Essentially EmmaMarie

I believe creating a cohesive color palette is foundational for creating a well decorated home. How does one go about creating a cohesive color theme? That’s the fun part! Chances are you probably already have several colors that you are primarily using in your home. Whether you are starting from scratch or just needing to tweak what you already have in your house, here are a few starting points:

What are your favorite colors?

Are you attracted to the colors of the sea? Blues, greens, purples and beiges? Or are you more of a desert flower, preferring tans, browns, and creams, punctuated by bright red, orange and dark green?

What colors are you already using?

You don’t have to scratch everything you already have going on in your house- after all you probably bought that stuff because you liked it! But maybe that purple throw blanket isn’t working with your green, blue, and burnt sienna accents in the living room. Instead move it into the guest bedroom decorated in different shades of blue and viola!

Go on Pinterest and search color palettes

Looking up different color palettes on Pinterest is one of the most energizing things for me! I love seeing different arrays of colors, by switching out just a shade or two you can totally change the vibe of a whole pallette!

How Many Colors Should I Use in my Palette?

Again, personal taste plays a large part here: the fewer the colors the more versatile your palette will be; the more colors you use the trickier it can be to make it all coordinate and work together, but this doesn’t mean it can’t be done! If you are a newbie or really trying to cull your decor, I suggest you start with 3 main accent colors, and then have a base of neutral colors for back up.

In her book, ”The Curated Closet,” Anuschka Rees talks about creating a versatile color palette for your closet. I think applying the same principle to your decor greatly simplifies and reduces the stress of the decorating process. Using her method you create a color palette utilizing about six to twelve different colors in all. This doesn’t mean you can never add a small pop of a color outside these colors but it will serve as a guide and when you really break it down twelve colors is a lot!

You have your main colors, usually about 3, and these are the colors you use the most. For me this means a soft greige,(my wall color), wood,(the floors and a lot of my furniture), and light heather gray,(my larger pieces of furniture like my sofa and loveseat). If this was a play, these are the main characters.

Next you have your neutral colors or supporting actors, essential to the plot of the story but not the key players. This could be anywhere from 2-4 different neutral colors. For my color scheme this is black, white, and cream and are items such as an end table, a throw blanket and the anchor for any vignettes I may arrange in my decor.

Lastly you have your accent colors, the characters that give the play life and keep things entertaining! My accent colors are sage green, (I will vary a shade or two), dusty teal, sunflower yellow, gold, silver, and a few minute touches of blush pink. These are my throw pillows, throw blankets, dishes used as part of my decor, and framed pictures.

I hope this helps your decorating process, remember it is a process and is rarely, if ever, a one and done thing! For more learning check out; “The Curated Closet” by Anshuka Rees. While this book is about creating a closet you love, many of the themes can be applied to decor as well.

The podcast, “Decorating Tips and Tricks”, where they have several podcasts
delving deeper into the topic of color palettes. Happy decorating!

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