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Emily A. Clark

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Creating Flow (and Our Paint Colors)

April 18, 2013

If I’m honest, I used to think only using a few colors on the walls throughout your house was a total bore—especially if they all came off of the same paint card.  But, here I am, in our third house, and that’s what I’ve done so far. 

Shoji White by SW

I’ve been asked how to create “flow” from one room to the other, especially with an open floor plan.  And, I think working off of one paint card is a great start, if you’re unsure.  It kind of takes the guess work out of what goes with what, and creates an easy transition from one space to another.  I chose a neutral palette for the walls, which makes it easy to add—or take away—color in fabrics, furniture and accessories as I go.

my paint colors via emilyaclark

And, here’s where I’ve put what:

paint foyer

paint colors living room

paint colors office

paint colors bedroom

paint colors kitchen

paint colors hallway

paint colors girls room

We also used “Salsa Diane” by Olympic on the girls’ ceiling and mirror.  The rest of the colors mentioned above are by Sherwin Williams.
 

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Comments

  1. The Creativity Exchange says

    April 18, 2013 at 8:23 pm

    Great post Emily! I love all of your colors!

    Reply
  2. Karen says

    April 18, 2013 at 8:28 pm

    That is the same color strip I am using in my new home– this home is more contemporary than our last and when we saw these, it jsut clicked! the bedroom is the darkest one and it is my favorite room in the house– my husband was a little worried but he went with it– now that it’s done, you’d think it was his idea!!

    Reply
  3. Kristin @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia says

    April 18, 2013 at 8:31 pm

    Well, I have to say it’s no bore, it’s beautiful!
    XO
    Kristin

    Reply
  4. Simply LKJ says

    April 18, 2013 at 8:31 pm

    I agree. We did the same thing. It makes moving furniture and accessories from room to room so much easier.

    Reply
  5. Myra @ My Blessed Life says

    April 18, 2013 at 8:36 pm

    Great minds! I’ve used Shoji White and Amazing Gray and LOVE them both!!! :)

    Reply
  6. Tara G. says

    April 18, 2013 at 8:41 pm

    Every inch of my house has needed painting- ceiling to floor- because the builder chose brown everything (even trim) and the single guy before us didn’t seem to mind living inside a giant cardboard box. SO…slowly, we’re knocking it out. :) My painter concocted a greige for my main living areas and I am using Revere Pewter in a lot of other places as well as some yellows. Neutral- just in time to sell when the AF moves us again!

    Reply
  7. Amy Loveday says

    April 18, 2013 at 9:06 pm

    We painted our master bedroom Shoji White right before you started talking about it and it’s a FANTASTIC white! When I saw it on the strip, it looked so beige-y. On the walls, however, it’s a nice soft white. I absolutely love it!

    What am I painting next? Below the chair rail in our dining room! It’s currently burgundy. (Just shoot me — it was pretty at the time.) Above the chair rails is a pale tan and I’m actually thinking of covering the burgundy with a deep, almost-black charcoal gray. Gotta get the man on board . . . he’s not seeing it in his mind yet!

    Reply
  8. Laura Stutzman House Envy says

    April 18, 2013 at 9:36 pm

    all of my door and woodwork in our basement are Urbane Bronze and I love it!! It has been one of my favorite go to colors in decorating in other people’s houses too!!
    Great tips!

    Laura
    House Envy

    Reply
  9. Lisa Hamel says

    April 18, 2013 at 9:45 pm

    I love this post–it gives me so many ideas on how I can spice up my home going forward. When we bought our first home last summer, everything had just been freshly remodeled, all on coordinating shades of a lovely, clean tan. I love it, because it works with all of the crazy colors I have thrown into the space, but I am not sure how to continue the same beautifully matched color scheme going forward.

    For example, what is the best way to match a wall color if it is already painted on the wall or floor tile if it is already installed and you have no samples? I have a few sample pots of the paint, but I don’t which color goes where, and the pots say they are Dunn Edwards custom colors.

    Reply
    • Emily A. Clark says

      April 18, 2013 at 9:59 pm

      Maybe you can buy a paint deck from your local paint store and then match it up to something similar, then work off of that paint card. . .

      Reply
    • Lisa Hamel says

      April 27, 2013 at 6:25 pm

      Great suggestion! Thanks.

      Reply
  10. Jessica @ Stay at Home-ista says

    April 18, 2013 at 9:54 pm

    I love this idea! Recommending it to a friend of mine with a very open floor plan, I love how it’s a built-in matching system, like Garanimals for paint!

    Jessica

    Reply
  11. Lindsay says

    April 18, 2013 at 9:58 pm

    We used the same color strip when painting our home. Our living room & main hallway are worldly gray & our dining room is intellectual gray. we also have a black chalkboard wall in our dining room that reads very similar to Urbane Bronze.

    Reply
  12. Heidi of Operation Organization - MN says

    April 18, 2013 at 10:04 pm

    what a great idea! i never would have thought of that, but it makes so much sense!

    Reply
  13. Elizabeth says

    April 18, 2013 at 10:32 pm

    Absolutely love Worldly Grey! I have it in our dining room and it is a true grey for sure. I tried Amazing Grey and it was just a bit too dark for that space (it has lots of great old woodwork) so I went with the lighter color on the deck and it was perfect!

    Reply
  14. Tara {The Silver Lining} says

    April 18, 2013 at 10:48 pm

    I love all of your paint colors. Too bad I didn’t use these in my home. I like how our kitchen turned out but the nuetral gray that I used on the majority of our home reads blue to me. :( Big sad face as it will be a big project to change it now, so I’m learning to live with it.

    Reply
  15. Brandi says

    April 18, 2013 at 10:50 pm

    Emily, this is such a great idea. Next time I’m ready for a change I will use your method.

    Reply
  16. Patty Day @Pattys Epiphanies says

    April 18, 2013 at 10:54 pm

    We have an average home, 2050 sq.ft most of which is open space. We choose to use one color. SW Silver Strand. It’s a gray/blue/silver color. Depends on the natural light, and lighting. If we had chosen different colors it would have created a jumbled mess. It goes with everything and looks different in each room because of other colors in the rooms and as I said before the natural and artificial lighting.

    Reply
  17. Nancy says

    April 18, 2013 at 10:56 pm

    I love these colors and the flow. You have done a beautiful job. I am caught between neutrals and bold colors. I want to have more flow, so this is very inspiring. Next we are painting some mirrors and tables for a client..hopefully this weekend if the weather cooperates.
    xo Nancy
    Powellbrowerhome.com

    Reply
  18. mom23 says

    April 19, 2013 at 12:06 am

    I’ve posted about it before and I’ll post about it again…I’ve used Shoji white for all of our bedrooms…I am very happy with it! Thank you :)

    Reply
  19. theanatomyofdesign.com says

    April 19, 2013 at 12:20 am

    love this idea. the best thing about picking paint this way is that even though you are using the same paints through your whole house they will look differently in each room because of the lighting.

    Reply
  20. Ahna says

    April 19, 2013 at 12:35 am

    I’m painting stair risers. I chose Urbane Bronze. After seeing your pantry doors, I fell in love with the color. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  21. Abby @ Just a Girl and Her Blog says

    April 19, 2013 at 12:55 am

    Smart girl! That makes total sense! Everything looks great and flows so well! Hope you’re having a great week, Miss Emily!

    ~Abby =)

    Reply
  22. Danielle says

    April 19, 2013 at 1:34 am

    Love your colors! I’m pinning for future reference. x

    Reply
  23. 17 Perth says

    April 19, 2013 at 1:59 am

    These are so similar to the colors I chose–which makes me excited that I may have done something right! :) Next up in our house…Bathroom, Kitchen…Sunroom. We are in reno mode over here.

    Reply
  24. Sarah Garner says

    April 19, 2013 at 2:28 am

    I love those colors! I’ve used both Worldly Gray and the Amazing Gray for clients projects.
    When you’re using Shoji White or a color that light, what do you do about trim? Do you paint it the same color? I chose a cream for my bedroom but against my trim it looks like we smoke in there. You know what I mean?

    Reply
  25. [email protected] Nest says

    April 19, 2013 at 5:57 am

    I am using that same color card in my home…love the Shoji White…it is my favorite! And my husband has worked for Sherwin Williams for 25+ yrs.

    Reply
  26. modular office furniture says

    April 19, 2013 at 10:56 am

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    Reply
  27. Emilia Bellflower says

    April 19, 2013 at 11:42 am

    Your house look great. I love color combination, and accessories. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  28. ruralurbanwi.com says

    April 19, 2013 at 11:53 am

    This is a great idea–I may need to do something similar as I paint the rest of my house!

    Reply
  29. momma-lana says

    April 19, 2013 at 11:55 am

    We will painting our bonus room as soon as all of the ugly 34 year old plaid wallpaper is gone. It will be a happy day when that is all done!

    Reply
  30. Anna says

    April 19, 2013 at 2:48 pm

    This is a great idea. Thanks for sharing. Emily, I also wanted to congratulate you for your gallery wall from your old home being featured in Bhg.com’s “decorate with what you have.” It is the gallery wall behind the TV with the image of the sea horse on it. That gallery wall is beautiful.

    Reply
  31. www.carolynsmithdesigns.com says

    April 19, 2013 at 3:36 pm

    Love the mirror color in your daughter’s room. Also, the oversized art piece in the hallway off your office is VERY nice.

    Reply
  32. simplymodernhome.com says

    April 19, 2013 at 4:22 pm

    A friend of mine who was a great designer gave me the same advice. He used various colors from the same paint chip throughout his house and it was stunning and serene!

    Susan

    http://simplymodernhome.com/

    Reply
  33. NR Designs says

    April 19, 2013 at 8:34 pm

    Thank you SO much, for this wonderful post. I’m actually a day late reading this post because I’ve been buried in paint swatches! This has been so helpful because I’m literally one paint deck strip over from your colors – I’m looking at using Aestetic White, Accessible Beige, etc. Your post has helped me to see how the level of color saturation on your walls work against the trim color. Thanks again!!

    Reply
  34. Anneke at This, That and Life says

    April 20, 2013 at 12:46 am

    This is such a great post Emily! We have a VERY open floor plan and when we built our home in 2009, I was so overwhelmed with babies and decisions, we just said, “Oh, that color.” It looks fine in some places, but other rooms and lighting it has a pinkish undertone. :-/ BUT we’re not repainting the whole house. It’s made it challenging to pick complimentary colors. This was very helpful to see how and where you used colors for your home. Thanks!

    Reply
  35. lmarris says

    April 20, 2013 at 1:23 am

    Hi Emily,
    Thanks so much for these great painting ideas. I’ve got cherry cabinets and wood floors and have been trying to figure out what to do with the walls/doors. Your choice of colors would look fabulous. However, my husband was wondering what color you painted the kitchen trim in if the walls are white? Is the trim also Sohji White?

    Reply
    • Emily A. Clark says

      April 20, 2013 at 10:51 am

      The trim is the color it was when we moved in. I believe it’s this:
      http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW7008-alabaster/

      Reply
  36. Heather SettingforFour says

    April 20, 2013 at 8:12 pm

    I love all of those colors and Sherwin williams is what we are using in our home too! We’ve used Mindful Gray throughout most of the main level and Mink in our kitchen – we have similar wood cabinetry as yours and black granite countertops too – mink really looks great against the wood color! Love your home! I love Urbane Bronze too!

    Reply
  37. BeColorful says

    April 21, 2013 at 11:18 pm

    Great post. I just painted our dining room a Sherwin Williams black and our family room a Sherwin Williams coral called Charisma. I am crazy about how well they turned out. Your rooms and choices are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing them on your blog.
    pamela

    Reply
  38. South on Broadway says

    April 22, 2013 at 6:00 pm

    I love that the colors are all from the same paint card because of how you accessories and style your home. I really like this look and hope to do something similar in my next home. So pretty… love it!

    – Jaime
    http://www.southonbroadway.blogspot.com

    Reply
  39. The Barber's says

    April 24, 2013 at 4:01 am

    Love these and saving for future reference! Would you recommend any of these for a bath vanity? I love the look of the gray cabinets I am seeing but scared to take the plunge ( :
    -Jennifer

    Reply
  40. British paints says

    May 16, 2013 at 6:40 am

    Nice posting, thanks for sharing with us. Your blog is great and helped me feel better knowing about the house paint color. Thanks again!

    Reply
  41. Allan Murray says

    September 13, 2013 at 11:51 am

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    Reply
  42. malik aayan says

    September 26, 2013 at 7:39 am

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    Reply
  43. Allan Murray says

    December 2, 2013 at 8:07 pm

    Hi Mr/Ms. Admin, I wonder why you removed my post, Obviously there’s nothing wrong with the message, hope you don’t mind. Thanks.

    Reply
  44. andrea says

    December 9, 2013 at 2:24 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing! I LOVE your style and am inspired by your choices!

    Reply
  45. Charity says

    March 7, 2014 at 11:19 am

    What paint finish do you use on bedroom walls? Flat? Eggshell? We’re going to use Worldly Gray and Amazing Gray. I’m not sure what paint type to use?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 7, 2014 at 12:37 pm

      I used a satin finish but I think eggshell would be okay,too. I just never use flat–too many fingerprints.

      Reply
  46. Donna says

    March 31, 2015 at 11:23 am

    I am getting to repaint. I am trying to find a light gray that works with my hunter green couch. I have repose gray , agreeable and accessible grays. repose and agreeable seems to clash with my couch. Accessible seems to dark. Would worldly gray go with green or clash. Any suggestions

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 31, 2015 at 12:19 pm

      I think any true gray would work. I would look at Worldly Gray or Amazing Gray (both on same paint card), depending on how light/dark you want to go. Good luck!

      Reply
  47. Nicki says

    April 21, 2017 at 11:47 am

    Hi Emily! I scrolled waaaaayyy back :) to find this post because I remembered you had written on using different shades from one paint strip throughout your house, and I have a question I hope you’ll give your opinion on. I’m considering doing this in our house with a blue color strip (specifically the SW strip that contains Bracing Blue) because of existing flooring in the kitchen and foyer I can’t change. (I have some pictures on IG that might show what I’m asking. I’m nickshousepics on there. We talked a little about my kitchen a long while back on a different post so it might look familiar :) We’ve already painted 3 connecting rooms from that strip. Do you think it would be over the top to continue with different shades from that strip in other rooms, or do you think the effect would be just too much blue? I don’t mind color :) but I don’t want it to be the first thing people notice as they come in. I’m hoping using it everywhere might make it seem more like a neutral. Thanks! It was so fun scrolling back through your old posts- lots of beauty and good advice :)

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      April 23, 2017 at 7:07 am

      I popped over to your IG and saw that you started. That dark blue is a really pretty color. Let me know how it works out! :)

      Reply

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