Color choice is extra fun! Color brings all the personality into your design. You can use a bold blue and it inspires energy but if you use a softer blue it may be more calming. When considering color you also want to consider your lifestyle, as lighter colors are likely to show more “mess” and darker colors may show more lint or fur.
Tips for Choosing the Right Color:
1. What feel are you looking for? Look at the colors you are considering, how do they make you feel? Colors, like sounds and smells, might be connected to memories. So it is possible that what is popular color-wise might not be for you. For example, brown might feel like your grandma’s dusty old couch from the 70’s or it might feel regal and elegant. Don’t discount how the colors make you feel!
2. What color is your favorite shirt? Maybe feelings are your thing but you have a favorite vintage tee. What color is it? If you feel good wearing a color you will probably feel great seeing it in your living space.
3. How does the color look in different types of light? We get this question a lot about tan fabrics. Fabric colors change depending on your wall color and the natural and artificial lighting in your room. You may like the color in one room vs. another.
4. How does the color look with your belongings? If you already have your rug, art, carpet, wall colors, throw pillows, blankets, and pets (yes, pets!) you most definitely want to compare your fabric swatch to your things to see if you like how they speak to each other. If your walls are all white and you have eclectic art a neutral couch might actually dull your art vs. using a more vibrant color. You can use the fabric of your furniture to make your space feel lively, welcoming, and relaxing.
5. What is a neutral anyways? People think of neutrals as white, gray, tan, brown, and black. Safe colors, ones that won’t be too much, or stand out. What if we told you there are some “colors” that feel that way too? If you want to go neutral but aren’t sold on traditional neutrals, here are a few “neutral - colors” to check out:
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Retriever Ice - feels as fresh as white but with some life in it.
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Retriever Goldenrod - It’s like sunlight, or wheat, or natural unstained wood. What is more neutral than natural wood?
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Retriever Hemlock - here us out, it’s a dark green but it’s just as unassuming as brown or dark gray while adding more life.
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Retriever Navy - It’s such a classic color that it will go with tons of styles just like gray does.
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Maltese Silver Gray - It has silver, and gray in the name but it feels like a light soft blue.
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Maltese Denim - It’s blue, yes, but when you put on your favorite jeans do you think… “well I am wearing blue…” Probably not. In an outfit denim often is the neutral party and your shirt, shoes, and accessories are the colors. So could that the the case in your living room?
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Oscar Powder Blue - It’s a faint blue, like the sky just before the sun rises. It is soft enough to blend in with other colors around it.