Color Inspiration~

It can be difficult to come up with a color palette.  There are a bunch of "designer tricks" to these things, but what it boils down to, in essence, is borrowing a palette from something else, such as fabric, a piece of art etc.

When I decided it was time to give the old blog a redesign I turned to Lara at Announced Greetings.  And I loved her approach to blog design because the very first thing we did was talk colors.  Once she knew the direction I was interested in going (neutrals, grays and blues), she sent me some color palette inspiration.  Even though I looooove neutrals, I am also very inspired by color, and I was mesmerized by the images she sent me.

They all came from a blog called Design Seeds.  I fell in LOOOOOOVE with the concept.  Jessica, the author of design seeds, pulls color palettes from photos.  And although the idea may not be entirely original, her interpretation of it IS.  Check these out...

Here's the photo that inspired my blog palette.  Can you see it?    I asked Lara if she could add in just a touch of the gold color in the gate, and that's where the little bird in my blog header came from.  Isn't that great?

So if you're in need of a little color inspiration, go explore the Design Seeds blog!  It's so much fun.  (And this is NOT a paid post, by the way...I just can't keep a great thing to myself.)

Have a lovely and colorful day!

House Beautiful: Favorite Paint Colors~

Along with my subscription to House Beautiful, I received their fabulous bookazine entitled
" 500 Favorite Paint Colors". It has been a really intriguing read...seriously. If you love design...and color...or even if your a beige and white fan, you'll really enjoy this!

It is essentially a collection of favorite paint colors from real designers...not just paint manufacturers. And the photographs are gorgeous.

I sure wish I could get away with a pink room in my house..aren't these just amazing?

And black....there's seems to be an increase in the use of black walls in decorating...they don't have to be scary. Black is amazingly sophisticated, and not necessarily dark or dreary. Check out this living room...dare I use the word "bright" with the color black? In this room, the answer could just be "yes".

I had a periwinkle purple room when I was 8 years old...I must admit, I've never thought of it as being sophisticated, but in the room above? Absolutely lovely and sophisticated.

There is even a section about colorful neutrals. I found this section to be very intriguing. In the photo above, the lavendar is used as a neutral. And I think it totally works. In the words of Jeffrey Bilhuber, "Lavendar is the new beige. From lilac to amethyst, it's an extraordinary neutral and great unifier - a soothing, peaceful color that is timeless." Other colors they suggest using as neutrals...pale pink, blue-gray, even peach. Gives neutral a whole new spin, huh?

I just might never look at color the same way again.

And remember back in April when the Princess and I participated in Justin Hackworth's 30 Strangers project? If you're a Utah local, Justin is having his 30 Strangers Project show this weekend in Provo. We'll be there checking out his amazing photography. You can get more information here.

Linky Love is up tomorrow...

Have a great day~