In honour of Bathrooms Month, today's colour palette is the main bathroom from Sarah's House 3, the farm. Designer bathrooms rarely incorporate much colour. It's usually all white, grey and pale blue — very spa-like. But I don't think that's how most people live. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, tissue boxes and other items that get daily use end up all over the counters and are only put away when guests come over.
I think that a good way to disguise your every day mess is with a bit of well-used colour. Here, Sarah Richardson has incorporated vintage bird tchotchkes and a modest bouquet of wild flowers to play off the pale yellow used in the curtains, mirror frame and exterior of the bath tub.
There's also the bold green of the bird figurines, the pale patina of the wall shelf and even the aqua of the glass shower. The grey, white and black in the curtains really ties the floors, marble counter and walls together.
In my own home, I might pass on the decorative bits and opt instead for pieces that will pull in colour while also being useful. The shower curtain below has the same palette as Sarah's and whether you use it as an actual shower curtain or to cover windows, you know it will withstand the moisture of a bathroom.
The yellow bud vase could be used for flowers — or it could be used for toothbrushes or makeup brushes. And the towels are just a great way to bring colour into the room because you know they're something you'll put to good use.
From left: Penelope Kalamkari Shower Curtain, Pottery Barn; Pretty Pansy Vase, Perpetual Blooms Towels, both Anthropologie
How To Apply Palettes in Any Room:
- Choose the colour you'll use as the anchor. This will probably be a neutral, but if you're brave, could be a brighter colour.
- Use this colour on the walls and/or major pieces of furniture.
- Choose three to four additional complimenting colours as accents
(consult a colour wheel if need be!) and bring these into the room as
rugs, pillows, window coverings and art. A plus: if any one of these decor items combine two or more of your chosen accent colours.
- Another way to create a palette is to choose a decor item that
really appeals to you such as a painting, decorative plate or throw
pillow, and use it as a jumping-off point: pull four to five colours
from this object to recreate the same palette in a room!
Related:
