I wish I’d thought of this! Looks like it’s a decal, but I could make stencils… I see this image on large piece of board, a set of them each configured differently, a set with different background colors for each piece, a dark brown, navy, black, or eggplant walls with shading at the edges and this image stenciled across a whole wall…
Make a Wish Color Palette (with complementary accents, of course!):
Almost Black- shading on the wall
Warm, pale gray for the wishes...
Brown Charcoal- main wall color
Blue-violet- deep as an Iris- for a sofa or rug...
Yellow orange accents- this on a long low button-tucked ottoman with dark brown turned legs, or cozy soft wing back chair...
And of course, a pinch of dandelion yellow- a cheerful nod to the artwork
Let’s pick a room and get started! Have a great weekend everyone.
We’ve been talking about complementary colors this week and how to use them in your home. Not belabor the point, but we haven’t actually talked about exteriors yet. Are you still with me?!
One of the best ways to choose your exterior house color is to start with any natural materials on your home or in your landscaping. Brick, stone, wood, plants and landscaping… all offer clues to finding colors that will help your home look it’s best. Let’s just peruse the internet, Flickr, and Houzz.com to see what we come up with shall we?…
Ahhh, I feel so peaceful, not one tan or beige or gray house to be found. All color, beautiful, complementary, delightful color… all seems right with the world right now. Thank you for indulging me.
Now that you know about complementary colors (see yesterday’s post, people!), you can conjure up the magic color wheel in your mind to figure out the opposite color for this sofa…
How to translate that to your sofa? If you held the color wheel up to the sofa fabric, you’d see that it’s reddish violet (at least on my monitor-but don’t get me started on that)- more of a reddish purple than a bluish purple.
From top to bottom, these purples are; red-violet, violet, blue-violet
The fabric color is very dusty and muted, so even though the color might be described as dove gray, dark taupe, dusty plum… but you’ll see that the true essence of the color is red-violet. Got it?
Now, look directly across from red-violet to see yellow-green. The muted versions of that color are chartruese, citrine, citron, mustard green, green-gold, lime, green brass…
For a dynamic room, choose a complementary paint color to your sofa, like this…
Remember, here’s your sofa. A quieter, more neutral effect for your room would be to choose similar paint colors to the fabric for the walls…
Lastly, consider the patterns and accents that’ll bring it all together. You don’t need a perfectly matching room, but looking to variations on these two colors (red-violet and yellow-green) with plenty of white, gray, black, or chocolate thrown in will give your room that designer look. Here are some amazing fabric ideas to get you started. Look to them for window treatments, pillows, an ottoman… see how it becomes fun to think of the possibilities?
You’re turn, pick an item you’d like to decorate around in your house. Grab your color wheel and see what happens! Have fun!
Okay, this is going to sound dorky, but, I’m going to say it out loud anyway- I LOVE THE COLOR WHEEL!
Even more embarrassing is the fact that whether I’m admiring a painting, sitting in a restaurant, or flipping through an interiors magazine, I’m analyzing the color scheme and debating the changes or adjustments I’d make if I were in charge. Of course, my favorite moments are those when I see a perfect color combination- my senses fill with awe and all is right with the world.
May sound dramatic, but see if you don’t feel that same thing when you look at these rooms created with complementary color schemes (opposite colors on the color wheel). It’s the most dynamic approach to design and often the most beautiful. But check it out and decide for yourself…
This gorgeous 'water blue' room is balanced perfectly with complementary details of delightful orange. Even the golden honey wood tones add freshness and light to a serious wall finish. Notice too, that the baseboards are painted to match the walls for maximum wall height and drama. Perfection!
Cheerful, simple, light and airy- you couldn't be in a bad mood in these rooms!
You all know I'd paint the baseboards in a darker purple or black tone and give the ceiling some color too. Still, the subtle straw yellow details and guilded elements are a delicious complement to this lovely room.
I'm not a huge fan of accent walls, but a well place wall of color can transform the feel of a room
Nothing brings me more joy than a headboard treatment painted on the wall and this one takes the cake. Sophisticated tone on tone greens with the bright red complement- pure heaven
Somehow this room of old fashioned elements is totally current and classic at the same time. It's the mix of patterns and soft organic shapes that makes this room so pretty.
Fresh white cabinets with rough hewn floors show off cheerful fabrics and bright storage in this craft room.
Here's a much softer version of the same complement. Here, white is still a major element, but the soft green yellow walls and pale muted purple tones are heavenly.
Blue-green and orange-red, it's like an Asian block print brought to the modern world without losing any of the sophistication and magic. Of course, my fav detail is the wonderful block of color on the wall and then surprisingly on the floor. Wish I'd done these rooms!
Here's the complement in it's opposite- poppy walls with green blue and blue retro furniture and art.
