Choosing A Consistent Color Palette for Your Home

A consistent color palette makes your home feel calm and soothing. Decorating becomes easier, because choosing accessories is simpler if you have a consistent color theme. And, you make fewer mistakes when you know, without a doubt, that only certain colors will "work."

Use Your Closet

So, you have no clue what paint colors to use. You're not even sure which colors you'd like to see in your home. The easiest way to determine which colors you really love is to take a look in your closet. Do you tend to purchase lots of earth tones? If so, then these colors obviously speak to you. You feel comfortable and confident in shades of brown, green, gray, and blue. Go with it. Do you find, maybe, that your closet is full of vibrant oranges and yellows, along with some lime greens and turquoise blue? Then you obviously have an affinity for bold color, and your home should reflect that.

Use a Cherished Object

Maybe you have a teapot that your grandmother gave you, or a cherished quilt, or maybe a piece of art that makes your heart sing. Use it! Take the object with you to the paint store or home center (don't worry, you won't be the only one there doing this!) and find paint samples that match the colors. Say your teapot has pink, gray, and green in it. There are three room colors right there! And because they worked together so well in the teapot, you know they'll work together in your home.

Professionals are professionals because they know what they're doing, right? Take advantage of that expertise to inform your color choices.

Let the Paint Manufacturers Help You

Paint manufacturers and home centers recognize that it can be very difficult to make paint choices. More and more manufacturers are offering collections of paints, guaranteed to work together. In some cases, they'll even go as far ast to give you an entire palette for one room: wall color, ceiling color, and trim color. All you have to do is tell the associate at the paint counter that you want a certain collection, and you're good to go.

Take Inspiration from Magazines

Decorating and home magazines are full of stunning decorating ideas. The best thing about them is that they give us new insights into how color can be used in our home. Maybe you've never considered painting your ceiling a color other than white, but you see a cobalt blue ceiling in a magazine that you simply must have. Do it! If it inspires you, it's worth having in your home.

Another great thing about using what you find in magazines is that, quite often, the rooms in magazines represent current trends. If you're into following trends (which can be a lot of fun) this is a great way to figure out how to incorporate them into your decor.

Store Displays Offer Inspiration, Too

Most stores that sell home furnishings put a lot of time and effort into designing the displays. Those displays sell the products, after all, by grouping them together in an attractive way. The vast majority of the time, a professional designer has been hired by the store just do set up the displays.

Creating a consistent, beautiful color palette for your home doesn't have to be a stressful, daunting experience. Take some help, have some fun, and love your home.