Without a doubt, color has Power. It evokes emotions, sets a mood, influences what we choose to buy, wear and eat. But when facing down that endless wave of swatches in your local Big Box store, it mostly just inspires…panic. Frustration. The urge to cover all your walls in a soothing shade of “Wine.” Take a centering breath – we’re here to help (or at least recommend things that can).
To get started, check out this link at 99designs.com. At first glance, an article on logo color might seem irrelevant, but, at the heart of it, your home’s interior is the ultimate expression of your family’s “brand.” The real gem is the easy-to-use, 6 factor (feminine/masculine, playful/serious, classic/modern, etc.) sliding scale Color-O-Matic generator that will point you in the direction of an appropriate color family. When making your choices, substitute thoughts of “brand” with “mood” and you’re golden. So to speak. 99designs partnered with Pantone and Adobe to create the Color-O-Matic, so the choices all refer to Pantone products, but (bonus!) it also links to the 2019 Color of the Year and its groovy, mellow fish tank clip.
Click here to try the Color-O-Matic Tool!
Once you’ve settled on a general palette, you can use the Paint Tester app (iOS) to narrow down an ideal shade to suit the room’s lighting, furnishings and flooring. Best of all, the app empowers you to pull colors from your favorite things – clothes, dishes, wines – and then take your inspiration piece to the paint store for color matching. Ha! Take that swatch wall!! After a little app-practice, you can even noodle around with color on other features like furniture, window treatments and trim – all without dipping a brush.
Now that we’ve cut the Color Monster down to size, it’s time to move on to the next-most contentious topic of the season – who makes the best King Cakes? It’s a seriously delicious (and seriously serious) debate, which thankfully, usually concludes with only minimal bloodshed and a buzzy little icing high for everyone. Share your two cents in the comments below and you’ll be entered in our King Cake drawing on January 23, 2019. The randomly chosen winner receives a $30 gift card to their favorite bakery and the option of sharing King Cake joy (or not.)
