Pantone Color of the Year: Radiant Orchid

Let's just talk about my love for the fabulous people at Pantone for a minute. Ever since I was in school I have been totally and completely obsessed with all things Pantone. I feel like they have little tiny workers who live inside my heart and every year they pick the very perfect color to be the color of the year. In my FIDM days, I would sit in the library between classes and pour over the Pantone books. Oh, what I would give to have a personal library full of Pantone resources. For real. I'm sure some of you are thinking, "wow, you are really weird." I know. It's okay.

At the end of 2012 I was really digging all things green. And then, voila, January hit and Emerald was the color of the year (probably, I'm psychic). My mom created what was soon to be my very favorite paint color of all time (you know, for a few months), Iguana Hold Your Hand, and I painted endless amounts of things green. Not just any green, the perfect green. As 2013 came to an end, I decided it was time to move on to a new color to love. I am typically drawn to cooler colors, so I started eyeing blues. One of my mom's colors, Jaded Love Birds (Mom, why is my very favorite paint color not listed in your shop?!), is an all time fave. It's a nice grayish blue-green. But that wasn't anything new. I needed something else.

Is it obvious yet that color consumes my life?

So, 2014 began and Pantone announced this beauty as the color of the year. And now I have a new obsession. Everything about this color is just perfectly perfect. I shared a few of my favorite radiant orchid hued finds below, but you can see everything I'm loving via my Radiant Orchid pin board!

I love all of the home decor inspiration I've come across on Pinterest lately. If I were to add it to my home, I would do it sparingly. The big beautiful orchid colored walls are beautiful in a picture, but can you imagine your friends coming over? "Wow. That's a big.purple.wall." Realistically, most people aren't going to run to the paint store to snag a five gallon bucket and go to town. I would add in an unexpected pop with a piece of painted furniture or maybe even a vintage find that's already upholstered in your shade of choice. What it boils down to: I personally wouldn't drop a lot of dinero on a orchid themed room because in a year, Pantone will have a new color for me to pine over.

I think this color is an absolute beaut for events. I do love to throw a good party, and I can't wait to incorporate a few shades in my next decor scheme. It's eye catching and you can use it in a soft way or make it bold. There are so many options!

 

Feathered Fashion via // Orchid Hued Paint via // Striped Ceiling via // Tablescape via // Orchid Drinks via // Ice Cream Scoop via

So yes, this cool colored girl now has a fascination with this warm hue! It doesn't match my house. Not even close. But I'm DYING to get it on something, so stay tuned for what that may be! In the meantime, here are a few of my picks for color palettes that incorporate this fun new color.

 

Dreaming of a Remodel.

Clayton and I have talked a lot lately about moving (houses, not towns). We've talked about a million different options...building, fixer upper, move-in ready, etc etc etc. We have varying opinions on what is the best option. Clayton dreams of a move-in ready house that needs, at most, a coat of paint here and there. I, on the other hand, spend hours upon days dreaming of a house that needs a complete overhaul. It's in my blood. I can't help it. We have yet to come to a conclusion, but here are a few things I'm currently pining over.

First and foremost, I DREAM of having a ginormous playroom. Knox's toys have completely taken over our living room AND his bedroom. I want it to have big giant sliding barn doors so that I can close it off when we have company over. These are a few of my favorites:

 

via Pinterest (original source unknown.)

 

via Pinterest (original source unknown.)

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I want cute bathrooms. Priorities, right? Seriously though, I could spend hours looking at bathrooms on Pinterest. I'm obsessed with pocket doors, and I love the thought of painting them a bright color. I want stripes in one bathroom. I don't know why, but I love the thought of big stripes in a bathroom! A couple of my favorite bathroom ideas:

 

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I want a homey, cozy living room that feels inviting and like you can actually sit on the furniture. I'm not really one for formal, well, anything.  I love color and comfy furniture and big fireplaces. Some of my favorites:

 

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I want a house that I can go into and tear down walls, take out counter tops, redo floors and paint EVERYTHING. I'm sure you're asking yourself why I sound like a crazy person and why we don't just build. I have this crazy need to make old things new again. (Mirror mirror on the wall, I am my mother after all.) I love refurbishing furniture and I get such a thrill out of transforming something old into something new of my own. I have super eclectic taste and I enjoy the challenge of mixing old things with new. I'm sure to most of you I sound like a total nut job. Clayton would agree. 

One of my very favorite elements of design is paint. Most people have no idea how much a coat of paint can transform a room. As I'm sure most of you know, my sweet momma has her own line of vintage finish paint (find it here). I love it for painting furniture and I'm obsessed with her color palette (which I'm sure has nothing to do that most of the colors were hand picked by yours truly). I have always gravitated toward cooler wall colors, so these are my current color obsessions:

 

I guess that's all I've got for today! So now I'll go back to feeding my house remodel Pinterest addiction...