How do I use color in my home?
It seems like a basic question. Easy enough, anyway. Surely we’ve covered this before, you may be mumbling to yourself as you sip on your morning beverage of choice. But don’t leave yet. Because we think it’s an important question- a question we receive a lot. And for good reason: Color can be scary. It can be easy to be so close but not quite on the color mark. It can be intimidating to jump into the unknown with your color choices, and challenging to feel like you’re picking the “right combo” for you and your home. Because we still receive said question a lot, we thought it was time for a bit of a revamp: How to use color in your home.
{Stay tuned guys, because we really want to hear from you in the comments below}
how to use color in your home – the basics
It’s been a while since we’ve discussed the basics of colors here.
And it’s been a while since we’ve hosted a fun little series of sorts. What initially started out as a small-ish, regularly scheduled post on our site, has quickly turned into something bigger. Because we think it needs bigger.
So we’re thrilled to launch this series, with a bit of a revamp: The Color Guide.
Here’s a few topics we want to cover: {in no particular order}
• How to stop being afraid of color – being fearless in your choices
• Why neutrals “read” a certain way {aka you thought you chose gray but that color is definitely purple
• How to layer whites, and do it well, with the paint options out there
• Our favorite hues in the dark, medium and light tones
•Our fave palette options + giving you a good place to start
• Why certain colors work better together, and why certain colors just don’t
• Our fave go-to hues and why
And because paint colors are the thing that we all seem to fret over, it’s about more than just that
• How to tie in your colors throughout your home {think fabrics and furniture} + unify throughout for a cohesive look + what we recommend
• The basics of choosing color schemes
• Choosing base colors and working them in
• Color theory: principles we like to follow
how to use color in your home – we need your help!
While we have our own collected list of FAQ’s, we want to know what you want to hear about.
Let’s add to the list!
What are some of your basic questions? {No question is too basic, because chances are, someone else wants to know, too.}
What are some things you’re not sure about in your own home?
What would you like to see covered here?
We’re truly excited about this new little series, and we hope more than anything to hear form you. Have some new topics you’d like to hear about? Or questions you’d like answered? Or, even make sure that we do get to one of the topics above sooner than later?
Let us know!
We’d love to hear!
Have an inspired day!
I am having a hard time picking out a bedroom color. We have all white furniture and our windows face west and north. Should I go dark or light or warm or cool.
How to transition a beige/cream house to a gray (without rebuying everything)
How do you get out of analysis paralysis?
How do you pick a color that works in open concept areas ….or transition seamlessly?
How to feel confident the color would look good in all parts of the day and seasons?
How do you see undertones (if I don’t really know what they are!)?
Why is it when I picked the lightest pink or the lightest blue that the paint store offers (ie for a kids room) that it ends up looking like BeptoPismo or Steel Blue when that wasn’t the intention?
Obviously I need help – thanks for doing the series!
How to add character and color to a house with beige/cream ceilings and walls and stained wood cabinets. Everywhere online I see white walls and white cabinets that look SO lovely with everything. My hubby refuses to paint the cabinets as they are brand new. š HELP. ME.
I have nothing ārealā to contribute other than the fact that I love that youāre doing this! You guys always integrate color beautifully into your designs So Iām more than thrilled to hear what you have to say. Thank you THANK you for doing this! ā¤ļø
I’d be interested in ideas for transitioning a color scheme when you have to work with what you have, but don’t want to match things you don’t like with more things you don’t like.
For example, I have a horrible tile floor (busy grey/black/pink granite), that I will be working with for a long time. I hate grey. I don’t want to add more to match it, but it looks weird with the colors I like. Are there shades that will de-emphasize other colors? Alternate colors for the ones I like? Or, for another example, I can re-do the downstairs bathroom and back-entry tile, but nothing else, so all the finishes, if I pick out what I like, will have different colors and undertones than the rest of the house.
How do I change out things/colors I dislike without getting an overall effect that’s worse?
I love every single topic you want to cover, specially the “how to tie colors throughout your home ” – that’s my main question over there.
In terms of textiles I stay away from a lot of multicolor prints because Iām concerned about darker tones bleeding when I wash them. This carries from dry clean only pillow covers to wool rugs to upholstery. But without pattern, our home looks flat. How do we go bold with color and pattern and have it survive with our child and pets?
Where did you get that fantastic table on wheels in the den?
Hey! It’s a to the trade piece – we were offering them to clients but only locally because of shipping costs – sorry I’m not more help!
It’s probably too late for me, since we’re getting the exterior of our house painted (hopefully) by the end of the month, but picking exterior colors has given me so much stress! We live in a 70’s brick ranch with an 80’s addition on the back done in cedar siding that someone inexplicably painted beige (it would have looked better in cedar). So, we’re painting the brick and the siding all one color. I *think* we’re using Sherwin Williams Dover White, though my hubby votes grey. What’s really got me stuck is trim color! I think a dark trim would be too dark, but hubby thinks matching the trim with the siding/brick would be too boring (and I don’t think he’s wrong). But can you do white trim with cream siding? Or is there some other magical option I’m missing? (Door will be navy, shutters will be stained cedar)