Hungry for Color

I'm trying something new this week. Rather than chewing on new subjects every day, I'm aiming for weekly topics to make digesting things a little easier. Let me know what you think.

Notice the food references anyone? That's because this week I'm working on more color palettes for my client, CertaPro Painters. They've given me six subjects based on the most common paint chip names in the Sherwin-Williams deck and challenged me to create color palettes within those parameters. So far, I've tackled Cocktail Colors, Tropical Vacations, Bird Watchers, and Gardening. This week, it's Foodie colors. I'm submitting the colors this week, so I can't show you the finished product just yet. But here's a glimpse at the process of creating these palatable collections:

[caption id="attachment_1545" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="I cut out the index pages of the paint deck to make digging for Foodie paint colors easier"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1546" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="I work through the index and pull every color with a food name- red tomato, dill, dried basil, hot cocoa... I'm getting hungry"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1547" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="I group them roughly by color to see what I'm working with. Notice their are only two yellow choices? This might be tough..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1548" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="I start grouping colors that I like, keeping balance in mind. If I see a group start to form where blue is the dominant color, I'll focus on another main color for the next one"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1550" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Adding the final touches, but I could go on for days! Look how many colors won't be included in the set. Can I give them up? I may need to adjust the palettes to include colors I just can't leave behind"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1551" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="And there they are- perfect little palettes of color perfect for kitchens, dining room, sun rooms or any good gathering spot in the house. "][/caption]

There are certain combinations of color I'm naturally drawn to and others that come and go as I grow creatively. Mostly I will always love green but somehow that color has taken a back seat in my house lately- I'm not sure why. And speaking of creating color palettes for you own home, start with a stand out color you just love and build the other pieces from there.

Most kitchens and bathroom are going to have cabinets that are white, black, or wood. But they don't have to be! In one client's house we painted the powder room cabinets deep sea blue to match the walls so they'd blend in let us use bold contrasting artwork.

[caption id="attachment_1573" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="This yummy papaya color will make everyone look good and feel good while they dine together. We reupholstered the chairs in a gorgeous citrus green. Simple updates can make even the most traditional dining room look fresh and modern again."][/caption]