From Business Insider · Jillian Pretzel · · 2m
How a paint color unlocked my design confidence
A writer who thought she had no eye for design discovered that starting with a thoughtfully chosen color could anchor an entire room.
In brief
A writer who thought she had no eye for design discovered that starting with a thoughtfully chosen color could anchor an entire room. A writer discovered that anchoring interior design choices in a carefully selected paint color gave her the creative confidence she lacked. Originally reported by Business Insider.
Decorating felt impossible
The author spent hours trying to design her daughter's nursery but always got stuck. She'd find a crib, search for matching wallpaper, then spiral into endless choices about shelves, lamps and finishes, ending frustrated with no progress.
She believed she lacked design talent
The author had never cared about decorating her own spaces growing up. Her dorms and apartments were mismatched hand-me-downs. But pregnancy changed her. She wanted her daughter's room to feel special, warm and welcoming, like a friend's beautifully designed nursery.
A work assignment changed her perspective
Writing for a real estate news site, the author was assigned a story about paint colors of the year. She interviewed a color selection team member who explained they analyze trending colors across makeup, clothing and cars, plus cultural trends and how people use homes.
She discovered a design anchor
When moving to a townhome with her one year old daughter and another baby on the way, the author chose Benjamin Moore's October Mist, a soft sage green. It reminded her of a mossy lake and cool mornings at sleepaway camp. The color sparked ideas for tree stickers and a picket fence bed.
The room came together naturally
With the color as her starting point, the author added a green shag rug and throw pillows that looked like logs, creating an outdoor backyard theme. Her daughter loved the finished room. The author realized that starting with a few color options made everything else make sense.
She applied the method again
After moving again, the author looked at the latest color of the year selections. Glidden's Artifact, a soft aqua, reminded her of a photo album her mother made with pictures of her grandparents and former homes. She painted old picture frames with it and added matching flower decals above her oldest's bed.
She's building design confidence
The author admits the room is still a work in progress and she spends more hours thinking about it than she should. But she is making progress and is proud of how it looks. Starting with a thoughtful color choice gave her the creative spark she needed.
“it looks good”
The main idea
A writer discovered that anchoring interior design choices in a carefully selected paint color gave her the creative confidence she lacked.
