New house/old color? New house/no color? Old house/old color? Or maybe your paint colors are just not to your liking or still builder-basic white? The benefit of a simple color plan, whether assisted by a decorator or done on your own, cannot be underestimated. It’s amazing what bringing the color story together can do to get that professional, cohesive look you’re striving for. Paint is an affordable and diy-friendly option that can give you instant, happy, motivating results!
Transitioning Color One of the most often asked questions and concerns I hear from homeowners is how to transition colors between rooms or spaces and still let each room have its own personality. The solution? Select a perfect neutral shade to flow between the spaces. I’m mentioning this first to keep it in mind, but you’ll actually need to tweak this color once you’ve selected your actual color choices. To pick your neutral, start by establishing the bones of your home that are staying in place: The flooring (carpeting/hardwoods/tile). Paint is cheap, so even if you’re replace your flooring down the road, match what you’ve got NOW for a truly finished and cohesive aesthetic in your home. This neutral color will meander its way throughout your home. Hallways, open spaces, entry halls; wherever you don’t utilize a color, you’ll use your neutral to bring all the spaces together and banish that builder-basic forever.
Color Punch While neutrals are awesome, it’s certainly shows off your style to throw in a bit of fun with a color statement! We think of bold, playful or strong colors as reserved for kids rooms, but truly, we can use these same colors bring strength and personality to any room of the home. Want a red kitchen to offset your white cabinets? Go for it. Make sure your red works with your neutral. Want to use yellow in your north-facing living room to give it a sunnier disposition? No problem. Again, make sure your neutral works with the yellow AND the red. Can you see any portion of the kitchen from the living room? A small bit of yellow in the kitchen and a touch of red (in a painting, in a fabric/pillow/throw) in your living room will make these two rooms relate to each other.
Color Weave One technique that I like is to weave a particular color seamlessly throughout your home. This does not mean that every room is the same color scheme. Example: Let’s say spa blue {insert paint strip examples} is one of your favorite colors. Your master bedroom might sport the color on all the walls. Your neutral blends beautifully with this color. A similar blue makes an appearance in the accessories in the living area, it’s touched lightly in the art hanging in the hallway and perhaps used an accent in a powder room. Weaving a color through the home is never overt, but rather it’s a subtle, elegant way to make your home flow. The images below are from a show house…believe it or not the deep brown of this master bedroom the consistent, along with the use of a dusty green that ran through almost every room of the home.
