The Lived in Look, Part 2-Embrace Your Colors

Last time I talked in general about My Style-the Lived in Look.  Kind of sketching out what it is and what I do.  I am doing this in hope to help show how my brain works (warning...not always straight and logical) and maybe explain why things happen the way they do here at Little Blue Chairs.

Today, I want to take a closer look at one aspect I consider hugely important in creating my home.  The use of color.  I believe, that once you understand your core colors you are on the right track to create a home that will evolve with you over time.  Not a home where you will feel in need of a total revamp every 5 or so years.   Follow me on how I discovered my colors...

I like color.  I have always liked a wide range of color and new color combinations.  However, I do have a on-going internal struggle with room color schemes.  And, I am sure I'm not the only one.  Remember the post I wrote on My Love of White vs. My Love of Color.   I wish I could live in a all white room, but know I will gravitate back to certain colors, over and over again.  If I had to put money on it, I would bet most people do as well.  And, I am here to shout out that everyone should embrace their colors.  This is not about being an Autumn or a Fall, or what colors look best on you.  No, instead this is about learning the colors you are attracted to and using them to your advantage when decorating your home.

My basic color is blue.  I have always liked blue.  When I go to a paint display (and I am there often) I first look at all those pretty pretty blues. 

And then I force myself to take in all the other colors as well.

When I look back on it, I can definitely see a pattern in selecting the color blue.  When I was 10, I was able to select my bedroom carpet and I choose a bold, cobalt blue.   And that was just the start of it, many other things over the years have ended up blue as well.... cars,  prom dress, wedding colors, clothing and most recently my kitchen cabinets (yes, I will get a new reveal up soon, I promise).   I mean I even selected blue to paint the treasured chairs I inherited from my grandmother (and hence the name of my blog).  I feel comfortable in saying my favorite color is blue.

But don't stop there. I mean we all have more than one color we are attracted to.  It would be pretty boring if that wasn't true.  When I talk about embracing your colors, I am talking about your "core colors".  The 2-4 colors you always gravitate to, the ones that pull you in.

In my case, as much as I love blue, I know I could not live with out the color red. Big, bold, warm red.  I can not walk away from it, it is like crack to me.   I have a hard time not choosing red, especially in accessories.   I love red- phones and purses, red serving pieces and coffee mugs, red sweaters and coats.  I even a red prom dress (yes I went twice).  Don't show me orange, I don't get it, but I am all over red.

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And I would be neglectful if I didn't mention my love of White.  Crisp, clean, beautiful white.  I dream of white, I mean I literally dream of white.  White flowers, white rooms, white dresses.   I especially love white trim and white linens.   **swoon**

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So in the end blue, red and white are my go to colors (but never in a patriotic scheme).  I dabble in other colors,  and for awhile I only bought things in pink, but I did eventually go back to red and blue. I always do.  It is like a compulsion sometimes.  I use to fight my love the of red.  To me red was always so bold,  and so in your face.  I wasn't sure how to put it in a room with out screaming "Look at me, I am RED!" I wanted to shun red out of my life.  But, I kept buying things in red, and red started to just show up in places here and there.  I finally learned I will always be attracted to red, and learned to embrace it.  I sometimes make a big red statement, and other times I need to tone it down, but I have just accepted that red is here to stay.

Other mistakes I have made, over the years,  include, selecting a purple China pattern, which never gets dispalyed because it never really matches anything else I have.

Or the big sage green chair I bought to go with my earth toned living room.  I am currently in the middle of making a slipcover to help blend it into my new colors.  I love the shape, but tired of the green. (This was in my fighting blue stage)

Knowing your colors is one step in developing a look that will evolve nicely over time to create that lived in look. 

I am not saying you will never use other colors, because you can and will.  Take my past uses of colors.  The following are all color schemes I am currently using or have used in the past. (The first color is the main color, followed in order of prominence)

• Yellow, white, red, blue and gray.  
• Pink, red and white  (no blue)
• Aqua, white and red
• Mocha, sage green, brown w/ red accents (no blue, white in trim only)
• Red and white w/ sage accents (no blue)
• Gray-blue, lavender and white (no red)
• Gray, white and black (no blue or red)
• Navy, yellow and red (no white)
• Sky blue and white  (no red)

As you can see, sometimes I use all the colors in a variation of shades, or sometimes I remove one color altogether and replace it with something new. There are millions of color combinations out there to experiment with.   Latley I have been loving the plummy-purples, and if I decide to go for it, I will put away my beloved red accessories and bring in some more temporary pieces in the plum tones.  And when I tire of the plum, I can donate those items and bring back the red.  I am touching on a whole other part of the Lived in Look (your acessories), and I will be talking more about this in an upcoming post. 

I hope by describing my journey with colors  I have inspired you to seek out yours and embrace them.  By working with your core colors you can easily evolve your spaces and not feel like you need to do a total revamp every 5-10 years.  This is one of the goals I am working to acheive in my own home.

I don't believe that anyone else can pick your colors for you, it is personal and will vary from person to person. Personally, I find it exciting and freeing once you have embraced your colors. Take a look back and see what you discover.

Until next time....

-Laurie