Today on the TWC blog we could not be happier to welcome our newest contributor, Tanja Polegubic, Color Expert. Tanja lived in Milan while achieving a Master of Color, and she intends to grace our blog with insights on all the right colors for your lifestyle. We hope you will love what she has to offer and we encourage your questions on how to find your perfect pallets to help you create, design, and live the colorful life you envision.
First up, she is here sharing her savvy advice on how to choose the right color for your new bundle of joy’s nursery with her Baby Nursery Colors | Pantone 2016 blog. We love how she is incorporating a few of the new 2016 Pantone colors.
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What to Expect When You’re Decorating.
Choosing a nursery color scheme? Here’s a quick guide to get you there.
1. Look to Nature:
Let’s look at penguins. Baby penguins. They’re born a subtler, fuzzier version of their parents. Only in adulthood do the bright blues and yellows emerge among the black and white. In nature, babies tend to be ‘subdued’ in color for survival purposes (they’re hiding, not attracting a mate yet). Call it camouflage, call it the vibration the color frequency is setting off for a better night’s sleep and feed. Let’s just call it ‘baby colors’ and keep it in mind.
2. Look at your Family (or soon-to-be-a-Family) Style:
Then, subdue it a notch. Are you rocking Mondrian art? Is Marsala keeping you warm? Are Minions new to you?
Think Continuity. Think Authenticity.
What style resonates with you? What have you already got going on in your home (walls, furniture, flooring, etc)? Work with this, carrying through other colors you have gravitated to already. Bring it down a notch to ‘baby colors’ level.
If you’re making a fresh start for your new arrival, great! Remember, there’s something in you already which informs your color choices. Look to your past ‘color’ journey to continue this coming chapter. Or, start a new one. Just keep it true to you, rather than to what’s “trending”.
3. Proportion:
A general rule when approaching any color selection. Here, create some moodboards of inspiring images, or layout your preferred color swatches. Set a percentage for each. This will give you a dominant and subdominant scheme, with accents.
Example:
With a 60:30:10 ratio, group whites with soft grays as your dominant base (60%).
Rose quartz or Serenity can be a subdominant choice, on a wall, with prints. (30%)
Cradle it all with a sturdy, nurturing touch (10%).
For Rose Quartz, match with the more vibrant Peach Echo using artworks. If you’re going with Serenity, crown it in a Snorkel Blue armchair throw and floor rug.
Get This Look:
Chair | Crib | Rug | Art | Blanket
Get This Look:
Crib | Rug |Pillows – Lg. – Md.– Sm. | Art
4. Purpose
Consider what the room will be used for: Sleeping. Feeding. Gushing. By you and visitors.
Your nursery can set a desired mood, through color. Imagine how it would feel after 5 minutes, 5 hours, even 5 years. The longevity of the room should be flexible to meet the changing needs of your child’s day, development and bedcover taste. Minions won’t be around forever.
Your cot could be turning into a car frame or a bunk bed in a few years. Adding wall play spaces with a felt racetrack, could mean choosing Serenity (blue) now can conveniently become your child’s bedroom sky in the future.
5. Gender
This is a big influence in deciding on colors. If you know, or don’t know your baby’s gender. There are traditional colors we associate with boys, girls and ‘we-don’t-know-yet’ neutral.
A color middle ground is being established. Unisex palettes are entering every realm, from shampoo bottles to fashion (read about it in Pantone’s Spring 2016 forecast). Pink was “for boys” less than 100 years ago.
We are forever changing and color tells this story.
Trends reflect what’s topical. Right now, there’s Mars exploration (think Marsala and Rose Gold iPhones) and redefining gender. Redefining color is a reflection of this and explains this direction into unisex palettes across all color application. By opting for unisex, you start this on Day 001 for your baby.
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As with any physical space in our homes, we live with the color schemes day, night and most likely years. Add that a nursery caters to the first years and moments of your baby’s place in this world, there’s a greater level of attention placed on this little room; huge impact space.
Enjoy the journey into discovering and staying true to your personal colors.
Be sure to follow along with Tanja on INSTAGRAM and comment below with your color questions.
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