We’re thinking of moving away from the soft, subtle, and beachy whole-house color scheme that we have going on here and towards something more moody, risky, and sophisticated at the new house. Here’s hoping it works for us (you never know… and we’re the first to admit that sometimes we end up repainting). We’re definitely no strangers to covering our mistakes with another coat or two of something new if we don’t like how things look when we step back and check things out (after sharing the “outtake” pics with you guys of course). So it might take us a few tries to settle on a scheme we love, but right now we’re considering something along these lines:
We haven’t pulled any swatches yet (but we’ll be sure to share actual paint colors when we get there), but right now we’re loving eggplant, soft lavender-pink, slate blue, light gray, avocado green, saturated teal, muddy blue-gray, navy, emerald, artichoke green, chocolate brown, and light khaki. Not all on the walls of course, but also in the curtains, rugs, painted and upholstered furnishings, art, and accessories. Although we’re definitely planning to add pops of different accent colors in a much wider range of tones- these are just the bigger hues that we plan to use more liberally throughout the house for something that’s hopefully cohesive but not too repetitive.
We’re thinking that the overall effect of the colors/decor in our new house will still be semi airy & natural (it’s what we love, what can we say?), but we hope that adding more contrast, more saturated hues, and even more layers of texture (by working in some new furnishings, a few new rugs, more colorful art, and new fabrics galore) will give it a bit more zing than our current soft and subtle vibe. We’re also envisioning a switch from our beloved breezy white curtain panels to printed and saturated floor length drapes in every room of the new house along with a plush upholstered headboard in the master and even some wallpaper going on in a few places. And we’re thinking that a darker sectional would be a fun departure from the light slipcovered sofas you’re used to seeing in our spaces (we’ll craigslist them to get some moolah to put towards the new sectional, since it has pretty much been my life goal to have a big enough living room for a sectional where all of our family can gather).
We’re even thinking about repainting some of our white pedestal tables and our double desk with something smokier and more dramatic. To see a few mood boards we’ve envisioned for the new house, click here and here. Although we’re already thinking about a different bed possibility (we’d like to build one along with a DIY headboard). Who knows where we’ll end up.
What color schemes are floating around your heads these days? Anyone else feeling a shift from light tans and mochas to soft grays and even artichoke, slate blue, and deeper gray-green tones? Anyone going the opposite way and segueing into more breezy and light hues as opposed to the smokier and more high contrast ones that we’ve mentioned? Let’s talk about color. Is there really anything else in the world that’s more fun to discuss? Not to me. Except for my baby girl. I can bore you to tears with stories about her but I’ll save that for my weekly phone call with my mom…
Erin says
We just purchased a new home, and I have completely revamped our color scheme for the new place. We used to enjoy warm, earthy, autumnal color scheme. Now, we are discussing still using a warm color palette, but much brighter, more airy, and somewhat springlike. No more red wall in this house. My favorite mood boards are the ones that incorporate a cool blue tone with warm browns or yellows and a pop of cayenne. You guys are great! Happy Thanksgiving!
Jen says
I LOVE IT! The grays and jewel tones are so sophisticated. I especially love the navy/emerald/eggplant touches. Peacocks totally come to mind. How cool would it be to frame up a nice little print of something like this: http://candlewood2.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/peacock-pattern.jpg (or this: http://rlv.zazzle.com/peacock_print-p228561378736448951vsu7_255.jpg) (or this: http://rlv.zcache.com/print_peacock_feathers-p228797880228935787vsu7_325.jpg) or incorporate a throw pillow done up in this type of printed fabric: http://media.onsugar.com/files/ons1/276/2765213/17_2009/a1e5520b0af14dcb_peacock.xxlarge.jpg or http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.27066395.jpg or http://kirs10jones.com/images/my%20peacock%20feathers2%20copy.jpg.
Oh, and switching out the white, airy, linen curtains for some heavier, moodier, floor-length, bold-colored drapes sounds like such a luxe and posh update. Love it!!!
So as a religious blog follower but only occassional commenter, I want to take this opportunity to ask you two questions:
(1) When you guys create mood boards, where do you get your virtual “paint chips” or “swatches”?
(2) We just bought some cream colored slipcovered sofas (very YHL [original style] inspired). I love how they look but I’m petrified of stains. We have an almost-1-year-old daughter and two little poochies (10 lbs. and 15 lbs. respectively) who are always on our furniture like white on rice. From reading your blog, it looks like Burger also enjoys free reign of all of Casa Petersik, including your furniture (our dogs sleep in our bed all day too!). We currently have a dark brown leather couch and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to clean up doggie-related messes from it…whether it’s dirty paw tracks or, once in a while, doggie throw up :( Luckily leather can be wiped down and cleaned up pretty painlessly. I’m assuming white cotton is not as easy to maintain. The couches are being scotchguarded prior to delivery and we have a 3 year warranty where the store will either attempt to clean any stains or replace the couches if they cannot, but I’m worried about what happens after that. So I guess this is my long-winded way of asking how you guys keep your white furniture looking pristine with Clara and Burger around. Am I wrong in assuming that Burger is allowed to hang out on the couches? Does he just have exceptionally clean paws and a lack of any messy accidents?! Or have you guys discovered some top secret, foolproof stain removal method for the errant grime that inevitably ends up on the couches. Do tell!!!
YoungHouseLove says
1. We just make squares in photoshop and fill them with color (we eyeball it, so it’s not necessarily a specific swatch or anything- just a representation).
2. Our slipcovered sofas are so easy to maintain! We toss them in the wash when we need to, but even with a dog and a pretty leaky baby we’ve had no issues with anything ever not coming out. Thank goodness. Burger is actually a pretty neat dog (no issues with him tossing his cookies or having accidents inside) and since we have a few welcome mats (in the sunroom that he passes over before getting into the house and on the sofas) we rarely have muddy feet issues either. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
katie kindness says
Can you move tomorrow and start painting??? Loving the new color palette~ it is what i currently have in my own home!! Only i have hit a few road blocks with creativity, and am looking forward to see you how you guys spin the color scheme!! So again, please hurry :P
KILEY says
Hello!
Great color palette!! I love the mood boards, especially the pop of Amber in #2. My husband and I have a few similar paint colors in our house now. We painted the accent wall behind our bed a deep purple, it was so nice and inviting!! Especially against the texture of our tan suede headboard from Pottery Barn. We also decided to paint 2 walls in our living room a dark chocolate brown/gray, which added drama and just the right amount of modern. To balance the brown, we painted our kitchen a minty-aqua which opened up our galley kitchen. Good luck with the new house!! You might check out the Sherwin Williams visualizer tool https://www.sherwin-williams.com/visualizer/
You can upload pics of your house and choose from several paint swatches to view your color scheme w/ your existing furniture and layout. Happy Turkey Day!!
kim says
i’m excited to see you guys work some color into your new diggs!
Jasmine says
I’m so excited for the new color change(s)! What’s better for a new house than new decor?! We’ve been in our house only a year and a half so we’re still picking colors and trying to find ‘what works’.
Love those colors! Similar colors were selected for me in a color quiz so I’m going for a few of them. I’m drawn to the soft greys, the greyish blues but I think I need some more pops of color like maybe a fuschia.
Can’t wait to see what you guys come up with.
P.S. Sectionals rock! ;)
~Jazz
Kristi @ Addicted 2 Decorating says
I was at Home Depot today looking for paint, and picked up their newest paint brochure (at least I think it’s new) called Trends. When I opened it up, I thought of y’all, because three of the four sections were very similar to your color choices. The dark teal that they had was gorgeous, and I loved the name–Almost Famous. Anyway, if you’re near a Home Depot, you might check it out!
You can also view it online:
http://www.behr.com/Behr/home#vgnextoid=6bd8ea6621ca5110VgnVCM1000008119fea9RCRD;channel=EXPLORE;view=14
Just click the right section–Behr Color Center–and then click on the gray brochure with pink writing called TRENDS, and you can see all of the pages.
Corrie says
I am in the process of buying a 1966 ranch style house myself, and I am currently carrying around in my purse a sack full of paint chips… all sorts of grays, greens and blues. It is going to be fun to see what you come up with so I can steal some ideas!
melarse says
Please, please, please scan & post your inspirational tear out sheets! I’m so anxious to see where your heads are at with these colors and the overall direction you’re headed. Can’t wait for the ride!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s definitely on the to-do list! Can’t wait to share them!
xo,
s
Stacey Woods says
I am thrilled about your new color scheme, since this is my new color scheme for my new condo! My parents own it, so I am allowed to paint this rental (hooray!) I painted my living room/dining area (which is one giant room) in Olympic’s “Crater Lake” to highlight this chair that I spent a little extra on because I love it so much: http://www.roomstogo.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=showItem&ipac_id=33328
My Kitchen, hall, bathroom and bedroom are all shades of grey right now, but I’m planning to paint the bedroom down the road. Still trying to decide on a color scheme for the bedroom, so I’m excited to see what ya’ll do. Looking forward to following your new house adventures!
Rebecca says
Love the color scheme! We just redid our casa in very similar tones. I would love to suggest a few colors that we fell in love with.
Squirrel by Behr. It’s such a great gray and who doesn’t love a room called squirrel?!?
Titanium by Benjamin Moore. Great light grey.
Livable Green by Sherwin Williams. Great kitchen color.
Sea Haze by Benjamin Moore.
Mystic Fairy by Sherwin Williams. Makes the sweetest most sophisticated purple for a Princess Room.
Looking at your palette gives me great accent colors for carrying our new reno to perfection! Thanks for the post!
Love the blog!
Jil says
I’m a little sad. I love the light and airy look you have now. I’m just a lover of the color white. Yes, it is a color. I look forward to seeing what you do! I love your blog, it is the best one out there in cyberland!
Mike and McGee says
We started our in this house with creams, whites, light blues, and pale greens, just as we had done in our first house. Mike really wanted to go that direction with the decor, and I was fine with it at the time. I’m slowly moving us toward something more modern. We have a bunch of paint samples up on the master bedroom wall, as we’re going to go with a dark gray-beige. I really want to eventually replace our camel-colored leather living room furniture with a bright green mid-century style sofa and a pair of printed chairs.
Cecily T says
I would love love love to see what you guys do with some more dramatic colors. While I’ve always admired your house and the colors in it, I know that it’s not exactly ‘me’, so I’ve never copied that airy style. E.g., our dining room is pale yellow above the chair rail and pea green (not a yucky one, a lovely yellowy green), and our music/library room (across from the dining room) is pumpkin orange with brown and cream. You can probably tell we like saturated colors with some warmer natural/neutral tones. We nearly always choose a cream color for trim instead of white. One exception: the little girl’s ‘big girl’ room is lavender with white beadboard.
One thing I’ll especially be looking forward to is seeing how you manage the accessorizing. Sometimes I feel pretty ‘locked in’ for that stuff with my color schemes. Especially now with the holidays coming; I’m usually a traditional girl with gold/red/green, but sometimes I’d like to rock a silver/blue/white scheme, and I’m just not sure how to do that in a house full of warm colors!
Susie says
I LOVE your new colors!! I’m an earthy girl myself. Our kitchen and den are one big room (we knocked down the wall between) and they are painted Valspar LaFonda Olive. We’ve had at least 6 couples in the neighborhood use the same color. Our cabinets are Dover white w/chocolate glaze, our sofa a persimmon color and entertainment center is black. It looks really sharp. My office is SW Tempe Star with brown/orange accessories. LOVE it!
April says
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=47693396&l=0251a54010&id=12612779
This is the best picture I can currently get of my eggplant wall in my living room. The crappy quality is due to it being a cellphone pic, but it’s something. Please excuse the wrinkly sheets on the couch, it’s necessary to keep my two big dogs from ruining it.
susieb says
saw this fabric and it made me think of your colors…..love it.
http://www.etsy.com/transaction/38549579
YoungHouseLove says
Fun! Thanks for sharing the link!
xo,
s
Laura says
I’m am so thrilled that you chose this color scheme, because it’s much the same that I have :-)
I’ve been following your blog since I bought my first house last year and struggled with color scheme for months, until I finally nailed it down to what you’ve got in mind. I love the soft blue-grey-greens, taupes and greys and pulling punchy jewel-tones in with accessories!
I documented two rooms so far, have a look:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=91716&id=1043164821&l=c61ae2769f
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=91726&id=1043164821&l=a3ca691bc7
andrea p says
Hey YHL,
I was wondering what you were thinking in terms of bathroom colors? I know you have several to paint! We are repainting our main bathroom quite soon so I would love some inspiration from your new house color scheme!
xo
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Andrea,
Hmm, we’re thinking about a medium gray in our black and white bathroom (since it has a lot of white tile going halfway up the walls, we thought it could handle a darker color on the top part that’s not tile). We haven’t really thought about the other two bathrooms yet, but when we tackle them we’ll be sure to keep you posted as always!
xo,
s
Andee says
<3 s most of your color choices. Eggplant is my absolute favorite. So, I'm definately looking forwad to seeing what you have instore.
erica says
Laura – where did you get your dining room chairs? i looooooooooooove them. Do you have kids? if so, how easy are they to clean?
Beth says
I was so excited to see your new color scheme for the house. My husband and I are buying a house in a couple of weeks and of course we are up to our ears in paint colors, anticipating what we would like to do. I have similar thoughts- I want light and airy, but with some drama, too. I don’t want to play it too safe. My only worry is that some of the colors will feel too sophisticated and not homey enough. How do you plan on incorporating some of the darker aquas and gray-greens to still achieve that homey feel?
Thanks so much, I love your blog!
Beth
YoungHouseLove says
We’ll just mix in warm wood tones (we like dark ones, but wood furnishings feel homey in general) and soft upholstery like drapey curtains so everything hopefully combines for a sophisticated but still casual and welcoming feeling.
xo,
s
Hannah says
It seems color goes in and out of fashion like everything else. Can the 70’s be far behind–all avocado and orange. I’m seeing more and more wallpaper and even shag carpet. Yikes! Oh well, the pendulum swings.
I told my husband last year that eggplant would replace the light blue-greens. I love it as an accent, but I still prefer the serenity the light colors impart.
Danielle says
Hi guys ! I know this is an old post, but I was snooping around your blog to try and find a floor plan of your new home with the colors you used for each room (like you did in the post from Feb 24/2010 : Our Home’s Recently Expanded Color Palette)….. but I didn’t find one ! I would L-O-V-E to see what your new house looks like now, with a visualization of the color scheme per room. Is this possible, or am I asking way too much….. ;)
HAPPY NEW YEAR, by the way !
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we’d love to whip that up for you! Hopefully in the next few weeks!
xo
s