How do you feel when you see a gorgeous beach? Touch a soft kitten? See a baby smile for the first time? Notice flowers emerging in Spring after a long winter? These are all good feelings and ones that are certain to put a smile on your face.

This my friends, are the feelings that we could be capturing and incorporating into our home. How? With the right color choices.

I’ve been designing color palettes for the homes in Charlotte for the past 8 years ever since I moved to South Charlotte in 2007. I love the large two-story foyer, 5 bedroom 3 bathroom layout and the very friendly but oh so challenging open concept design. Did I just describe your home?

It’s not really a challenge to choose color for this type of home, you just need to know some basic layout rules and you could be on your way to designing your own color palette. Here’s how it works.

First, since we’re talking about feelings here so you need to choose a feeling that evokes a happy emotion for you. I’m going to choose “tranquil” as an example.

There is such a broad spectrum of feelings that we all have that will make us smile and feel good. Emotions anywhere from joy to contentment. But how do we really go about getting both these feeling and the desired color palette into our home? It’s actually a very easy process and I’d love to show you how it’s done.

Let’s first start off with a feeling that resonates with us. For this time of year as the Spring season comes into bloom, “tranquil” comes to mind for me. You of course choose the feeling that you desire.

In the graphic I have designed three circles. Each circle “feels” like tranquil to me. Soft, blue-gray with a soothing sea green followed by the ever so calming color of the blue water. These are colors that I like and that I find soothing to look at.

Note the numbers that I have displayed. The three main circles are the main colors in the palette. As the circles intersect, they create another color that also becomes part of the tranquil color palette. You now have up to 5 colors that you can incorporate into your home with very little effort.

What’s great about designing color for your home this way? First off, you have a color palette based off a feeling that will be part your home. Secondly, you now have colors that all have the same undertone and relate to each other.

“If it looks good in a photograph it will look great in your home.”

That is the #1 rule of how to successfully design a color palette for a home that has an open floor plan.

With this color palette in mind:

• The lighter color such as the blue-gray shown as #1 is suitable for the foyer and kitchen.
• Choose the saturated colors, #2 and #3 which are the Sea-Green and Water Blue for the bedrooms.
• Stronger accent colors as seen in #4 and #5 are perfect for the dining room or office where darker hues are the norm.
• Adding a creamy soft white for the hallways and a crisp white for the ceiling and trim will complete this look.

When it comes to choosing the right colors for your home, pick colors that feel good to you. If you prefer less pigment in the home, stay with a warm neutral wall and bring in your favorite colors with decor and accessories. Just remember, if you choose colors that make you feel good, these feelings will become part of your home, which is a good thing!

Call in Color Experts such as myself for assistance. You can find out more about myself and color on my website at: www.DecoratingbyDonna.com

This article was published in Ballantyne Magazine on page 32.