Home Decorating Inspirations: Finding Your Color Schemes

Decorating can be so much fun when you know the direction your heading in. But when you don't know the first thing about design the task of decorating might be overwhelming. Questions can run rampant in your mind about curtains, pillows and what type of artwork should display on your walls. Color often makes a significant impact on all of those things. If you're stuck before you even get to all of that stuff, you're in big trouble. So how do you find what color schemes should fill your abode without the help of a designer? By making yourself one. Just take a look at the world around you. What’s on that billboard sign outside of your grocery store? Or what colors seem to coexist in perfect harmony with each other in your neighbor’s garden? There are plenty of ways that you can get your color scheme without tearing your hair out in the process.

Check backyards, sandy shores or dusky skies. There you can find a plethora of natural color ideas. Take seascapes for example. You’ve got aquas, dark blues, purples and white sandy beaches. How well do those colors jive together? Very much so. Then in a forest you have browns, dark green grasses mixed with lime colored leaves. Notice any splashes of wildflowers? Throw those in the mix too. You have all that blanketed under white clouds and a pale blue sky depending on the time of day. Sunsets provide a number of colors if you just take the time to see them. Oranges, purples, pinks and yellows can often be seen as the sun sets especially before or after a rainstorm. If you’re lucky you’ll see them all at once meshing together making the perfect decorum on the inside of your entryway or accents to any room.

You’ve seen animals with gorgeous markings. Most of the charm and beauty of an animal is how remarkable they're fur or skin looks. They didn't have a say in the matter but they often are naturally mesmerizing to the eye without any effort on their part. Just think, if you find their patterns and colors meld well together then chances are those same colors will work well together in your home. Their patterns can make great accents for any room. Their colors can inspire color schemes as well. Take a look at the mandarin duck to the right. It is so beautiful. Just look at how its colors go so well together. From it you can see that navy, tan, burgundy, white and hunter's green can blend in so well with one another when used in the correct amounts.

From pillar to post, you can look to buildings, homes and signs for inspiring color choices for your home's décor. Haven't you noticed a photo of a building and not only marveled over its architecture but also at its colorings? You might have not even noticed its color motif but just found it visually pleasing. Give it another once over and take notice in its color scheme. Just for the sake of getting out of the house, take a walk in the center of your town or a jaunt through your own neighborhood. Begin to notice the color choices around you on doors and windows. Just know that it is a designer’s job to titillate the eye so any assortment of colors you see is more than likely well thought out. You’ll find great color selections from looking at shutter, door and home siding combos. You just might find your next indoor look.

Models are often adorned from head to toe with splashes of colors that you wouldn't have imagined going together yet somehow they work. Though we may not agree on the hodge podge styling of some of the outfits we see come out on the runway, the array of colors, however, may still raise an eyebrow of interest. Fashion hands down can put ideas into your mind about what colors to dress your décor in. Check out fashion mags, department stores, window shop at the mall or watch the latest fashion shows to see what your walls and furniture could be sporting. Decorating your home is no different than fashion. Carry such visually appetizing colors from the runway into your home. Steal color ideas from those big designers. Color schemes, patterns and all. Don’t be afraid to dress your living spaces with the finest looks.

The wings of butterflies or the backs of insects can teach the most accomplished decorator a thing or two about adding color to any room. In fact it probably is what inspires them. These slithering and hopping creatures with their color combinations can really make you see mixes and matches like you never would have before. After all their decorative color designs are all naturally existing together. No paintbrushes or color wheels needed. If you have the time take a look around your backyard. Notice the wasp or bee a’buzzing around. Some of the peskiest of pests are created with a wonderful mix of hues that make them almost desirable to look at. You might find your next color creation under that unturned stone in your backyard.

Pretty much anything in nature is perfect for inspiring any color options. Flowers are indeed one of the best to copy from. Tulips, irises and orchids are just a few of God’s creations that come in all different patterns and colors. They can get your creative juices flowing and produce some awesome colors for you to think about using. If you don’t have your own bed of roses, take a detour to your local nursery one day and get a feel for some matching colors. If you find something you do like, you can in turn use them to accessorize your home.

It's quite clear to see that nature and the things around us can inspire color choices for your home décor. If you're having difficulty thinking of what your bedroom or kitchen should look like, look around you. That annoying cat next door or the odd yellow house with the blue door and white trim could inspire you in the direction you want your indoor spaces to look and feel. Somewhere outside of a decorating catalog or heavy design book could be the color combinations you're looking for.