It takes a bit of guts to confidently pull a colour direction together. Afterall, you will be living with said scheme for what will feel like an eternity if you get it wrong.
A scheme can be complex, intricate and specific or a broad go-to. But I always start with my handy Benjamin Moore Collections deck – specifically Designer Classics, Historical Colour and Off Whites. Save yourself the migraine of sifting through every colour available. These colours are meant for walls and are accessible. And with BM paint sold everywhere, you can fill your boots with colour chips that come in handy as you are refining what you love, developing your scheme and, later, as easy reference in your purse.
Inspire Yourself
My colour schemes always come from somewhere – a magnificent piece of art, a favorite rug, an objet from some dreamy travel or simply, a favorite hue. For those who are less visual and need to see it pulled together first, refer to your style file. If you haven’t started one, chop chop!
Avoid the Trend
I always encourage clients to stay away from the au courant or to save it for something that can be swapped out like a cushion or accessory, not for a permanent, bigger spend.
Base is Base
A neutral base may sound ho hum but is a necessary piece of the whole – for larger upholstered pieces, for drapery, for an area rug, for walls, maybe all of the above. Neutrals can be cool – more white, blue undertones, grey – or warm with gold tones or somewhere in between, like beige. Figure out which you are and stay the course.
Anything Goes
Design has become generally less controlled and some of the best schemes I have seen have seemingly little direction, no method. I love seeing this in more casual spaces – family rooms and lower levels. Stacks of favorite things – layered cushions, eclectic lighting. It can work.
The Theory of Three
If you suffer from control issues – I am definitely in that special needs group – this may be better suited for you. The broader your palette, the easier it will be to fill in the blanks but let’s not get nutty. Your neutral doesn’t count but begin to layer using analogous colours (colours which appear next to one another on the colour spoke). The variations will be subtle but provide a range for design.
The Power of One
I keep coming back to this method of design because I believe so fully in the whole home approach. I love when a single thread pulls the floors of a home together. A few ways to achieve this – choosing to make cabinetry, built-ins, lighting, walls uniform throughout a space lends weight to the sum of the parts or through colour. It can be subtle pops of the colour using accessories or a much larger commitment. And don’t be afraid to explore hues (adding white) and shades (adding black) of the same colour. Some of my most successful interiors did just that – less matchy, more sophisticated, monochromatic. Love.