Choosing and Implementing a Color Scheme
Your color scheme is one of the most foundational elements of any design project. At DMB Design, its one of the most important questions, and our Studio Manager will always ask if a client has a particular color scheme in mind even before they meet with the design team. It’s connected to my ability to do my job well: I have a very particular look that I bring elements of to each project to maintain aesthetic continuity, and this consistency help’s potential clients to decide if completing their project with me is the right move for them and their home. The best design always springs from good teamwork.
Where Should I start?
Your first point of decision is a simple either-or: a Cool Palate vs a Warm Palate. From this starting point, you can start to consider the actual scheme of your space. Your decision here will have a profound affect on the final emotional environment of the room and the home as a whole. I tend to prefer cooler color-scapes for the bright, clean impressions they bring. We’re big fans of “light and airy” as we casually refer to our aesthetic, but it’s important to consider the final outcome in terms of individual steps. Knowing whether you want a cool or warm palate allows you to select the right shade for the large, color-neutral elements of your space. I know it sounds odd to be discussing “neutrals” in the context of color, but there is great variety within the realm of natural woods that will have a profound affect on how you see the brighter colors you’ll add to your home. As you can probably tell, we love using blue as a base for our projects. I consider it a neutral: like a good pair of jeans it will go with almost anything.
Where Should I Infuse Color Into the Design?
The permanent fixtures I choose tend to skew more toward a neutral color palate, with a lot of light shades and natural woods. High investment pieces like cabinets, flooring, and large pieces of upholstery and casegoods will ideally remain in your life for a long time. The actual color in a space should come from a layering affect of soft touches and accents, like rugs, window treatments, pillows, and finishes. Your color choice, or any decision to experiment with an of-the-moment trend should come from a combination of smaller elements. This ensures that you don’t spend too much on a big-ticket item that you could fall out of love with in the future. Layering your scheme into the project by selecting accents with a consistent theme allows your space freedom to change with your personal season of life. It’s always easier to replace pillow colors than sofas and chairs.
What Color Should I Choose?
It’s important to pick a color because of it’s personal importance to you. Avoid seasonal, trendy, and impulsive choices, especially when choosing a cabinet or a tile. If you have always loved a color, chances are that your feelings about that shade won’t change through repeated exposure. The cabinets from the Carraway Project (above) are the product of the client’s lifelong love for green, and its associations with renewal and restoration. Make sure you’re choosing a color that consistently draws you back in, a color that will bring you joy to see every day in something as essential to your life as your home. You want a color that you have a deep love for, not a color you lust after. Scale and proportion still matters a great deal, so make sure that your space doesn't feel overly saturated. Since we selected green cabinets for the project, I made sure to incorporate a lot of neutral elements in the furniture and large accents to make sure the final outcome maintained balance.
Color scheme is one of the most personal aspects of your project. There is no single right answer for what scheme is right for your home. Depending on your space, there are usually a multitude of directions that would suit you and your home well. The most important things are consistency in your selections, and restraint in adding those big pops of color. After all, everything is more beautiful when it stands out intentionally. These little elements should not only draw attention to themselves, but affirm your choice of the foundational elements of your design. Every design is a little like a story, and your pillows shouldn’t make up the entire “plot” of your home. Every element can be a page building into a complete and beautiful vision: a story worth reading every day!
Happy Designing!