I know a lot about white spaces.
I work in a white-walled space. Blank canvas.
I bake from white bowls. Blank canvas.
I type words into a white page. Blank canvas.
Working in white can offer a sense of freedom… like anything is possible. Working in white can also be overwhelming… like, whaaattt the heck do I do?
Where do we pull our color inspiration from? That’s a big question right? Let’s talk this out.
I’m talking about whites because, for the first time, I’m taking my office space from white to not white… and I definitely need some help. Where do you go from white?
Going from white to not white requires loads of inspiration.
Inspiration abounds. This cabin in Ojai surrounded by big green, and purple speckled brush?
Maybe green is the way to go!
Maybe greens will remind me of the time I got to make wildflower bouquets with my friend Andrea.
Maybe deep greens will remind me of my friend Whitney’s summer birthday party.
Maybe my deep greens should be paired with bright pops of warm color like pinks and oranges.
I’m surrounded by palm trees. This green is gorgeous!
But wait… do I really want to commit to green walls? Maybe I just need to find a potted plant (that my cat won’t eat). Hm… this is hard.
I know where to find inspiration.
I mean… really. All of my color inspiration comes from the kitchen.
Clearly I should paint my walls watermelon colors… with the the melon stripes… because how gorgeous is that!?
I love the way this deep peach plays with the dark grey tones.
Food for thought.
Whites and tans and texture.
Dreamy! And the coconut is so snackable right out of the oven.
Brights and grays inspire!
Always and forever… something with color sprinkles!
With all of my color and photo inspiration, I headed over to My Colortopia to get some guidance from Michael Wurm Jr. It turns out that I hit the jackpot when it comes to turning photos into color inspiration. Michael showed me how to upload my food photos into My Colortopia tool My Image Inspiration and pull out actual paints colors that could help me transform my space from white to not white!
Michael didn’t even bat an eye when I tried to find a paint color inspired by my kitten’s orange fur… yea.
I wanted to work a bit of geometry into my transformation, and Michael helped me find colors that would feel edible, fun, unique, and just… me! After some quality time with some painter’s tape, rollers, step stools, and gallons of paint… I LOVE my away-from-white wall! I can’t wait to share it with you. Soon!
Suheiry
This is so well written! Amusing and interesting. Love it.
Erica
Beautiful! I am a fan of the “blank canvas” — and am still afraid to paint my walls. Maybe someday I’ll go for full on watermelon walls (love that idea). Props to you for being more daring than me!
Rahel
Looking forward to see the result! Although I love white… I also love colour. I am always in a conflict. Our apartement has many walls in hues of warm yellow. Very nice, but now I long for something more “quiet”… maybe next time it will be shades of white? Or maybe green?… I can’t make up my mind… :o)
Skazka Vostoka
I agree with the first comment that the darkness – the absence of light. White is interesting, but there are so many different colors!
Courtney @ Neighborfood
I can’t WAIT to see what you chose! I’m a color junkie. We have three rooms in our downstairs all painted a different color–sunny yellow kitchen, sea breezy living room, luscious green dining room. I wouldn’t have it any other way. :)
Rachel (De Ma Cuisine)
Can’t wait to see what you end up with!!
Cara
Came here for inspiration while staring at my own glaring white screen. I think this is one of my favorite posts ever, thanks for being you!
-Cara
arniet
Love the blog, over the paid advertisements. Yikes.
Irena
That is brilliant to have all of your color inspiration comes from the kitchen! Love your blog xx
Sasha
i just repainted earlier this summer. we’ve been in our cottage for 12 yrs and when my girls were little our colors were really vibrant – yellow kitchen, sea green and yellow living room, orange bathroom (!), bright green bathroom. the repaint is much calmer. soothing grey just about everywhere (like white, but calmer, and grey turns blue, lavender, white, depending on the light of the day). and one very tall wall in living rm is turquoise, like the caribbean sea. it’s so beautiful next to the grey. our colorful artwork looks lovely on grey too. i paired the grey with cream in the bathrooms -it’s very spa-like and luxurious. it’s amazing how much color affects your outlook. with teen girls, bark-y dogs, squawking hens, and a calmly yelling over the top of it all mom, we need something soothing. can’t wait to see what you came up with Joy. i know it’s going to be amazing!
joythebaker
i’m still thinking about your orange bathroom!
Cathy
Hooray for color! And if you hate it, just can’t live with it, want to scream, just can’t stand it… you can go back to white in a snap. But I think it’s going to be gorgeous. Can’t wait.
Haley
Oooh intriguing..! I’ll be staying tuned to see what you come up with!
K
That’s a great way to eat toast! And as much as I love the color white, it’s definitely an intimidating blank canvas! xk
joythebaker
let’s just talk about toast… totally!