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Break Free of Your “Color Box”: Let Nature Choose Your Color Palette

Break Free of Your “Color Box”: Let Nature Choose Your Color Palette

     Have you ever walked into someone’s home and it is absolutely the perfect colors?  You want to curl up in a chair and make yourself right at home.  Maybe grab a glass of wine and a really good book.  And while you’re sitting there you begin to  wonder how they accomplished that daunting task?

     There are many tricks, tips, and secrets that designers use to create the perfect color palette for themselves and their clients.  And one of these is to let nature do the work for you. 

      One of my favorite things to do when I’m outside is to take a good look at everything around me.  I notice the textures of tree bark.  I look at the way light plays on a mountainside.  Maybe it’s the art classes or the quilts I’ve made that have created this awareness.  Maybe it’s just one person’s passion for color and texture.  But through each experience, I’ve learned that nature is the best form of color combination you’ll ever find.

      As I was looking at this beautiful lake photograph, thinking about Fall, and feeling nostalgic about leaving our lake home for new adventures,  I realized that most of my favorite colors are in that photo.  And, most importantly, I use these guides to help me with my own color selections.

Let’s look at the photo above to see how you can make it work in your home for your next DIY project. 

1.  Find one dominating color that really speaks to you and use it freely.  For me it’s the beautiful blues of water that range from deep blue to turquoise. 

2.  Next choose a secondary color from the photoRed would be my personal choice.  One of my favorite pieces of pottery just happens to include both of these colors!

raku vase in blues, turquoise and coral

3.  After that, choose one or two more to be accents.  These colors can be present in pillows, throws, towels, and any other accent piece you’d like to use.

 

4.  Finally select one color for a background and paint your walls. My go-to neutral wall color is usually Benjamin Moor Cedar Key.  It goes with everything and makes a good background for colorful art work.

      Take a look at these accent pieces found online.   They’re great examples of how you can follow the steps above to create your own color palette, and then shop on your own to find the perfect accents to pull it all together.

Ceramic Mood stones in Fall colors

    And, if you’re renovating, be courageous and step out of your neutral color box and just go for it!!!

Sky blue backsplash tile

    

If you’ve been thinking about adding some pizzazz to your home this Fall, don’t know where to start,  and are nervous you’ll make a costly mistake, be sure to grab our FREE report!

 

               

Creative Ways To Bring Fall Into Your Home

     Fall sign

     When the temperature turns cooler, and the skies are blue, suddenly I’m in the mood to start decorating my house for Fall.  Does this ever happen to you?  The funny thing is that my creative juices start flowing this time of year, and I head to the woods to see what I can find. 

     For some reason, Fall decorating brings out the urge to decorate with handcrafted items, in luscious colors of red, orange, gold, and purple.  I guess it’s the anticipation of winter cocooning that makes me want to add a bit of country to my decorating.  But I love the scents, the colors, and the textures. 

     So this week, thanks to Better Homes and Gardens website, I’ve discovered some doorways and table settings that I hope you’ll enjoy. 

    Fall entryMums, mums, and more mums!  I love how they’ve paired them with white pumpkins for contrast.

leaves in blue glass vaseOpposites attract in this colorful arrangement.  Red/orange is across from this shade of blue on the color wheel, and make a perfect combination that pops!

vase with Fall flowersContainers can be created from what you have around the house.  Here, I’ve taken a ceramic vase and added willow branches, sunflowers, berries and leaves.

Chinese LanternsChinese Lanterns in bright orange/red add a pop of color to my mantel.

Autumn entryway with pumpkins

 A beautiful Fall entry

Fall wreath

A simple grapevine wreath dressed up for Fall with berries and flowers.

Fall tablescape

 A simple table runner with ribbons down the center that can be changed with the seasons.  Add to it colorful leaves with pumpkins and gourds, and you have a beautiful table arrangement in minutes.

Old globe Fall centerpiece

 ven non-traditional containers can make out outstanding centerpieces.  I love the use of this globe to hold pine cones, nuts, and berries in this Fall arrangement.  What unusual container do you have at home that would be the perfect centerpiece for you Fall collections?

 

Fall 4

 A plain pumpkin trimmed with bittersweet.  Adding star anise and dried fruit as part of the grouping helps add a little bit of nature to the table.

Color grouped leaves

Everyday water glasses become centerpieces when you add these beautifully colored fall leaves.  By color clustering the leaves into their own container, you’re creating more interest to the grouping.  Remember to stagger heights whenever you can to let each piece stand out on its own.

 

 White and orange pumpkins

Heirloom pumpkins grouped with colorful Autumn leaves.  It can be as simple as that.

 

Happy Decorating!!!!!