7 Ways to Use Color With confidence

I don't know how you feel about this, but I love color!!! I love seeing at color, wearing color, and using it in my home. Have you ever noticed that your color preferences turn with the seasons or the mood you're in? I've discovered that unavoidable colors can lift my spirits when I'm down, and ground me when I'm feeling overwhelmed and scattered. In the winter there are colors that I love to be surrounded with (usually warm, cozy colors), but when the hot Georgia summers arrive, those same colors no longer feel right.

So how do you select colors that work great in your home? The colors that feel right for you and your family. The colors that allow your personality shine through. I've put together some tips that I use when I want to pick colors with confidence. I hope you find them helpful!

Turquoise

Observe how colors are combined in nature. I learned this dinky tip in a quilt workshop that I attended some years ago. The trainer showed us slides of reptiles, bugs, exotic animals, birds, etc. Some were beautiful, some were disgusting, but seeing intimately at the combinations of colors was fascinating, and a wonderful learning experience! So...picture a blue sky against a turquoise sea next to a sandy beach. Take a nature walk and notice the color combinations of insects, animals, flowers, trees. Look at your surroundings as if you were a painter. Visualize the colors in your home.

Study rooms in home decorating magazines. As you go straight through the magazines, look at the room establish from a separate perspective. Instead of naturally mental "I love this room" or "I hate this room", look at each room for the colors used. How does it make you feel? Does your heart sing when you see the colors? Do they make you feel ended in, agitated, nervous, excited? When a color composition precisely speaks to you, that would be a good place to start in planning your room.

Be mindful of how a color makes you feel. I know that I keep going back to this point. But, to me, it's the most leading thing in selecting colors for anything... Your home or a new outfit. If it doesn't make you feel happy or joyful, comfortable or cozy, think twice before using it. Colors resonate differently with each person. I am not a fuchsia or ochre person. When I see them, I want to shake them away! But I attended a coffee last week where two women were each wearing fuchsia blouses, and they kept talking about how much they love that color. So no matter what the "hot" color of the occasion is, if you feel uncomfortable with it, you should never use it.

Less is more! Be cautious of using too much color in your home. Usually, one main color with 2-3 accent colors is a good place to begin. Make sure that the colors flow throughout your house. It doesn't have to be the same exact shade everywhere. Variations are good too. Remember that the amount of color you use needs to fit your personality. I've had a few clients that insisted on painting a separate interesting color in every room when we started. Once we narrowed it down to 3 or 4 colors the establish flowed much better. By using small amounts of the colors in each room, we created unity.

Collect paint chips. Once you have an idea of color combinations you might like to work with, visit a paint store. Pull some colors and play colse to with combining them. Think about all for the project, not just the walls. Will there be window treatments, cabinets, convention bedding? Find paint chips to relate the colors that you might want to use. Good yet...add some fabric swatches!

Poster board is your friend! When I'm selecting a new paint color for a project, I always advise painting a large piece of poster board. Having a large painted area precisely helps in my decision-making. Other great advantage is that you can move it colse to the space to see how the lighting affects it. Some colors look totally separate in light and shadows!

Be happy with your choice! Remember that pillows can be changed and walls can be repainted.

7 Ways to Use Color With confidence

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