Choosing Color for Your Home

How to Choose Colors in Your Home 

Even if you’re well-versed in the world of color and have an eye for knowing which ones work well together, it can still be overwhelming at times trying to choose a color scheme for your room.  You want it to be something that you’ll like since you’ll have to live with it everyday, and let’s face it, that right there is enough to make you do nothing for fear of screwing it up.  The good news is, there are some basic color "rules" that can help you find the perfect color scheme and minimize your risk of failure.

First, say hello to the color wheel, which you probably haven’t looked at since your high school art class (we won't talk about how many years it's been).  Let's simplify by showing you some of the basic color schemes, how you can look in your own closet for inspiration, and how these concepts are applied with interior design.

If you feel unsure about combining colors, or knowing what colors are "friends" and which ones are "enemies", then the color wheel can be your best friend. If you’re wanting to change the color scheme in a room, but not sure where to start, look to the clothes hanging in your closet for inspiration! Obviously, we wear colors that we feel make us look good and feel good. And we want to look and feel good in our home, so if your closet tends to have warmer pieces, like pinks, reds and yellows, try using those in your home.  That doesn’t mean that you need to go paint all your walls red, but it does mean you could use accents of coral and mustard, or choose a warm paint color in one of those hues with some complementary accents.

Warm vs. Cool

Complementary Color Scheme:  

A complementary color scheme is made up of two colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel, such as purple and yellow, red and green, orange and blue.  These colors are contrasting and create vibrant interiors.  Typically, these color combinations work best in more formal spaces such as living rooms, dining room and kitchens. In order to simplify this concept, think of it in terms of wardrobe - it’s like pairing navy slacks with a yellow top, or a coral necklace with a blue blouse. Several times I’ve heard people say, “I would have never thought to put those colors together!”  Just like the picture below, you can put a blush pink with an olive green, because even though these are muted tones, they are derived from red and green which are across from each other on the color wheel, which means they are friends. And that also doesn’t mean that ONLY red can go with olive green, you can swing the pendulum to the left or to the right a shade and still be in the “friend zone”.

Complementary Color Schemes

Analogous Color Scheme:  

This color scheme is made up of two to three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, like blue and green, or red and orange.  They're more harmonious and create more soothing spaces with less contrast.  This color scheme is well suited for less formal, more casual spaces where rest and relaxation are key. Again, I’ll compare this to fashion- as you can see from the picture below, you can put colors together that are next to each other on the color wheel to create a really sophisticated and polished look.  The really important factor to note when you’re looking at the outfit below, is the value of the colors. 

                                                Value: 

In color theory, lightness, also known as value or tone, is a representation of variation in the perception of a color’s brightness. In other words, value is the lightness of darkness of a color. An example would be a paint swatch: the most heavily saturated hue is at the bottom, and the lightest hue is at the top.  Each of those is considered the color’s value.  If you were to put two colors together, generally you would want them to be from the same position on the paint swatch (as I said, color can be                                   complicated so as with all rules, there are exceptions to that). 

Analogous Color Schemes

Triadic Color Scheme:  

The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. The easiest way to place them on the wheel is by using a triangle of equal sides. Triadic color schemes tend to be quite vibrant, even when using pale or unsaturated versions of hues, offers a higher degree of contrast while at the same time retains the color harmony. This scheme is very popular because it offers strong visual contrast while retaining balance, and color richness. The triadic scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme, but it is easier to accomplish balance and harmony with these colors.

Triadic Color Schemes

Monochromatic Color Scheme:  

Just as it sounds, this is a color scheme made from varying shades or hues of the same color.  For example, white, cream, taupe, brown, and gold would be considered a monochromatic color scheme.  In order to keep a monochromatic room from being boring or flat, it helps to use a variety of finishes and textures to add interest to a room. This is also most appropriate in areas used for rest and relaxation as this lack of vibrant contrasting color can be very soothing. 

Monochromatic Color Scheme

Black: 

Don't be afraid to use black to create contrast and depth in your room.  The presence of black accentuates all other colors in the room so try adding some accents like light fixtures, lamp shades, a picture frame, or pillows.

Accenting with Black

Okay, so that's my very summed up lesson about color.  The colors in your home, like your outfit, don't have to match!  It's usually more interesting if they don't.  

Some of this you probably already knew, but hopefully there was some new, helpful information that you can take home and apply to your space!

Ciao!

 Lisa

Sunday Vibes

Sunday vibes...

Despite the beam of sunshine lighting up my bedroom this morning and forcing me out of bed, it turned out to be a dreary, cloudy, wet, cold Sunday. The wind is blowing, it's chilly outside, and the rain is pouring- we've got that sideways rain, the upside-down rain, even hail.  It's just one of those days where you don't want to leave the house, but that wasn't an option. So I drank my coffee, put on my rain boots, threw my hair in a messy bun, and braved the sheeting rain. 

Luckily we were able to get our errands done in record time because all I could think about was getting home, lounging on the sofa in my comfy, warm pants and putting in some work on the 'ol webpage.  The kids on the other hand, they had other plans.

They're become quite good in the kitchen and Skye wanted to make her snickerdoodle cookies (she’s kind of famous for them now, they’re that good) for her class party tomorrow.  Even though I just cleaned the kitchen and knew it would look like some sort of warfare took place in there by the time they were done, I let go of my OCD and told them to have at it (I’m pretty proud of myself for that, if you couldn’t tell. Haha!). 

After about 30 minutes of climbing on counters and searching in cupboards, they had everything they needed to begin their cookie-making mission, and they did just that.  Unfortunately, it wasn't until I "taste-tested" the finished batter that I realized something had gone terribly awry.  As it turns out, I had two containers of Crisco in the cupboard, and the one Skye grabbed had expired in 2011.  Two things: 1) shortening is perishable (not gonna lie, I kinda figured that stuff was like twinkles and would last through the zombie apocalypse)  2) Apparently I didn’t check expiration dates when I packed up my kitchen, paid storage fees and moved that stuff not once, but twice.  

Anywhoooo... 5 cups of flour, 3 cups of sugar, 4 eggs and everything else went in the garbage and if it were up to me, there would be no cookies for the party tomorrow, but those girls were having none of that non-sense; they had already put in too much work to come out empty-handed!  They started over and made this entire batch by themselves, which I was pretty proud of since they had already spent so much time on the batch that went in the trash.  And, in case you were wondering, it looked like a class of pre-school kids had a food fight in here- there is literally flour and sugar e v e r y w h e r e.  But that's okay, because this is the first time they've ever made something from start to finish all by themselves!

If these little morsels make it through the night, it'll be a miracle!  This is by far, without a doubt, THE BEST snickerdoodle recipe ever made!!!

The World's Best Snickerdoodle Cookies:   yields about 48

Ingredients:

1 c.       Butter

1 c.       Shortening

3 c.       Sugar

4           Eggs

4 tsp.    Vanilla

5 1/2 c. Flour

4 tsp.    Baking Powder

2 tsp.    Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

Topping:

4 tsp Sugar

2 tsp Cinnamon

Baking Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cream the butter, shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Blend in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Shape spoonfuls of dough into rounded balls.  Mix the leftover sugar and cinnamon.  Roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon/sugar mix.  Place on a baking sheet 2 inches apart.  Bake for 10 minutes.

I hope you all had a nice, relaxing weekend!

xoxo

Lisa

"Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life"

Hi Y'all!

I'm new to the blogging world, so you'll have to bear with me!

I'll start off by sharing a little about myself, why I'm here, and why you're reading this. I grew up in a small town in Northern California where I spent my childhood exploring outside and getting into mischief, like a child should.  I was lucky enough to find my husband at the young age of 19 and had the sense at that time to lock him down.  We've been happily married for almost 8 years and he truly is my rock.  Together, we made two beautiful little girls and I added "mom" to my list of aliases; they are my world - sun, moon and stars. I am a dreamer, I'm adventurous, I like to take risks and have always loved to be creative and hands-on, which some people say is due to me being a south-paw.

My dad is a home builder and growing up, I loved to look at blue prints, hang out on the job sites, and watch an idea turn from just a concept to an actual home. He taught me that if you work hard, anything is possible. This is where it all started...

When I was younger, which seems like a lifetime ago now (cheers to getting old!!) I worked as a design assistant at a local graphic/interior design firm; I realized I was happiest working in a position that allowed me a creative outlet; there's something so rewarding about putting your ideas to paper and turning it into something tangible that you can look at and be proud of. 

During my employment there, I obtained my Real Estate License and intended to work as a salesperson.  This choice regrettably coincided the market crash and that thought, along with the design firm, abruptly ended. Shortly thereafter, I accepted a position with the court that offered stability and benefits, both valuable when raising a family. I now work as a clerk in a courtroom dealing with abused and neglected children, which as you can imagine, comes with a great deal of stress and offers little fulfillment for my creative brain. I enjoy the work I do, but it's definitely not one of the career choices I had in mind when I was a kid, although I'm not sure a swim teacher would have accomplished that either! :) 

Once we bought our first home, I became obsessed with all things interior design. I would lie awake at night dreaming of the endless possibilities of paint colors, design themes, accessories, and so on. We designed and built (by "we" I mean- I designed and dad built) our first house earlier this year, which was so much fun! Our budget was small, so it had its challenges, but I'd do it ten times over if I could. That's how you know I'm crazy!!

Our New House!

My passion for interior design hasn't dimmed, in fact, it's burning like a fire inside of me. When we built our house, I wasn't limited to pick only things that were neutral for the purposes of resale, I was able to take creative license and do whatever my little heart desired (with the exception of my husband's poo-pooing). This is the catalyst that led to this here blog. 

So now, I'm going to follow my heart and take a leap of faith, because that's the only thing I can think of to do. I'm going to dream big, cross my fingers, hold by breath, close my eyes and jump in hopes of landing somewhere great. I'm going to make a choice to follow my passion. I know there will be challenges, I know it won't be easy, I'm okay with that- I'm not much for taking the easy road. I hope you'll follow me on this magical journey, or epic failure, and see where this road leads. 

 "Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life" 

- Confucius

xoxo

Lisa