Color Palette Central

My first decorating challenge was selecting a new color palette for painting the house. The open floor plan of our home essentially unites the kitchen, dining room, and TV room into one large space with the adjacent living room flowing into the mix as well.

Old color palette, painted about seven years ago.

I spent weeks agonizing over paint colors. I have more than 100 color cards in a drawer. Every shade of blue, teal, green, yellow, gray, and brown that you could imagine. I was literally in color overload. I wanted each room to have it's own feel, but still united in a common look and a smooth flow.

I knew I loved the color teal so I found found a beautiful shade of aqua and jumped on it for the living room. In my head, I was going to figure out the flow later. I loved this shade of paint so how could it be wrong?

On the walls, it's bright. REALLY bright. I still think the color is lovely, but it just wasn't working in the living room. It feels so young, energetic, and casual. All good things...but I wanted cozy and inviting in my living room. Plus, how on earth was I going to find three more paint colors to pull in for the palette for the rest of the house?

So, Lesson #1 (learned the hard way): When decorating an open floor plan, think about the overall color scheme first. A color you love can go all wrong when it doesn't work with the surrounding decor.

So, with one room already in need of a repaint, I set out to find the perfect color pallet that could tie all of the rooms together. After weeks of deliberating, driving Gary crazy, countless trips to Lowe's and Sherwin Williams, and multiple color sample blotches painted all over the house, I finally ended up with a palette I love. My current color choices are balanced and will flow seamlessly through the open floor plan.

Lesson #2: Use the custom mixed color testing samples you can get for just a few dollars at your paint store. I tested two additional teals in the dining room and one in the kitchen before ruling them out. I'm so glad I saved myself the time, money, and sorrow of additional repaints by testing the colors on my walls first.

Color palette I'm implementing right now in the house. I haven't yet picked the tv room color, but I won't be painting there for several months...and I know that it will be an additional gray neutral based off Woodlawn.

I can't wait to get all the painting finished up so I can share what the walls are looking like these days. I've got the kitchen and dining room painted and I'll post about those once I can get decent images.  I'll also share, room by room, how I made my color decisions.

You can also check out my Pinterest board on COLOR PALETTES to see some of the things I considered and read up on some real expert advice on selecting a cohesive color theme.

xx,
-kelly