Do you love colour but somehow always choose neutrals in the shop? Don’t worry, most of us (including me),
want to embrace bold colour choices but are sometimes afraid to really go the extra mile. The last thing we want to end up with is an expensive accessory that was the colour du jour, and tomorrow it’s OMIGOD-so-over-the-top-fugly! Or bright! Or rich!
It’s true that colourful items create the need for a very curated collection of stuff. And you want your stuff to represent who
you are, but at the same time, your stuff sometimes needs to impress others too. You might even succumb to thinking, “That mustard
cushion is like, damn hot this winter! But, in summer I like white, so, let’s just settle for white”. How will that mustard cushion
work when I buy other stuff later? And what happens when I want to move rentals or sell? How will Mr Mustard cushion relate to its new surroundings?
The best resources for colour inspiration is Pinterest, Houzz and Instagram. If you are not confident
of curating a bold colour scheme, take a hint from someone else’s playbook. You don’t need to recreate the wheel. There are
lots of excellent stylists out there sharing their work and I bet you will probably fall in love with a colourful scheme that someone
has already created. All you need to do is find your own pieces, using their colour scheme as inspiration.
If you are unsure if colour is for you, go and visit a display home or two (or alot). Walk around, sit down and
ask for a free coffee. Pretend you are buying if you have to. The big builders hire expert stylists with well-curated display homes and they are perfect
for really getting a ‘feel’ for a style and a colour scheme. I love visiting display homes for inspiration because
you don’t need to visualise what is directly in front of you. Ask yourself, does this scheme make me calm, happy or anxious?
Start saving images that you like from Houzz or Pinterest and ask yourself, are my images reflecting a
certain colour, mood or theme? Am I more attracted to light and airy or dark and moody? Do you like strong contrast or
do you prefer washout or no contrast? The best schemes often have a mix of colours but also a mix of tonality (or light and dark) to create interest
and depth.
To get a better idea of how to source colours from your chosen inspirational image, take your image to
a trade or paint shop like Bunnings, Dulux, Haymes etc. and match the colours to the paint swatches. With your
collected free paint swatches, you can now refer to these when heading out into the shops. If the colour of the vase or cushion doesn’t match
one of your samples, move on. This is a great way to keep your scheme on track and before you know it, you will be #winning.
Still unsure about creating your own colour scheme? Book a Discovery Call with me or send me an email. This is my jam.
