Collecting Color Stories

I receive a lot of questions about my design process, usually relating to my dress collections. For the next few weeks I am going to share about the design process, in little bits! For me, the process starts out the same whether I have fashion in mind, paintings or home decor. It's a surprisingly similar process, no matter what the project. Step one is always color.

When I'm dreaming about a new collection (or even a single project, like a painting or a room plan) I like to spend some time playing with color. Sometimes I'll take a trip to the hardware store and pick out paint swatches in the colors I'm loving. Sometimes I'll rip from magazines and make a color story inspiration board. Sometimes I'll use paint and markers to map out my options. I like to see different color stories on paper before choosing one for my project. This is one of my favorite parts of the creative process. 

It's important to remember that your color story is not a commitment to only use those colors. I usually don't like things to be too matchy-matchy. Your color story is the backbone of your design. You'll work other color around it, choosing things that add to the story. There are no hard and fast rules. You can always change your mind. What I love is that planning your color story will save time and simplify your creative process, allowing you to focus more on other details. 

Here are a few examples from my past work. This dress collection had one of my favorite color stories. It was rich and very seasonal. I'm at Autumn girl at heart, so I always gravitate toward these tones. The pea green color and deep teal made the whole story for me. I really enjoyed working with this palette the whole way through. 

When I was decorating our newlywed home I didn't pre-plan a color story, it happened naturally over six months or so. I was always adding and taking things away until it felt right. If I would have planned the color story in advance I probably would have finished much faster, but I was enjoying the scenic route with this project. For our next home I'm pre-planning each room's color story. (1/2 to save time + 1/2 because it's fun)

I knew I wanted a colorful wedding, so when I chose white and cream bridesmaids dresses people were a little surprised. I saved the pop of color for the tights and flowers and I'm so happy I did. Sometimes a strong color scheme is best used in smaller details! I'm a fan of neutral designs with bright accents. 

I hope that this little look behind my process has been helpful to some of you. I'll be back soon to share more thoughts on the basic design habits that I practice. If you have any questions, let me know! Happy Monday, Elsie  

Comments

[Tina @ Tinacious Me]

very helpful post! Thanks Elsie!
http://www.tinacious.me/

[Amanda]

Great post. I wish I would have done the same thing when I moved into my new home. Some of my rooms are still empty... so better late than never!

[tinajo]

Ah - color, how do I love thee..! Your livingroom is great too!

[Chantal Hanna]

I love playing with colours. So much fun

[Fiona]

This was very helpful. I am still trying to figure out how to decorate our spaces...and we finished renovating 18 months ago! Love, love, love colour!

[Bianca rosado]

Great new segment, Elsie! I'm so with you in that I'm consistently drawn to neutrals with bright or bold accents.

http://www.stylemesweetly.typepad.com

[Luba]

great post , thank you so much !
XX Luba

Well Living blog
http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/3561644/well-living-blog

[Copper Etiquette]

Great tips! Shop Beautiful Day Dresses Online at CopperEtiquette

[Lana]

I think that is THE most adorable bridal party ever. I'm redoing my room and now I'm going to find a color story for it!

[call me debbie]

I would like to refresh my house and I love magazine inspiration while drinking my coffee in the yard. Could you tell me some of your favorite inspirational magazines to check? :)

inwhirlofinspiration.blogspot.com

[i am not a celebrity]

I really admire the way you share all your hints and tips. An open book is much better than a closed.

Thank you!

Kate

www.i-am-not-a-celebrity.com

[Lauren]

Absolutely love this post, Elsie... My best friend taught me about making color stories... we sit at the art supplies store making swatches of color stories on little pieces of paper. So much fun, It's something I def need to start doing before I tackle a big project, I usually just wing it. Love these tips :)

http://rivercitysammon.com

[Chrissy]

Love this! And so excited for autumn colors!!

[Georgia]

thanks for the tips! fall colors are so nice :)

georgia
http://edeweissmoons.blogspot.ca/

[Rory]

I love how you surprised everyone at your wedding with the tights. It's clever and something not many people have done! I LOVED it! :) Love the autumn collection colors, too. You're just overall totallly creative Els! :)
Rory
p.s. I am a lifeguard and yesterday there were two little girls (sisters) whose names were Emma and Elsie. I thought that was so coool :)

[LesliMarie]

Thanks for all the tips.

www.LesliMarie.com

[Anonymous Blogger :)]

Love your color tips! How do we bring color into our offices or wardrobe?

[Gabbie]

This is a great new series, Elsie. I love seeing how other artists come up with their ideas and their process. Thanks for sharing!!

[Catherine]

great post!! x

[Viveca Johansen]

Lovely post!

http://stainsofpaint.blogspot.com/