I am guilty. Of buying too many throw pillows that don’t quite match the color scheme.
Of feeling like that rug is suffocating me in this small space, with its strips on stripes.
Of all of the interior decorating crimes.
For the most part I really enjoy hands-on projects and decorating. In attempts to keep funding my fudged color schemes I came up with a creative solution …I’m sharing it with you. I hope it helps down the road for your future project – or inspires a new one!
This method can also be used for Photoshop jobs and other color matching needs. Hexadecimal is basically the binary code interpretation for colors. So, a computer is handy for the task. Er…make that necessary!
Here’s how to begin:
First, take a well-lit photograph of the overall space. Then, focus on a color you’d like to match. I can use this blueberry house as an example to determine if a cedar, blonde, oak, ash, mocha or other brown tone will best complement the colors.
Besides the fact that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we can use some help from an online color wheel. I used html-color-codes.info to match the colors in the photo to the appropriate hex value.
Now to chose the color that best represents the ‘real life’ value: This can get tricky!
In this one color screenshot, there are light and dark pixels of blue. Review hex codes for both.
I prefer the look of the darker shade #2B3E69 over the lighter #5C719C, so I matched it on the color wheel first, using a free tool provided by http://paletton.com
Simply enter the RGB value (bottom, left)
Next, select the “opposite” value by 240 shades, which is the default. Note the button in the top left corner.
Now I’ll match #5C719C and do the same.
The result? This lovely shade:
You can also throw the complementary shade in-box, for comparison:
So I’d say for wood chips, the top shade. For a throw pillow on the porch swing? The bottom shade would work peachy. You get the idea.
Now go — let your imagination run wild…
Ink & Mice 