Not only style, also color is an important tool in decorating your home. What is your color?
artwork via Pinterest - pastels via Artists & Illustrators - picture of woman by Erwin Olaf - make up Topolino for Vogue NL via B&A
Last week I was talking about discovering your personal style, what about your color? Is color an expression of your personal style? Yes, it is. And your favorite color can be different for your interior than for your garderobe. My number one color in my wardrobe is black, and this for different reasons. One it is easy, I can combine everything without thinking to much in the morning. And maybe this is strange as I just love to work with color. Color is my most favorite tool in interior decorating, you can really reflect somebodies character through color. But at the same time the colors I'm wearing shouldn't influence my work. Does it make sense?
velvet ribbons Instagram - color combos via Peonies and Paper Chains
What is your favorite color?
Write it down. Not that easy? No it is not, maybe it is influenced by what we see around us now, what the fashion magazines are showing us now. So lets see a bit how we can discover our color and translate what we like in a nice color harmony.
When you open your closet, which color is dominant? Write it down. Choose an artwork you love, the color is the same as the color or the color in your closet?
artwork Luli Sanchez - dressing image via Master Bedroom Ideas
Probably not. And that is great, as we can get inspiration from both. The image you see on top is clear that the person loves a neutral color palette for her garderobe. With some color splashes and pastel tones for the summer handbags.
watercolor wallpaper Mural Wallpapers - dressing image via Master Bedroom Ideas - mega floor cushion Bolia - woman's image via Bolia
We can translate this in a relaxing bedroom: neutral tones and the watercolor faded wallpaper in the back will bring character to this room. The dark green we discovered in her wardrobe we use for the oversized floor pillow. We are all influenced by what we see around us and maybe now you like this dark blush tone and in five years you would be more a blue person. So what? You just change the wallpaper and your room will look as new.
artwork Luli Sanchez - candleholders Bolia - interior image via Instagram - rug Farrah Ruby The Rugcompany - Minimikado suspension Lamp Milia Shop
Same for this dining room: all neutrals for floor, wall, and furniture. The artwork we loved has found a place in this area. So the accent colors we took from our favorite painting are repeated in the hanging lamp and in the rug. And do you remember the green for her garderobe? We use it here as a small accent for the candle holders.
So you see with the inspiration we found in the garderobe and the artwork we were able to decorate already two rooms in the house.
detail artwork LIBWAde
When you start decorating your home you can take whatever inspiration to make a color harmony for the house. You fell in love with a painting? Perfect, it will tell us about your favorite colors, about your personal style. Take out the colors you would use as a base and you see the amount of this color will be bigger in proportion than the other ones which will be used as accent colors.
Milos House via Archilovers - rocking chair - detail artwork LIBWAde
We created here a harmony fitting a summery interior or a weekend home. Lots of white, the orange in the pallet is here translated by the wooden beams at the ceiling. Blue shutters and the red rocking chair which take all attention when you enter the room.
donuts via Also the Crumbles Please
And as I said before, everything can be inspiration. Therefor, when looking for images don't limit yourself to only interior design images. Movies, travel images or even your favorite food will tell you a lot. When I meet my clients, everything will give me a hint of their personality, and this is important as I want the house I'm decorating for them reflect their personality. When they move in, they should feel at home from the first moment.
interior image via Hannah in the House - Virginia sofa Marie's Corner - Dome Globe Curiousa & Curiousa - donuts via Also the Crumbles Please
You love dark colors? Not that easy to use in an interior, be sure to have highlights, bring in materials which reflect the light. Dark colors can work well in a bedroom where you anyway want to closeout the light. It can be very stylish, also comforting as it closes you in, it surrounds you. Something also for the minimalist style.
images via Pinterest
Take another look on the images you selected earlier, do you see here a color which comes back often.... that is your color. When you were looking for images you didn't choose them just for the color, you choose them because you were attracted to them. I had a client once who loved red, and discovered that by looking through images. She was surprised when I told her red was her color, she was simply not aware of it.
How to start working with color, discover your color:
- look into your wardrobe
- what is your favorite painting
- collect images, swatches, small object and put them in a box
- find inspiration everywhere
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If you would like to do discover more about your style in a group than watch out for one of my workshops on the topic of "Who am I", they will start soon, we can also work together on discovering your style during a one on one coaching session or even an on-line coaching, just get in contact with me.