Designer Diaries: Creating a Cohesive Color Story
So you’re ready to design your dream home or perhaps the empty walls in your living room are driving you insane. You are ready for a change, but you’re not sure where to start. Perhaps you saw an accent wall on Instagram or Pinterest that you really like, but you’re not sure if it’s really you.
Color expresses messages, sparks interest, and generates emotions, so whether you’re conceptualizing a home or just updating your wall paint, choosing a color palette that represents you, is one of the most important parts in the design process.
Today we are showing you how to create a cohesive color story that flows naturally throughout your home!
Find what inspires you.
Inspiration is everywhere around us! Sometimes what sparks an idea is an every day item like a magazine or something we see out in nature. We love finding inspiration in the landscape around us and we often borrow color palettes that are naturally colorful.
Online is a great place to look for Inspiration. Blogs, magazines, social media, and Pinterest are our go-to places when we are looking for a muse for our next project. Whichever way you find your inspiration, make sure you have multiple sources and plenty of options to go off of!
Use a color picker app.
Via Pinterest
If you’re designing with a photo, using a color picker app is an easy way to find color inspiration. Take your design and sample colors from the photo to match.
Create a mood board.
Via Pinterest
Once you found your inspiration, don’t be afraid to start pulling everything together into one place. That place can be a Pinterest board, a folder in your phone, or a physical board with textiles, objects, paint swatches, or anything else you love. Being able to see everything in one place will not only help you visualize your idea but also create a common theme. That theme can be a common color, texture, or maybe a pattern.
Pick Your Color Swatch.
Via Pinterest
Once you have a general idea of what your desired mood is, go ahead and start pulling actual color swatches. For example, get a physical Sherwin Williams paint sample to give you a better representation of your desired color. A paint we use in our next project can sometimes come from a flower bouquet or another natural element.
Don’t be afraid to start over.
Finding the right color story that is as unique as you can be difficult and often times we end up saving things we love, but doesn’t really fit our story. After all, design is a process of elimination and finding the right color is no different. It’s okay to take a step back, and take away anything that does not align with your commitment level. For example, black is a popular accent wall color but it is also high commitment. Perhaps a darker grey is something more on par with your comfort zone.
Put you ideas to work.
This is the last step of the process, now it's time to make your color come alive! Depending on what you're creating, this may look like pulling decor pieces, pillows, art, or choosing paint colors!
You should have the foundations for a beautiful color palette that represents you, and what you want to tell the world! Remember, letting creativity guide your process always lends the best results.
829 19th St: Selections + House Tour
Earlier this week we posted the photography for 829 19th St, (minus the kitchen which is soon to come!) but today we are diving in a little deeper and giving you an inside look at our sources for pretty much everything. It’s surreal to think back to the beginning stages of pinning inspiration, choosing materials, and dreaming about all the little details. So far, we’ve broken down selections with sources for all major rooms, and we can’t wait to show ya’ll more of the kitchen when photography arrives!
Fun fact: all the trim and doors in this house were sourced and salvaged from all over the Midwest. Craigslist and FB Marketplace were the sources for all things architectural salvage! This historic home was completely gutted and restored to its original glory thanks to our partners at Laneways Development, who did an amazing job at finding the original footprints of the house.
Paint
Plumbing + Bath Accessories
light fixtures
Tile + kITCHEN cABINETRY
We hope you’ve enjoyed exploring all the ins and outs of 829 19th St. We are so happy with the results and being able to share it with all of you. This house represents months of hard work and planning that led us to this beautiful finished product.
Check back in soon for more reveal posts!
829 19th St: See This Beautiful Fireplace Before + After
You could say that 829 19th. St had seen better days. Prior to the JRI team and Laneways teaming up for this historic restoration, the house had been remodeled a number of times and chopped up into apartments. All the trim, doors, and windows were salvaged from other homes built around the same time. The team worked relentlessly to find the original house footprints which served as a guide to making the house more historically accurate and brought back to its original form.
The team brought the fireplace back to the living room as a showstopping focal point. A 100-year-old salvaged Tiger-stripe oak fireplace mantel and gas fireplace was installed and finished off by laying a colorful, graphic tile.
Incorporating something unique adds character.
The mantle provided the perfect opportunity to bring in rich-toned, beautiful ornate wood—a design feature used throughout the home. The mantle is full of beautiful natural imperfections and characteristics you won’t find in something new.
The result: a beautiful, one of a king fireplace that feels right at home.