Are you like me and get easily bored with the same things and have to change them up a bit? When I was a kid I used to rearrange my room ALL. THE. TIME. Even when I would play with my dollhouses, I had to rearrange how I had things constantly. It wasn't really because I wasn't content, I mean I was a kid. It was more of the fact that I enjoyed switching things up every once in a while. It gave me a fresh new look at life, which I loved!
Fast forward and here I am with a life sized house. At first, I thought it would be pretty tricky for me to figure out colors for each room. I love color but I didn't want to bring the rainbow into the picture! Does picking out paint color for your walls in your home seem so permanent? Are you left with paint swatches? Or maybe a few feathers have gotten a bit ruffled in the household? I have a few tricks that have kept me open minded with my husband's taste as well as content with what I've chosen!
1. Put Your Likes & Dislikes Out On The Table First
One of the things Chris and I did, without really trying, was to express what we like and don't like in design. We also both love to be bold with color and aren't afraid of it. In our first home, we lucked out pretty well with being on the same page with our color palette vision. When I decided to figure out what colors we should have throughout our current house, I made sure to take into consideration what Chris liked, first. I also explained to him my intentions for using mostly white (when I know he loves color) and where I would use the bold colors he loves elsewhere. I love color too! I made sure to be dramatic with it for the other 20%. In Chris's studio, he wanted something bold and blue. At first I was like, "It's such a bright beautiful room! You can't cover all the walls with a dark color!" I realized we needed to get creative and I asked him if he would be cool with just having an accent wall. I showed him a Pinterest picture of a music studio for backup. He loved the idea!
2. Choose Wall Colors Based On Your Wardrobe
Because I get bored with colors quite easily, even if I love them (I've never had a consistent favorite color) I decided to rely on one thing in my life that is pretty consistent. My wardrobe. What is it that you will wear day in and day out? Is there a certain pattern or colors that you just can't let go of? What does your day to day wardrobe look like? Neutrals, blues, random patterns, all black, go bold or go home? I love navy blue and white strips, gray, and leather. I also figured out that I love contrast. Warm tones against cool tones. Black on white. Maybe it is the photographer in me, but I love seeing real dark against stark white. White is throughout most of the house but I included a few accent walls that are dark and rich. It freaked me out at first putting almost black on the walls, but I gave it a chance and I couldn't be happier.
3. Consider Your Home's Environment & Original Design
I love white moldings. It looks so fresh and clean! In our new home we have wood stained moldings in two different shades. One is a honey color, while the main part of the house has a more red tone to it. I decided to keep as much natural molding as possible because it frames the environment outside so beautifully. Our home is also pretty unique and I could tell that the original owners took great care to include natural wood beams, shelving, and moldings. I just had to freshen it up with new paint and intentionality (accent walls).
These are just a few things that I considered when picking out paint colors. I know the process is pretty intense sometimes. Having trouble deciding between colors? Not sure what to use in a particular room? Not sure how to blend design opinions? Let me know in the comments and I will see if I can help!
