Creating a whole house color palette, before painting a single wall, was the best thing I ever did for my home.
After six years of home ownership, I was sick of the constant trips to the paint store to stare at way too many paint chips agonizing over which one would be best. Choosing wall colors on an as-needed basis caused extra stress and indecisiveness. And, in my last two homes, I never achieved a cohesive look. There was always one or two rooms that seemed disjointed from the rest.
In this home, I set out to decide on a color palette for the entire home upfront. Since then, I have not gone to the paint store in four years to pick out a new color and I have never second-guessed a color decision in my home. Because I did the work up front, I know I can use any color from my palette and it will fit right in with the rest of the home.
And, no, my home is anything but boring and matchy-matchy.
If anything, the restrained palette has opened up my creativity. We use a limited palette throughout our home, but vary how we use the colors from room to room to keep it interesting. For example, dark teal appears on the upper walls in my dining room. I used the same color differently in my basement family room on the painted media center. The same color reappears as an accent color in my master bedroom.
If you are ready to end the color in-decision and create a color palette that works for your home, just follow the 7 steps below.
With a whole house color palette, you will:
- Create a home with a cohesive look that flows from room to room.
- Make decisions upfront and never have to think of it again.
- Feel confident in any wall color choice you make, because you already know it goes with all the other colors in your home.
Every home no matter the size or layout can benefit from a whole house color scheme. It doesn’t matter if your home is an open floor plan or a series of separate rooms. It seems more obvious to use coordinated colors in an open floor plan or small space, but even in a home with separate rooms you don’t want to turn the corner and have a jarring effect caused by an out of place color.
Here’s the goal: If someone were to see your home as a series of snapshots, each room a separate picture jumbled up with pictures of other people’s homes, you want them to know all of your rooms are from the same house. You create that connection with color.
If I gave someone a stack of pictures of each room in your home right now, would they know they were all from the same home? If not, read on and learn how to create your cohesive color palette.
There are only 7 steps in this system, but choosing colors can be confusing and overwhelming. To make it easier, I created a class called Create a Cohesive Home with Color with video lessons that walks you through this process step by step.
7 Steps to Your Whole House Color Palette
1. Understand Your Fixed Elements
Before you do anything else, you need to understand the colors you are already stuck with. All of the fixed elements in your home automatically become part of your whole house color palette. The fixed elements in your home include trim, cabinetry, flooring (wood, carpet, tile), wall tiles, and countertops (stone, laminate, wood).
Do not skip this step. It’s the most important, which is why I included a 30-minute lesson on Identifying Undertones in my Create a Cohesive Home with Color class.
Although most of your fixed elements are probably a neutral color, even neutrals have color undertones. To properly choose colors to go with your fixed elements, you need to understand what undertone colors you are working with.
Make a list of all your fixed elements. Next to each element, write the undertone.
If the person designing your house did a good job, you should see some trends in the undertones. For example, most of the undertones of the fixed elements in my home are warm colors. My dark wood floors have a red undertone. My cinnamon maple cabinetry has a distinctly orange undertone. My white trim has a yellow undertone. Tile throughout our home has a pink undertone. Even the slate on our fireplace has warm undertones.
Check out the undertones in my kitchen:
Once you understand the undertones in your fixed elements, you basically have two options for building your whole house color palette:
Option A. Match the undertones. If your undertones are mostly warm colors (red, orange, yellow), choose a wall color palette of warm colors. If your undertones are mostly cool colors (green, blue, purple), choose a wall color palette of cool colors.
Option B. Contrast against the undertones. If your undertones are mostly warm colors, choose a wall color palette of cool colors to complement the warm undertones. If your undertones are mostly cool colors, choose a wall color palette of warm colors to complement the cool undertones.
I almost always prefer Option B, complementing the undertones, because it provides balance and prevents your home from being too warm or too cold.
The rest of the steps show you how to choose wall colors. In Step 2, you will choose a color scheme. The remaining steps are like a choose-your-own-adventure for your color scheme (monochromatic, analogous, or complementary).
2. Choose a Color Scheme
Popular advice suggests you choose your color scheme based on some sort of inspiration. All too often, I think people either waste time looking for inspiration or use an inspiration image as a crutch. You may choose an inspiration you appreciate, but don’t love. You may not understand the color theory behind your inspiration, which makes it impossible to add more colors to your palette. You get locked into your inspiration.
I want to help you choose a palette that is best for your home. I want you to understand the basic color theory behind your chosen color scheme. I want you to know how to add colors to extend your palette.
In my experience, it is better to start with the overall feeling you want for your home and what your favorite color is. Your desired feeling and favorite color will lead you to the right color scheme. Once you know which color scheme is best, you can look for inspiration in nature, interiors, fashion, and fabrics to help you round out your palette.
Vintage Color Wheel Image via JustSomethingImade.com
There are many color schemes to choose from, but some practically require a Ph.D. in color theory. To keep it simple, focus on one of these three color schemes:
Monochromatic
Use one hue for your entire color palette in different shades, tints, and tones. This color scheme is great if you only like one particular color. It is also great for the color-shy because using the same hue lessens the contrast in the space and reads more like a neutral space.
- If you are matching the undertones of your fixed elements, your starting color (in Step 4) should be on the same side of the color wheel as your dominant undertones.
- If you are complimenting the undertones of your fixed elements, your starting color (in Step 4) should be on the opposite side of the color wheel as your dominant undertones.
Analogous
Also sometimes called harmonious, this color scheme uses colors adjacent, or next to each other on the color wheel. For example, blue, green, yellow or purple, red, orange. This color scheme is very livable and generally feels relaxing and calm.
- If you are matching the undertones of your fixed elements, your starting color (in Step 4) will match your dominant undertone and then you will build your palette with colors next to it on the color wheel. For example, if your undertone is red, then the analogous colors would be purple, red, orange or red, orange, yellow or blue, purple, red.
- If you are complimenting the undertones of your fixed elements, your starting color (in Step 4) will be a color opposite your dominant color undertone on the color wheel, then choose colors next to it to build the rest of your palette. For example, if your undertone is red, then start with green and use the analogous colors, like yellow and blue.
Complementary
Complementary colors are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. For example, blue and orange, yellow and purple, red and green. This type of color scheme is not for the color-shy. It is a more energetic and lively color scheme because it is all about contrast.
- If you are matching the undertones of your fixed elements, start with a monochromatic or analogous color to your dominant undertone in step 4.
- If you are complementing the undertones of your fixed elements, then start with a complementary color to your dominant undertone in steps 4.
Above are three basic color schemes to get you started, to learn more about color schemes check out the Create a Cohesive Home with Color class.
3. Choose Your Neutrals
Neutrals are an important part of any color palette. In this step, you need to choose a white and a dominant neutral color.
Choose a White
Choose a white with the same undertone as your fixed elements or a complimentary undertone. This is a personal preference. I recommend testing samples of several whites. They all look white in the paint store, but on the wall next to each other, you will see the difference in the undertones.
The white you choose here will be the default white color used for trim, cabinetry, furniture, and ceilings. For example, my undertones are warm, so I chose a white that has a slight yellow undertone, making it a warm white. This is the color of our trim and doors throughout our home.
Choose a Neutral
Choose a default neutral. This will be your go-to neutral color to use in all the connected areas of your home, like open spaces, hallways, and lofts. It is also great for closets and bathrooms. You have three choices with your default neutral.
Option A. A warm neutral is anything from warm white (yellow or pink undertone) to beige to brown. A warm neutral will coordinate with warm undertones, like red, orange, or yellow. A warm neutral will complement cool undertones, like blue, green, or purple.
Option B. Cool neutrals are anything from a cool white (blue or green undertone) to gray to black. A cool neutral will coordinate with cool undertones, like blue, green, or purple. A cool neutral will complement warm undertones, like red, orange, and yellow.
Option C. Greige colors were created for the indecisive. Greige is a mix of grey and beige. It is basically like a chameleon and can go well with warm or cool colors. I think griege works extremely well for complementary wall color palettes.
Since I prefer complementing undertones to create balance, the dominant neutral in my home is Driftwood Grey, which has a blue undertone. The blue undertone of my neutral complements the orange and red undertones of my cabinetry and flooring. Because my fixed elements have warm undertones, I can get away with cool wall colors without ever worrying about my space feeling cold.
4. Choose One Bold Color
Bold is relative here, but this color will be the boldest in your entire color palette, meaning it will either be the darkest or most saturated color.
What color should you choose? A version of your favorite color, which either matches or complements the undertone of your fixed elements (based on your answers from Step 1 and Step 2). Your favorite color is probably the only one you won’t tire of and the one you are most comfortable risk-taking with because you love it.
My favorite color is turquoise, but I wanted to go even bolder. So, the boldest color in my palette is Plumage, a very dark, saturated teal.
Your bold color might be a lot lighter and less saturated than mine, but it will be the boldest in your palette.
If you are color-shy, start with colors that act as neutrals. In the Sherwin Williams paint deck, they call these Fundamentally Neutrals. You know how blue jeans go with everything? It’s because they read as neutral. The Fundamentally Neutrals are the blue jeans of paint color.
5. Choose a Friend for Your Bold Color
The second color you choose should be the best friend of your bold color.
- If you are creating a monochromatic or complementary wall color palette, then choose a tint (lighter version) of your bold color for this step.
- If you are creating an analogous wall color palette, then choose a color next to your bold color on the color wheel. For example, if your bold color is purple, then you would choose a red or blue for your second color.
My wall color palette is analogous. Since my bold color is dark teal (which is a green), I chose a dark blue, called Azurite, for my second color. It is the wall color in our guest room, the accent wall color in my studio, and the accent color for the mural in our pirate-themed playroom.
My second color also happens to be bold, because I am not color-shy. The intensity of the colors you choose for your palette is up to you.
6. Choose an Accent Color
This color will be used sparingly in your home or used to create a dramatic impact. Either choose a color using the guidelines below for your color scheme or choose a neutral that contrasts with your default.
- If you are creating a monochromatic palette, then choose a tint (lighter version) or a shade (dark version) of your bold color for this step.
- If you are creating an analogous wall color palette, then choose either a tint of your second color or an analogous color on the color wheel. For example, if your bold color was purple and your second color was blue, your third color could either be a lighter shade of blue or it could be a green, which is next to blue on the color wheel.
- If you are creating a complementary color palette, then your accent color should be a complementary color (opposite on the color wheel) to either your bold color or your second color. For example, if your bold color is blue and your second color is green, your complementary accent could be orange or red (the respective complements of blue and green).
In my home, we chose a charcoal gray called Zinc as our accent color. It is a dark charcoal gray, which contrasts with the lighter blue/gray of our default neutral. We use it on the walls in our living room and our office. It also appears on some of our larger upholstered furniture. We used this dark gray to make our two-story living room feel cozier.
7. How to Extend Your Color Palette
The steps above result in a 5-color palette. A good rule of thumb for a cohesive color palette is to use no more than 5 distinct colors throughout your home. In this case, a white, a neutral, and 3 colors.
But, that doesn’t mean you are limited to only 5 paint colors in your home.
Here are two ways to extend your palette and stick within the 5 distinct color rule:
- Choose more colors that are a shade (darker) or tint (lighter) version of your chosen colors.
- Choose colors that match an undertone in one of your neutrals and fit within your overall color scheme.
My whole house color palette only has 5 distinct colors; white, blue/gray, dark gray, blue, and green. But, our actual paint palette has over 10 colors, because we have a few shades and tints of blue, green, and gray.
The dark gray we use in our living room, office, and master bedroom, was the inspiration for the wall color in my son’s room. The dark gray color, called Zinc, has a green undertone. So we chose a green, called Schoolhouse Slate for my son’s room. With our overall blue and green analogous color scheme, it fits right in.
For more help with understanding undertones and creating your whole house color palette, check out the Create a Cohesive Home with Color class.
How to Use Your Color Palette
Keeping Track of Your Colors
1. Get a minimum of two paint chips for each color in your palette. Make sure they have the color mixing information on the back. If not, ask the paint store to print you a label (that they would normally put on the mixed can of paint) and stick it to the back of the paint sample. With this information, you will always be able to get the same color mixed, even if they stop carrying it.
2. Create a swatch book. This is a place to collect paint swatches and other samples for every room in your home. Great for planning your rooms, but also great after they are complete to refer to before making a new purchase for the space.
3. Create a key chain of mini paint samples. For the ultimate portable color palette, create a color scheme key ring to take with you everywhere. You will never wonder again if that piece will go with the wall color in your dining room.
4. Create large sample boards. Because you will be using these colors over and over again in your home, it is handy to have large samples ready to go. I used to make these on foam core, which warped a bit with the paint, until my friend Heather from the blog Setting For Four, suggested using $1 canvases from the dollar store. The cheap, flat canvases are perfect for color samples. They are lightweight, can be taped to the wall, and store flat. Whenever you need to choose a color for a new room, you can bring all your big samples into the space.
Which Color Goes Where?
Here is how to use the five colors in your palette:
1. White
Use for trim, cabinetry, furniture, and ceilings or anything else you want to paint white, even the walls. Stick with one white color and always keep some on hand for touch-ups.
2. Neutral
I call this the default neutral because it is your default in all open, connected spaces of your home. It is also the back up when you don’t know what color to paint a space. Works great for small spaces like closets and bathrooms, where you don’t want to choose another color.
In my home, Driftwood Grey is my default neutral. It runs from our front door through the foyer, up the stairwell, around the second-floor hallways and loft. It goes into the kitchen and mudroom. By using this one color throughout all the connected hallways and open areas we didn’t have to agonize over where to start and stop color.
3. Bold Color
This is the color you use when you want to create a big WOW factor. I used my bold color, Plumage, above the board and batten in our dining room. I also used it as a wall color in my son’s nursery. It makes a statement in the dining room. It makes the nursery dark and cozy.
Your bold color is hard to pull off in open areas. It works best in separate rooms or as an accent wall only.
4. Second Color
This color is great for any room. It isn’t as bold, so it is easier to live with. It works best in separate rooms or for a more subtle accent wall.
5. Accent Color
This color should be used sparingly on walls or intentionally to create a certain feeling in a room.
- If this is a complementary color it should be used carefully and only in rooms where the adjacent colors are complementary. If your color palette is blue and green, with orange as a complementary color, only use the orange in an area where the adjacent rooms are blue or neutral, not green.
- If this is part of a monochromatic or analogous color scheme, you can use it pretty much anywhere, like your second color.
- If it is neutral, it should be a more dramatic neutral. For example, our accent color is dark gray, called Zinc. We chose it to make our two-story great room cozier. We loved it so much we repeated it in my husband’s office for a masculine look. When I wanted to make our light blue master bedroom moody, I used Zinc on the accent wall behind the bed.
6. Extended Colors
If you want all the separate rooms, like bedrooms and bathrooms in your home to be a different color without your house looking like a circus, extend your existing colors.
Choose shades (darker) or tints (lighter) of one of the three colors or the neutral in your palette. Choose as many as you like for all the rooms you have. My favorite trick is to use a tint of the bedroom color in an adjacent bathroom, or in any two rooms that flow together.
Vintage Color Wheel Image via JustSomethingImade.com
In our home, the bold color is dark teal. My laundry room is turquoise, a tint of dark teal.
Also, remember that the same paint color used in two different rooms could become a totally different color depending on the natural light in each room. Sometimes this is a disadvantage because it doesn’t look the way you want. But, you can also use it to your advantage to get more miles out of the same paint colors.
Phew! Did you make it?
I know that was intense. But, I promise if you work through this process once you will never have to think about your wall colors again. You can start living your life outside the hardware store paint aisle. Wouldn’t that be nice?
For more help with understanding undertones and creating your whole house color palette, take my Create a Cohesive Home with Color class and learn how to confidently choose wall colors and accent colors for your home.
I like your tip to choose a specific white. I basically always got the white straight from the can. How boring! I know my favorite ‘neutral’ and that I tend to love blue, so this helps me figure out how to go from there. Thanks!
MB, Oh, definitely choose a white…not the plain paint base. The white you choose can have a cool or warm undertone. My hubby thought all whites were created equal, until we painted several swatches on the basement walls. Seeing them all next to each other, you could clearly see one was more blue (and cooler) and one was more pink (warmer). It is nearly impossible to tell the difference between whites on small paint chips. If you love blue, you could choose a white with a blue undertone, or if you plan to paint a lot of blues on your walls, consider a warm white with a pink or yellow undertone to compliment the blue.
Sometimes what you learn the most from a post like this is that you subconsciously were “getting things right”, but didn’t really understand or know what you were doing!! It’s so exciting to realize that you know what you are doing even if you didn’t know you knew what you were doing, know what I mean? :-)
I immediately realized I have all 5 of these color types used in the right ways. It just felt right, but I couldn’t have explained my house’s “color story” to anyone. Now I can. Thank you Jackie!
Erin, Yay for validation! Now if people ask you how to do it, you know where to send them. Hopefully you picked up a for tips for extending the awesome palette you already have started, too.
This post appeals to me in so many ways. I’ve been looking for colour choice guidance for awhile now, and the step-by-step process laid out here makes it so simple. I can’t wait to put my palette together and get cracking on my builder’s-beige home (I’ve suffered and agonized with colour paralysis until now). Thanks Jackie!
Brandy, I am so happy to hear that. Print of a couple copies of the worksheet and dig in. It’s so fun to feel the color plan falling into place. You’ll be able to say bye-bye blah beige, soon!
I’ve been excited to create a whole house palate for our next house. We’ve pretty much followed this unintentionally, our rooms are pretty much all shades of blue & green but I do want to plan better (we were just 22 when we started here though!). And having the same white trim everywhere – YES! We have so many different white paints, drives me a little crazy. Even if I have to repaint every bit of trim I want it all the same white.
Diana, Make sure to use the worksheet. If you love the colors in your current place, make sure you have paint names and notes. Then you can get a jump start by trying samples of those colors first in your new home.
I am surprised that the word “lime” is not in this post. Where/when does the lime in Teal&Lime come in?
Jess, oh you noticed? Haha. Okay, this post is focused on the wall color palette. Accent colors for decor is a whole other post (in the works). And, for the record, i do not currently have or do I ever plan to have a lime green wall. In my world, it is an accent color only.
I had “first grade art” taught by our resident artist for fourteen years. I did the art with my children and our lessons, never the same in 14 years, helped me to think about color. When I moved into a builder-grade home, the trim was actually quality paint and a white I loved. I’ve re painted and added a bit more green undertone to my gold–as the painter said as I could see a huge difference from old to new but not in the end, he said I went from a lion god to more of a giraffe gold–more green undertones. And this is so true of your tip. I chose paint that looked sooo different for the open tall kitchen but once up, the difference is subtle. (Wish I’d been more bold!!! But my hubby said he can’t handle it more bold!!). So my basic color scheme stayed the same–my dishes from Italy in red and gold with brush strokes of brown still go as does my turquoise/ teal that I pull from drapes. My kitchen is another room so the drape has the same colors as my BOLD drapes–suggested on one of your drapes sources days–only softer. It’s amazing how that bit of the bluish green , since my warm gold has a greenish undertone, allowed me to paint a teeny sink cabinet a bold darker blue green which I darkened with a dry brush of a custom mix of brown black paint and wiped off. But with accents of red in livingroom and our bedroom wall open to the livingroom, it makes the red make sense and ties the two rooms together. A deeper gold but emphasizing the white trim and the dark brown and black we’ve used elsewhere in furniture makes my hubby’s office ‘go’. And my daughters room has the lightest gold color with the softer green accent wall and a hint of the accent white, the green, gold and a touch of red in her bedspread. So it comes full circle. I change out pillows though for seasons. And I’d drive you CRAZY Jackie for I love my little stuff of memories!!! I wonder what you’d think if you came to visit?!!! Heeheee!! But I read and really think about your tips now. I’m on a spending hiatus except for flowers–not even doing the kitchen–and its fun to redecorate with stuff I have in new ways…I get lots of ideas from your posts!!
This post is gold – and you are a gem for providing this kind of guidance for free, worksheet and all! I can’t wait to put it into action. Your son is so cute, by the way, with his big puppy eyes peeking over the sample board!
Susan, so glad you liked it. This new once a week blog format is letting me dive deeper than ever before. And, now you know why my boys get out of trouble fast… how could anyone stay mad at those big brown puppy dog eyes?! P.S. If you loved this post, you’re going to flip for tomorrow’s post on accent colors.
Is the “St. Paul Daily News” a personalized poster? If so, could you provide details, please? You have an awesome talent!!! Beautiful work!
Brandy, Thank you. Yes, we made the giant newspaper art. Here is how we did it: http://www.tealandlime.com/2013/09/diy-giant-faux-newspaper-wall-art/
Hi Jackie! This is a great post. I’m building a home and I’m having to choose all of my colors including my base colors (floors, cabinets, etc). I’ve seen so many homes during the home searching process that just don’t flow well because of color. For someone who has to pick everything from scratch where would you tell them to start? Maybe work backward fro. The steps in the post? Meaning choose a favorite color then pick finishes based on those? Also, would you coordinate the outside of your home with the inside? Thanks for the information!
Stephanie, If you have a strong preference for a favorite color, then yes I would start there and work your way backward. However, remember you cabinetry, stone, tile, flooring is much more permanent than your paint colors. So, don’t pick a granite with a blue fleck that matches your paint color…because if you deviate from blue later, you might not like your stone anymore. So, just really make sure you love what you are choosing.
One big tip I would give you…is don’t make all of your selections at once. I know most home builders schedule one appointment to do it all, but that will lead to bad decisions. Decision fatigue is when your decisions start to get worse the more you make in a short time period. You start to rush or get tired. Anyway, get the brands you will be allowed to choose from in advance and go to showrooms to see the finishes on your own in advance of the date to meet with the builders designer. Give yourself the time to make the decision and go in prepared with what you are looking for.
As for the inside matching the outside, from a visual standpoint you don’t have too. But I do think it should flow or connect in some way. When you see the outside of a home you make some basic assumptions about what the inside will look like. If it looks like a completely different house on the inside that might be weird. Hope that helps.
Thanks Jackie! That does help. I didn’t think to ask for the brands before hand. How smart. I lobe your site, so much valuable information here.
Hi Jackie,
This article helped me so much! I am one of those people that is scared of color, I am one of those “matchy, matchy people as my daughter calls me. I like beige, lol. I am trying to step out of my shell a little so I am trying to add color to my home. I was just wondering if your tips would work for the exterior of a house? For example, using your color definitions my exterior is a brown with an orange undertone with tan windows that I would say have a greyish blue undertone. In a case like this could you paint just the door a different color, say blue? Or would you have to combine more color throughout the exterior of the home? Thank you for taking your time to educate all of us! I always look forward to your posts!
Lisa
Lisa, Yes! Your thinking is perfect. These tips are based on color theory and will work for any color selections. What you are describing on your exterior sounds like a great complementary pairing by using a blue door to play off the orange undertone in the siding. One caution about exterior paint: test on large swatches taped or painted on door and look at it at all times of day. Any color will automatically be way brighter in natural sunlight than it would look on the interior of your home. You can read about how I had to go back to the paint store to add some more black to the paint can to tone down my new front door color here: http://www.tealandlime.com/2013/07/the-one-with-the-blue-door/
Thank you Jackie! I will definitely read that post. I am glad you mentioned that about the test area because I probably wouldn’t have thought of that and our front door faces west and does get a lot of Sun. I am guessing a warm shade of blue would be best right?
Lisa, Without seeing your house, it is hard for me to recommend a color. But with the sun beating on the door, definitely foo samples…you don’t want it to look electric blue :)
This is so helpful. I have the bedrooms painted in my house but got stuck when I tried to pick colors for kitchen/living room/dining room because it is one big room. This information is going to make the decision process fly by using the colors that already exist in floors, counters and cabinetry. Thank you, thank you, thank you for supplying this info free of charge.
Candy, You are very welcome.
Have you considered publishing a book, if you havent already done so? Im new to your blog and Im SO addicted. I was shocked to learn you are self taught. Aside from the fact that I love your personal style, your information is honestly book worthy. Ive watched video 1, so Im happy to say I will not simply copy your style.
Brandy, You are so sweet. I have a few drafts started :)
Great post Jackie! I´d make a quite similar colour palette to our house as you have. The problem is that I live in a log house. All the walls are made of pine, but are varnished warm pinkish white. I´m planning to varnish some with gray, but that´s it. Where else I could use these main colours? Or does my colour palette consist only from neutrals? How about choosing accent colours? (I red your article) I love teal and turquise, but find it hard to use them as wall colours…
Jenni,
When wall color is not an option, you can still use the palette to inform colors you want on other large surface areas. Rugs, curtain panels, art, upholstered furniture, and painted furniture are other great, high impact ways to introduce your favorite colors.
Thanks for your advice! That´s exactly what I have done. But the idea of using the same colors differently throughout the house was new to me! I´ve been using the accent colors pretty much in the same things allover the house, so every room looks the same. You have given me so much to think about and I´ve learned so much from you. Thank you again!
Jenni, Yes…mixing the way you use the accent colors in different rooms helps them look distinct, but still flow together. So, you might use the color on an accent chair in one room, a rug in the next room, and as window treatments in another room. It creates flow without every room looking or feeling the same.
Phew! I did make it.
I understand it now. This is an “AHA” moment in my life.
Wow!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thank you, Jackie!!!
Last night I read through this post (I have been stalking your blog since I ran across it two nights ago!), sat and created a whole house palette. We are going to be selling next year, so no truly fun paint colors for me (boohoo) but it helped me to visualize a cohesive color plan for the accessories, furniture and such.
Just tonight I went to Target and outfitted my boys’ room using the know-how I have gained from your blog. I LOVE the end result and so do they.
You gave me the confidence I needed to embrace my bold style (turquoise, orange, yellow, aubergine and grey — not all in the same room…lol) and use what I already have (and love). I am making it mine and loving it!
Jennifer, I love your kind of stalking :). You are so inspiring. Thank you for sharing how you’ve taken action. It means the world to me to know that my content is helping you. Did you hear I am building a new site? Come join us in Décorography
Hi Jackie! What a fabulous post! I’m redecoratiing most of my ‘open floor plan’ home, but, spinning my wheels on the color story; preventing me from going very far. When we built, we chose 1 color for every major element & I’m planning on keeping this, barring some walls, since we hope to sell in 2+/- years. I’m changing some furniture, but mostly adding/changing: window treatments/ bedding/rugs/decorative pieces.
I love spa/grey/ Tiffany/Robin’s Egg blues & mink/cocoa browns & feel like I’ve got a good grasp on the feel, style & colors in my mind. I just cannot translate it into a solid, working plan. I’m going to try yours, in hopes of getting a cohesive look between what I want & what I have. It seems much simpler than the confusing color apps, or looking at tons of paint swatches ‘plan’ I’ve been using been not getting anywhere with. Thank you!
Ana, I know it’s weird, but looking at a bunch of colors only makes you more color-confused. I’d love to hear how these steps work out for you. Sounds like you are on a monochromatic track with the blues and shades of brown are your preferred neutral.
Jackie, help! I’m slowly working through this process, but am stuck trying to figure out my favorite color. I know, silly. It’s either turquoise or gray. I’ve even been asking my family what they think it is. They all said one of these two colors. But I think I need to choose turquoise because gray is in the middle of the color wheel. Any advice? Maybe it just needs to be my main bold color?
I would love some advice. My fixed colors are my floors throughout the house which is brown,orange,yellow Mexican tile–not super orangy like in Mexican restaurants more brown and dark grey w/ an orange undertone. I ended up painting my entire house light beige. However, my favorite colors are blue and green–I have not had luck decorating w/these colors as they seem to clash w/the floors.
This is the best article I have ever read on choosing a color palette. Thank you. Can you please go into more detail about “warm” and “cool” undertones. I have no idea how to figure out which I have. Thanks again!
-Nicole
Thanks, Nicole. The cool undertones would be green or blue (most grays have a cool undertone). Warm undertones would be red, yellow, orange (most beiges have a warm undertone). Greiges (the mix between beige and gray) are a little tougher, but that is where you get a warm gray. Hope that helps. Adding this to my list of future topics to cover :)
So I get the joy of starting everything from scratch! We are buying a new home and completely renovating it. So far the only ideas I have for color are espresso or black-brown toned cabinetry and I have been eying the martha stewart living paint swatches that used to be in home depot. I love that they have all the swatches coded so you don’t even have to think about what matches. My question is will the espresso cabinetry match those swatches (for anyone familiar I’m using the flower symbol palette) and what color hardwood should I use on the floor. I’ve been leaning toward a light colored warm gray finish. What does everyone think? The cabinets and floor will be my most difficult decisions!
Tina, How exciting. The espresso cabinets if they are really dark, won’t really have a noticeable undertone, so they are a true neutral. And warm gray sounds like a dreamy combo…I like that it will contrast with the cabinets.
Thanks so much! I have been waiting all day for someone to tell me that would be ok. I am super excited to hear espresso is a true neutral :)
Oh my gosh, this should be life-changing except I get hung up one little thing early on in your process: choose your favorite color. EEEEEk I can’t. I simply can’t. I have never, ever been able to pinpoint a favorite, not even as a kid, and it seems the ones I am drawn to are constantly changing! I go through phases. What do I do?? We just bought our second home and I am determined to do it “right” this time, but am paralyzed with decorating indecision because I just seem to have so many favorites…orchid, yellow, emerald, coral, mint, navy, teal…AHH! Any advice?
Erin, I get it. Favorites are tough for some people. But do you like to use all those colors at once? Think back over time, is there one color that has always been in your pool of favorites? One you liked when you were 5 and 15 and 25? Is there 1 or 2 common colors you never seem to grow out of? The reason I recommend starting with a favorite is because that is most comfortable for a lot of people that are afraid of color (we’re usually not afraid of our favorite color). But if favorites aren’t for you, choose a color that you want to be a main element in your new color scheme and build it around that. The other colors you like might fit in here too or in your accent color palette (where they are more easily swapped).
Wow! This post is incredible. Thank you for all the tips. I’m picking out colors for our first home and have been struggling to decide. This makes it so much more planned. Great advice on choosing a palette for your entire home at once. I’m excited to get painting! Thank you!
Emily, Yay! If you want more in depth help, join me over at https://schoolofdecorating.com. I just shared a 3-part video class on creating your color palette.
Thank you for taking the agony out of colour schemes. I realised that I’m not color shy but rather just afraid to make mistakes. Your methodology simplifies the process while avoiding the concern of creating a circus of colors. I’ve just called my painter and told him to hold off on painting to doors and trim. I need to change the white!! Thanks once more.
Ravi, Your welcome. Hope it turns out beautiful.
Hi Jackie-I went through your whole house color program in the School of Decorating and figured out that I’ve been using the wrong color on my walls. Your step-by-step process helped me realize that a neutral with a green undertone will look so much better than the fresh green-yellow I have on my walls now. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before, but I assumed that if I used a neutral on my walls it would look boring. I think that it will do just the opposite by coordinating with the fixed elements and allowing my accessories to stand out better. Thank you so much for coming up with such an easy to follow, yet comprehensive approach to coming up with a whole house color palette!!!
Lisa, Yay! I am so happy the class helped. Complex neutrals are a beautiful thing and if you get the undertone right, it can pull your whole space together!
Hi Jackie,
Thanks so much for taking the time to explain all this. It’s incredibly helpful and I’ve never seen it explained so clearly or in this detail. I greatly appreciate you sharing this information. Correct colour makes all the difference and can transform a home. Thanks so much :)
What a relief to stumble upon this class. I stressed about the whole house scheme, because there are so many rooms to paint. But your post has eased a lot of that stress, and I’ve read it almost every day for a week! The only color I knew I wanted was seafoam in the upstairs bathroom and a warm yellow in the downstairs kitchen. I do a lot of research but none of the house I see online have beige windows like I do. Does that mean that my color scheme should have a beige undertone?
What paint brand are your colors? Trying to find them.
I love this article. Thanks so much for posting it. I also love the colors in your house. My husband and I just purchased a house, and this really helped me. One question, I have two girls and a boy and I want to have the house flow,but am having trouble figuring that out with the girls wanting colors that won’t really go with the rest of the house. I love blues, but know I can’t get them to sway that way. I’m not afraid to use bright colors so should I use a complementary style? If so, what does that look like. I’m having trouble visualizing without an example. What would you suggest?
Anna, You can flex a little more on the color schemes with the colors you use in bedrooms, because they are separate spaces. The connection and flow is not as important. It’s a bonus if they flow. One suggestion is to use your main neutral color in those rooms, then go crazy with accent pieces (curtains, art, bedding) in your child’s favorite color. That way as they grow, you aren’t also repeating everytime they grow out of a phase.
Thank you for writing in a way that makes sense to me. I am not sure why your explanations resonate so strongly with me. It may be a shared IT background. But wow, thanks. I am just glad to know some of the ‘why’ behind what I ‘felt’ was true about colors. We just bought a house that was built in 1918. It was remodeled and painted in a way that is very much not our style. In addition to remodel projects, we have to paint and redecorate while using existing furniture and fixed choices from the previous homeowner as much as possible. Now if only you had advice on how to get a husband to stop thinking he needed an opinion on decorating, that would be GREAT!
I have a new to me home. It is open concept and backs to a green space ….. With huge windows that look over a deck. There is lots of light. The light is truly confusing to me. My main color looks so different in the sunroom vs. the living room. Any suggestions? Our flooring has red undertones and our cabinets are cherry wood. Thanks!
Cynthia, Start with the lighting in your main living space. Choose colors for that space, then see if those same colors “work” in other spaces with different lighting. You can sometimes get more mileage out of the same color, BECAUSE it looks different in different rooms. Just make sure you like the way it looks in both places.
Do you have any suggestions/ advice on how to decorate an open concept home. My living space (kitchen,living room, dining room) is longer and less wide painted 2 tones of grey and white. I like my paint choices I just struggle to define where each room ends. I love turquoise and purple and yellow. Any advice would be appreciated.
Michelle, Yes! Download my free workbook called Make Your Home Happy. Go here to download: http://www.schoolofdecorating.com/home-happy Use the exercises in section 1 and section 2 to really think through what you want in this space. The activities you want to do in the space (Exercise 1) will help you better define the space. The feeling you want in each area (Exercise 2) will help you get the feeling right.
I read your info and it was very helpful. I have a open condo so it’s hard to decide on wall colours. My fixed elements are all warm undertones so I want to compliment them with cool undertones. My neutral color is Benjamin Moore BL-W13 Silver Polish and I’m thinking of a Bold accent wall in living room the BEHR S510-7 Dark Denim. I have 2 questions for you: 1) Is it a good idea to stay with same paint company either Bemjamin Moore or BEHR? 2) should I use the Dark Denim elsewhere in condo or I can get away with it by adding a blue bowl and throw blanket in the same colours? What do you think of my color choices ? Thanks for your help.
Diane, You do not need to stick with the same paint brand. However, the quality of the paint may vary between the two. If you want consistent quality, have the paint color from the other brand matched in your preferred brand. You don’t need to use you bold color on other walls. Adding it in as other accents is perfect.
Thanks for your opinion! If I wanted to add another accent wall in my bedroom how do I choose that color? Remember I have a dark blue accent wall in living room. See last message for details ok
Diane, You could use any of the other colors in your palette as a focal wall in the bedroom as long as there is enough contrast with the base wall color. Alternatively, you could use a complementary color to the base color.
Hi ! I am so happy I found this article. It has made such a painful task much easier to navigate through. I must have completed your worksheet 3 times, and am trying to decide between, monochromatic, analogous, or complementary….
My question is, If I do decide to go monochromatic, when choosing my 2nd color and accent color, do they have to be the same hue as my bold color , just shades and tints? So basically I would choose my bold color, and then everything else would have to come from the same paint chip ?
My issue is that I LOVE turquoise / teal, but I don’t necessarily like the tints of the same color, like the baby blues… Is it OK to choose slightly different hues, but varying shades and tints?
Thanks again for the great article, despite my indecisiveness, you have made this so much easier on me :)
Randi,
If you veer into other colors, then it’s no longer monochromatic. It would be analogous. Either way you have to be careful about mixing tints with shades, because that is where most color clashes occur. I do offer an in depth Whole House Color Palette video class that walks through this process in more detail and with visual examples. Learn more here: https://schoolofdecorating.com/shop/class-cohesive-color/ School of Decorating members also get a foundational color class that is helpful for understanding how to work with shades, tints, and tones.
Thanks so much for the reply! I just signed up for SoD.
Hi Jackie,
I’m a first time home buyer and I will finally get the keys to my new house on Friday! I’m very happy, but also completely overwhelmed! I have no idea how to go about the painting. Your post has helped so much! But how do I find out what the undertones of my “fixed elements” are? I apologize for such an ignorant question, but I’m completely terrified of making a mistake! I’m on a time crunch and any tips will be valuable.
Janeth, Congratulations on your new home. It is not an ignorant question at all. It’s actually a really important one. I have a 3-part video class on Whole House Color and the first video is all about undertones and choosing colors to go with them. You can check it out here: https://schoolofdecorating.com/shop/class-cohesive-color/. Plus, it will help you choose the color palette for your entire home upfront.
Oh, thank you so much Jackie! I will definitely watch the video. Thank you for replying!
Have a wonderful day.
HELP!! Ok I am terrible with tones, colors and everything else! I know my style, what I love and the feel I want – I just can’t figure this out. I am modern style with natural maple kitchen cabinets which look orange to me then I have espresso and natural maple furniture pieces. Flooring varies from natural maple wood planks to beige/taupe carpet. I just redid my master bath with Kitchencraft White Oak Winter cabinets, Sherwin Williams Passive wall paint and a basalt stone tile, looks amazing but now I hate the rest of my house! Want to definitely have a grey main wall color plus add in punches of blues, greens, and maybe yellows? Just struggling to find the perfect grey and I can’t even figure out my undertones! Tell me where to start!!
Lori, I wish I had a quick answer for you. The undertones are a huge starting point to getting your colors right and I can’t do the topic justice in a blog post. I do teach a full class on the Whole House Color Plan in School of Decorating. If you are interested, you can learn more here: http://www.schoolofdecorating.com
Jackie,
Went though all the videos and printouts and now I got an idea but need some questions answered. What forum do I post my questions? Also I LOVE you color palette! I want something similar but with some greens and maybe yellows too! Thanks again for getting back to me!
Lori, I replied to your email last night. Get all your notes together and join us in the member forum. Follow the instructions to create a Decorating Diary in the forum and I and other members will be able to respond. We can help you through the process.
I was so happy to find your post! We are currently building a home with natural rustic cherry cabinets. We are doing a soft beige on the walls, but I am having trouble figuring out what colors I can use to decorate! I have been told to use reds and greens, but there are so many pretty blue shades that I love too! I don’t want anything to clash with the cabinets, though. Any idvice would be appreciated!!!!!
Use what you love Bethany. Of course reds and greens would go with your cabinets, but blues can too. My wood floors have a various obvious red undertone and we used a blue-gray as our main floor wall color to play off the reddish floors.
I am still so very confused. I have been looking at living room colors for a month now and I just can’t get one right. My problem is my kitchen is a bright yellow green (Behr Honeydew), which I LOVE. It makes me smile everytime I look at it. But my house is pretty open; when you walk in the front door you can see the kitchen, living room and playroom. My playroom walls have to be neutral because my computer is in there as well and I edit my pictures there. And I have dark orange toned trim everywhere, even beams on the ceiling. A medium brown and ugly carpet in the living room and playroom and steps. And I have dark brown couches. I love my green kitchen, but I cannot find a color to go with it for the living room. My husband wants grey or a dark blue. He will NOT let me paint it green. I like grey, but with all the dark browns (all the furniture), it seems SO depressing and I’m stuck at home every day because it’s just too cold to go out. I thought an aqua might look nice, but don’t want the house to look like a circus. I NEED color! Any recommendations on what colors match Behr Honeydew?
April,
You are not confused, you just need to work backwards a bit. It sounds like you already have one of your five colors chosen…honeydew. And based on your husband’s preferences, it sounds like that is your Bold Color. Now you just need to fill in the other colors. A gray with a blue undertone would compliment you orange-undertone wood trim. Check out the Fundamentally Neutral collection from Sherwin Williams – they are all neutral tones to please your husband, but have strong undertones to give you some color.
Wow thank you so much. I am beyond ready to update my home. I picked a bold color carpet when we first built (dark olive). It was suppose to be a 4-6 yr choice but it still looks great, so it has to stay. But I’m tired of all the warm fall colors I’ve been using. I don’t know how to get away from them and bring some new life. I’m going to work on your steps and try to bring in some cooler colors, and s few accent colors, hopefully some sort of teal and purplish red. I’m overwhelmed right now, but am excited to see what happens when I work through the steps. Thank you for taking time to post this. :-)
I have a Victorian House. Big living room, painted Harvest Gold color. (But Sick of it..
Butter cup yellow in kitchen and den..all one room.
Gray hall way…
Beige diningroom…
What color can I paint the living room. Sick of the gold
Thank you for the amazing tips and worksheet. My question is, how do I make one of those color palette or swatch cards everyone uploads to Pinterest and like the one you shared above called Whole House Color Scheme? Is this done in Photoshop or is it an app? I have my colors picked out, now I want to make a whole house swatch card for my Pinterest board. I’ve been googling for two days and have come up with nothing. Am I calling it the wrong thing? Thank you!
Cherly, Color swatch is the right term. Most paint websites, like Sherwin Williams, offer tools to make them. I made mine in Photoshop.
Thank you, Jackie! IMy color palette uses colors from SW, BM and one other paint company so maybe Photoshop is the best option for me. I will check out the paint companies as well!
Thank you so much for your post. I am severely color-matching challenged and your article proved to be extremely helpful to me. I’m planning to print it out to take to the paint store with me because there was so much unfamiliar information that I know I will never remember it all! I really appreciate your use of examples, because they helped me follow what exactly you were talking about.
I’ve been living in my new house for two years now and still haven’t painted the walls because I had no idea where to begin or how to make it into a cohesive living space. I just wanted you to know your article was awesome and very helpful. Thanks again.
Ok I’ve read this blog and downloaded the three part video series from the school but I think I have a weird 50/50 fixed element problem. I am doing a whole house renovation (I do wish I had found this blog prior to selecting all my fixed elements) and my fixed element undertones seem mixed. I selected unusual color cabinets like Slate (a dark bluish espresso finish), Storm for master bath caves (a dark gray stain) and Cloud a painted light bluish gray for my laundry cabinets. From this one would say I have “cool” tones for my fixed finishes. BUT I have original 1950s white oak floors that are a yellow orange all over the house except baths and a slate stone on the fireplace that has lots of rusty orange undertones. And a mahogany baby grand piano that is reddish orange. So I am struggling at the top of the flow chart picking my dominant undertone….any thoughts? Am I cool blue or warm orange?
Aleta,
It is more likely you would run into trouble clashing with the orange undertones than the cool undertones, so I would make sure you are working your color scheme with the orange undertones in mind. You need to decide if you want to play the orange undertone down or play it up in your color scheme. Luckily your other cool undertones with a blue base are a natural complement to the orange undertones. You’re doing good so far!
Hi! Can you tell me please what brand your etched glass and driftwood grey colors are?
Jessica, These are all Martha Stewart colors from her former line for Home Depot.
Hi, I love the color palette that you created here, do you know if these colors have been discontinued or if they are still available at a retail location?
This is such great information; however, I don’t know how to determine the undertone of a color. Do you have any suggestions as to how to do this?
Susan, I can help. I created a 30 minute video in SchoolofDecorating.com just on undertones, but I also introduced the concept with examples here: http://www.tealandlime.com/2014/11/how-to-avoid-the-worst-wall-paint-mistake/
Thank you! When I found your site I was redoing my kitchen decor in teal (some paint and decor, not cabinets or countertop). Your site has great ideas that I would never have tried, such as adding a little lime green and turquoise, which I did and love. However, the sofa in the adjacent living room is sage green and burgundy plaid (outdated, I know). Is there any way to do anything in the living room that would help tie in with the kitchen, or at least brighten up the living room, until I can replace the sofa? The sage and teal clash and I have no idea how to handle/downplay the burgundy. Any advice would be very appreciated!
Hi Jackie,
Thank you for a great post.
I’m in a colour scheme dilemma, as reading the post after we ordered our curtains, I do not know how to fix things around, oops…
We opted for an analogous scheme as I understand from reading the post, but we have a colour intruder which I fear will mess our house flow… How can I fix this now? Is there any way we can somehow make it work.
Our walls are in a Greige (with brown undertones, Yellow & Grey (with blue undertones). I translated this as the following scheme Yellow Orange (Bold Colour), Yellow (Secondary) & Blue (accent).
Our Accent colours that we chose are: Yellow, Orange, Green, Green-Blue, Blue & Red. Everything is analogous except for that red :(
We use it in my daugther’s and our guest bedroom primarily.
My daughter’s room has yellow on walls and the intruder Red is a pink on her curtains, duvet and rug. Both are white but have duck-egg,pink & yellow on their print. Pink is used on some of her talls and toys in the room.
Our guest room has a light saturated yellow walls (they look like a dirty green more like it) and white curtains with green & light cranberry (red) flowers.
How can I fix this? Is there a remedy with keeping the red. All items are new and custom made curtains so we would hate to get rid of them…
Can we have a different colour scheme upstairs (bedrooms & bathroom) and downstairs (living room, kitchen & WC)
At the moment there is no orange downstairs or red. And upstairs the orange was a colour we were going to introduce in the Master bedroom (yellow orange walls with Deep Saturated Blue wallpaper on accent wall)and our son’s room (yellow orange walls with light Blue wallpaper on accent wall).
Thank you for any input you may have.
Wish I read this article earlier…
Eleni, You have quite a bit of the color wheel covered in your palette, which is totally fine. I would not worry about the red/pink as it is in bedrooms, which have more of a natural separation. Just don’t try to introduce red in your main living areas.
Thank you Jackie, indeed it is a wide range of colour. We decided to remove Orange altogether to reduce the palette. And definitely I will limit the red only to those two bedrooms… Thank you again
Hi Jackie, We have recently bought a house and I wanted this house to “feel good” so have been looking to find how to choose whole house paint colors. When I see a color scheme I know if I do or do not like it but had no idea how to get to the end point. Decorating is NOT one of my talents. I am thankful I came across your website and feel that this is the information I have been looking for and gives me guidelines to get the cohesive look I want.
Thank you for making it so simple!
Thank you so much for this! I just purchased my first home with my boyfriend and had no idea how to pick a colour scheme for the entire house and now I have an idea!! I love all your ideas and your home looks warm, inviting and extremely beautiful! Thanks!
Kaila,
Congratulations on your new home! I hope these tips help you start off on the right foot with color.
Hi!
Just out of curiosity what was the white trim that you used throughout your house and on your doors? Your tips are great! And you’re right – whites are soo tricky!
Emily, We have Sherwin Williams Divine White trim in our home.
I am planning on using wallpaper on all my walls for various reasons. Can these steps still work? Somehow? Like doing the steps and then picking wallpapers that use those colors????
Karalee,
Yep. I would create your palette and then look for wallpapers with the right background color. Or if you already have a wallpaper in mind start with the background or most prominent color in the pattern. Your wallpaper choice is probably your “bold color” option in this scheme.
THANK YOU !!
Thank you very much for being so generous in sharing your talents and what you so diligently studied! I can’t wait to hone our colour scheme using your worksheet.
Thanks for great teaching! very helpful!
I am trying to figure out how to apply your teaching into our new-build-home. I try hard to work with what i have got already, to limit the expenses. And I actually love many of the things Ive collected through the years. Unfortunately, they do not all fit together, but rather makes an eyesore.
I try to follow your advices for wallpaint-palette, which I think are excellent, with a twist. I group my furniture, pillows, and other belongings to make a color palette that will work in the different rooms. I shop my home, and find my palette by grouping the furniture, curtains and decorative items I love. And to get it all together I “kill some darlings” and put them away. Its challenging, and fun. I keep all my walls white, as a background for my belongings. In Norway we have a lot of darkness during wintertime White walls lightens up the home. I realize I love green, turquoise and blue.
Thank you for being my guide in this process.
Kristin
The link to download the worksheet is not showing up. Would you be able to post it again, please?! Thanks!
Hi This post has been so helpful! I just moved into a brand new house and I have light gray tile “wood tile” floors and did Alpaca (Sherwin Williams) on the walls for the entry, dining, kitchen and family room (all one big room really). My cabinets are cream. I’ve realized that the Alpaca definitely is a gray that pulls blue/purple colors and I’m having a hard time picking accent colors. Should I stay in the blue spectrum since I’ve painted a bluish gray? What about other accent colors? Thanks so much for the help!
Jennifer, Check out my post on creating your decorating accent color palette.
We’re moving into a new home with medium/neutral wood floors, grey counters, and white trim. I love kate spade, so the orange/pink/navy combo is my favorite however I’d like to do something a bit more mature that still pops. Ideas on what color for my base to start with?
We are building a new house and I’m starting to research paint colours. It is very overwhelming and this article has been *really* helpful. I have a question about Step #1. Since this is a new house I have not chosen the colours for the fixed elements like flooring, tile and countertops yet (the only set choice at this point is the window casings and trim will be natural unstained pine; it is a light blond wood with yellow undertones). I like your Option B – choosing paint colours that are opposite to your fixed elements undertone. Since I prefer warm colour palettes for wall colours, should I aim for cool undertones in my fixed elements? I have noticed when putting swatches together that warm flooring plus warm walls is a bit too much warm!
This article helped put everything into perspective – thank you! I had a color palette in mind but I didn’t know where to place each color. [In comes Pinterest] Looking at pictures of other homes and their paint color schemes was a complete overload & I think my brain exploded. After reading your post I was able to stop, breathe and take it one step at a time. Now I better idea of what goes where with a few tips from you. Thanks again!
This is a great article, and I’ve probably read through it a dozen times! Showing us examples of your home and colour palette was super helpful, but my one suggestion/request would be that you include a few examples of other palettes, using the little paint circles like you did with your own. I say this because I’m leaning more towards a neutral palette, and I’m finding it hard to work through the steps: like, what does a “bold colour” look like in a neutral? or an accent colour? If you had an image with a set of neutrals that followed the steps, I would find that very helpful!
The step-by-step process laid out here makes it very useful to plan for future decision making. Thanks the ‘School of decorating’ for this awesome article. To some extend it worked well for my house ie. the rooms ( the extended colors and the tint of that to the bathroom walls). What about the dark (less light) rooms? Suggestions please!!