Color Schemes Made Easy

Believe it or not, selecting the right color scheme for your new project is often the hardest part.  It's the main starting point for any project and for some it can be a serious leap that causes insane amounts of stress and sleepless nights.

In my Off the Shelf online design course, I offer lots of hand-selected options to choose from.  And there are some great choices!  But I'm about to let you in on a little designer's secret that might just help you with some of your future projects.  Big name flooring and paint manufacturers are partnering up to put together ready-to-go designs at the click of your mouse!  What this means is that all of the guess-work has been removed from your somewhat timid hands.  In this blog post, I'll show you a couple of sites that are my newest favorites and how to use them.  

So if you're a current Off the Shelf student of mine and want even more options at your fingertips, or you're working on your own project and need a strong starting point, this is the place to be.

My first favorite is the Virtual Design Tray tool from Patcraft.

You can learn more about their free product here.  They make it so simple with their easy-to-navigate website and step-by-step process for putting together a tray that works for you.  It just takes three easy steps and you get your selections delivered straight to wherever you are.  They even include handy return envelopes in the box so you can send back anything you don't like.  This is a huge game changer for preventing unnecessary product waste.  A little side note - this return program has actually been around for a while now, but I've personally always found it very useful and thought you might like to know it exists in case you were unaware.

With Patcraft you can either select one of their many "Pre-mixes" or you can start with a base tray and build your own.  They include multiple carpet options, coordinating paint colors from their partnering manufacturer Benjamin Moore and LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) planks.  Patcraft is one of our favorite flooring manufacturers and I really think you'll love working with them.

A second company we've run across that has this same concept is Shaw Contract Group.

They call theirs Palette Play and you can learn more about their site here.  There's is slightly different in how they organize their information, but it's the same basic concept.  Once you click on the link above, you will find their varying trays separated into different color categories.  So if you're looking for a clean neutral palette, you click on the neutrals category.  And if you want something like a bold red, then you click on the reds category.  

They too will deliver to your door but in the box they sent me, there was no return envelope, so make sure you ask for one just in case when you place your order.  I also don't see where you can mix and match on the Shaw site, but their color options are clearly well thought out and ready to go for anyone who wants a quick and easy choice.  

These virtual design trays are so helpful if you just need some design inspiration or if you're too afraid to make the final choice on your own.  And they are SO much fun to play with!  So click on a link above and get started.  If you get stuck, or have a favorite you'd like to talk about, join my DIY Library Design Facebook group and start chatting!  Happy designing!