Posted by
Vanessa Grant
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 11:41 AM EDT
We're starting a new feature here on the blog. Inspired by Sarah 101's back-to-basics breakdown of how to combine elements in a room, we've decided to pull colours from our favourite HGTV makeovers to give you a designer palette you can use in your own home.
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!
On to today's palette! We begin with HGTV.ca exclusive series The Switch by Sam Pynn. The Pure Design host shows different, simple ways to style a room and I've broken down one of her "Sofa Essentials" vignettes into five fabulous colours.
As you can see, Sam has gone with a neutral sofa, rug and walls and brightened the room with cheerful accents. The black-and-white art looks striking without competing with the colourful, patterned cushions.
If you look closely, you'll notice that all the colours above can be found in Sam's luxe, embroidered pillows. As I mentioned, using a decorative object for inspiration is a great way to create your own palette. Want a similar look? This crewelwork rug from Anthropologie shares a similar combination of colours and would be the perfect jumping-off point for a warm living room or pretty guest room.
Once you gain a little more colour confidence, look at our bullet points as simply guidelines. You may want to choose two neutral colours -- one for the walls and a second for the larger pieces in the room -- or you may want to go for high contrast and use only one, vibrant accent colour. The trick with colour is to go with your gut: if it feels right, go for it!
How much do you consider colour palette when decorating a room?