beige no more
Are you the type of person that struggles to answer the basic get-to-know-you question of “What’s your favorite color?”
I am. I certainly have some preferences, but there really are no clear winners. I recently had my colors done through a service where they analyze your skin, eyes, hair etc. and much to my amazement, I loved all the colors that were my perfect season. But I loved all the colors in the other seasons too. A clear favorite? I just can’t. Especially in my home. Maybe you feel the same?
And most of us do not live alone. Or have unlimited funds to refresh our home every time a new color mood hits. I have three kids. Two are twins who could not be more unique in their tastes. One loves deep olive greens (it matches his incredible eyes) and toasty oatmeals. His sister loves bold red, deep berry (nearly black) and icy grey, which matches her dynamic spirit. Big sister is a Vuori girl with dusty heathered purples and pale cream and a few touches of pecan.
In my laziness (and an attempt to keep a neutral canvas as a means of comprimise), my current home is decorators white. All furniture is pretty much a different shade of brown, beige, tobacco or sage-brown. I have some new(ish) pieces that fall in those categories and a load of hand-me-down stuff that looks “good enough.” Essentially, the shoemaker has no shoes. My dishware is also all white. My accent color seems to be the hundreds of houseplants I’ve accumulated and love.
I need to hire myself. Beige no more.
Very soon, I’m renting a charming little home which I love. (I’ll be sharing color updates on it as we go.) A dear friend asked me how I planned on filling it up, what colors and materials, what would I do with the awkward entry. I actually hadn’t thought about it too much… but it hit me in that minute. I want the house to be the kind of place that you WANT to kick your shoes off and relax. I want the furniture to feel like a big hug. I want the sunshine to play with the color and texture through the huge windows. I want all the rooms to feel like you don’t want to leave. I want to walk in and instantly feel the weight release from my shoulders. A big sigh. Well put together, but eclectic.
As a designer, I know how to do this. Fabric choice, furniture shape and scale play a huge part in this. Layering light sources, softening finished and textures. And color. Our most budget friendly tool.
My Pinterest Board runneth over. I’ve started by creating a board with sections for each room and sub sections for specialty things I don’t want to forget (like pottery, misc art). I start with an inspiration image of a full room, or a painting/art piece that makes me feel the way I want to feel in that particular room. My latest fascination is with this huge, oversized blush mauve sectional. I havent been a fan of sectionals in the past, but this one looks like a hug. I can picture myself and the kids snuggled up on it watching Twilight movies on a rainy weekend. Plenty deep, low arms to use as a head rest, ottoman style coffee table for feet and popcorn. We all could use more hugs. I’ve “added to cart” pending measurement verification. And it is not beige.
I like olive/sage as a neutral too. It pairs beautifully with the blush as well as the dark teal I also really love. This will come through in grounding area rugs, accent pillows, pottery, etc. And yes, olive/sage can act as a canvas neutral. It’s a lie that neutrals have to be beige, brown white or black. Neutral is what you decide it is.
