Whether you’re getting ready to repaint your walls or to purchase new accent pillows, you can find color inspiration all around you. The key is paying attention.
This means noting what colors catch your eye. It might be a warm color that makes you feel energized or a cool color that helps you relax. When you’re outside and see a color that moves you, grab a sample if you can.
Then take your natural inspiration with you to the paint store and match it up to a paint sample. Purchase a pint and give the color a test drive on a section of your wall, before committing it to the whole room. Observe the color at different times of day and in different lights to see if it holds up to your expectations.
Or if you’re shopping for fabrics or accessories, bring that leaf or flower (or, better yet, a photo) along with you to the store. This will help you remember if that purple you loved in those roadside asters leaned more to the red or the blue side of the spectrum.
But the most important thing is to let go of any lingering color fears that may be keeping you from bringing more spice into your design scheme. Because what’s the worse that can happen? Even if the green you loved on the lawn turns out to be more Oscar the Grouch than lime margarita when you get it inside, you can always repaint or buy a new pillow.
Just remember, when you want to inject some new color into your home, the natural world is the perfect place to pick your palette.