Where I Find Color Inspiration

Color is where the magic starts. Whenever I begin a full-service design, I don't start with furniture or fabrics--I start with color inspiration. In this post, I'm sharing some of my favorite places to find those initial sparks. From those first color inspirations, I craft the overall palette for an entire home. That palette becomes the foundation from which every detail comes to life. Let's dive into where I'm looking for color palette ideas.

When I'm working on multiple spaces for a client, my first priority is making sure everything will be cohesive and work together throughout the home. That's why I usually start by deciding the color palette. Each space gets designed around the color palette. It makes designing several spaces easier when I know the colors I'm going to use. Even when designing singular spaces, I will sometimes throw a color palette in my moodboards so I can make sure everything will go together. In my own office design (middle, below), I wanted to stick to my branding colors, so I threw a palette right into the moodboard to keep things focused.

Color Inspiration: Pinterest

Pinterest is such a great place for inspiration. If you know a color you like, you can type that in the search or just search for color palette ideas. If you need a starting point, look in your closet. If you buy a lot of the same colors for clothing, chances are you'd like that color in your home as well. Here's a link to my Pinterest board: "Paint + Colors." I've saved a lot of paint colors and color palette ideas here. Take a look! I love the images and graphics that are paired with some of the palettes.

Color Inspiration: Design Seeds

Design seeds is a website that features curated color palettes. I love the graphics and photos used here as well. Just gives a little life to the palettes! You can browse by color, which is super helpful for a starting point.

Color Inspiration: Dictionary of Color Combinations

My husband got me this book of color combinations years ago and it was the perfect gift! It includes different color combinations for two colors, three colors, and four colors. My home exterior color palette is based on the four color combination you see on the right, below. Our siding is the "dusky" green color, our front door is the "coral red" color, and our flowers out front are the "scarlet" color.

Color Inspiration: Travel

I love a green + peach color combo! I took this picture in Italy when we went in 2019. I had just started my interior decorating business, and these became my very first branding colors. The point, however, is this: color inspiration is everywhere! When you are traveling, take pictures of colors you see and love. This is a great, subtle way to infuse meaning into decorating.

Color Inspiration: Nature

This goes along with travel. Color inspiration is everywhere in nature. I saw this "ocean's palette" picture (left, below) posted by @alexkyddphoto and I love it! If you look, you will find inspiration. One of my favorite examples of nature inspiration, is my friend Brooke planning a garden based on a sunset she captured (right, below). If you've been reading my content lately, you'll know that bringing nature in creates a calming feeling (biophilia).

Whether inspiration comes from nature, fashion, travel, art, or something completely unexpected, color is often the thread that quietly ties a home together. Starting with a cohesive palette creates a sense of flow before a single piece is selected, and it helps every room feel intentional, connected, and personal.

It's a fun part of the design process: taking inspiration and turning it into a home that feels layered, curated, and yours. Sometimes all it takes is one color combination to shape the entire vibe.