave it contrast trim in SW Accessible Beige, as well as the black doors.
leather ottoman | chandelier | red chair | flame | top print | bottom print | basket
what about you? Do you have an open concept living area or do you have a cased opening in the living area?
Create a colormap
One way to better envision this is to literally plan.
I would appreciate it if you could give me a simple template.
Another reason I like looking at it this way is to visualize how patterns flow. For example, since I already had striped wallpaper I chose more in the back hallway organic wallpaper For the dining room next door. And the floral wallpaper complements the scenic mural wallpaper in the study on the other side of the house. striped powder bath, tie other striped wallpaper. Contrast, balance and flow are key.
Incorporate design principles
Have you heard of them? This is a heavy topic for another day, but in short, colors element of design principle A rule that guides how to use an element. Some say there are 12, some say there are 7, but from my point of view, the basic principles of design are:
- balance
- unity and harmony
- repetition
- scale and proportions
- Emphasis
- contrast
Keep these in mind as a guide when working with paint colors, patterns, textiles, metals, wood, etc.
How do I transfer paint colors from room to room?
This is one of the questions I get asked often. Simply put, there are no hard and fast rules and each situation can be addressed on a case-by-case basis. However, I will introduce what I usually do.
leather chair | floor lamp | rug | black cabinet
If the opening of the colored casing is in a more neutral paint space, tape the inside of the casing and leave it in the neutral color. Simple!
As for this cased opening, it has F&B Pigeon trim on one side and BM Gibraltar Cliffs on the other. I decided to paint the inside of the Gibralter housing, but it was a coin toss!
what about the door?
If the door is to be painted one color on one side and another on the other side, paint the inside strip to match the side where the door opens. For example, these doors open into a hallway, so I left the inner strip white.
oh.
This is the “end” of color school, but it’s not really the end because I never stop talking about color. It’s been a real pleasure spending this time with you all. I hope you learned a thing or two. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. We will try our best to answer as much as possible.
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