April 20, 2016

Create Your Own Nature-Inspired Color Palette

Inspiration is all around us! To complement the natural products you trust for your home, let nature's very own hues influence the colors you choose for your decor. Neutral and natural tones feel light and refreshing in the home - it's rare for them to be overbearing. Plus, they allow for endless options when it comes to choosing an accent color (which can be easily swapped out when next summer's trend colors are revealed).

At Brentwood Home, we're always inspired by the rolling hills of California, the muted greens and bright flowers of our neighborhood cacti, and the rich shades of amber and pale dust found in the desert. If there's a natural scene that you'd like to capture and display through color in your own home, there are several online image generators that create the perfect palette based on a simple photograph.

Kuler, a color scheme generator run by Adobe, is very interactive. Upload a photo by clicking on the camera symbol in the top right corner. You can then choose a color scheme based on moods like "bright," "muted," and "deep." Not happy with the colors that were generated? Drag the dots around the image to find the perfect hue for you.

CSS Drive's Colors Palette Generator allows you to upload an image from your computer or from a URL of an image you found online. Upload the file or copy and paste the link, click "get palette," and voila! This generator creates a light, medium, and dark color palette, along with a complete palette that selects all of the prominent colors in the image. If you're using these colors in an online spaces, this generator also prominently displays the hex codes.

COPASO from COLOURLovers is another generator with many advanced options when it comes to color mood. Although you have to make an account to use this service, it is free and allows you to choose photos via URL or Flickr. Additionally, making an account with COLOURLovers allows you to publish your palette, which shares it with other site members and color fanatics.

The color combinations are endless, which means it may take some time to narrow down your options and choose the ones you'd like to make permanent in your home. Use an image to make a plan for a bedroom color scheme, to choose the perfect color for a natural linen quilt or sheet set, or to find the accent color that's perfectly symbolic of your favorite natural scene. Below are a few palettes we created, inspired by natural beauties from around the world.