Hello Color: 25 Bright Ideas for DIY Decor

By Rachel Mae Smith

Get bold and bright with these 25 easy and fun home decor projects that will liven up your life and make your home space vibrant.

Whether she’s writing for her blog, snapping pictures for Instagram, or just living her life, Rachel Mae Smith is all about the simple joys of handmaking and bringing brightness to everything. And now beginning crafters, aspirational DIYers, and dorm dwellers can, too! Rachel shares her colorful signature style in each simple and fun step-by-step project like Dip-Dyed Napkins, Pom-Pom Votive Candle Holders, and Geometric Patterned Pillows. Helpful sidebars on decorating, like Staging a Beautiful Bookcase and building Bar Carts for Beginners, give you ideas for perking up pre-fab accessories so that any space can look colorful. Plus how-tos on working with specific materials, ideas for entertaining, and—of course—a guide to shooting pictures. And as a special bonus, tear-out posters in the back make it easy for you to decorate your walls in a snap!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Quirk Books
• Release date: May 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781683690184

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Rachel Mae Smith

All rights reserved. Except as authorized under U.S. copyright law, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Number: 2017941581

ISBN 9781683690177

Ebook ISBN 9781683690184

Ebook design adapted from printed book design by Andie Reid

Photographs by Rachel Mae Smith except for the following pages by Mary Costa: here, here, here, here

Illustration credits: here by Clare Corfield Carr, here and here by Jordan Brantley, here by Megan Roy, here and here by Rachael McLean, here by Christine Herrin, here by MJ Kocovski, here by Sarah Khandjian

Production management by John J. McGurk

Quirk Books

215 Church Street

Philadelphia, PA 19106

quirkbooks.com

v5.2

a

For my dad—thank you for a lifetime of love, humor, and always encouraging this birdie to fly.

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

INTRODUCTION:

Welcome to My Colorful World

Color Theory 101

CHAPTER ONE:

THE LIVING ROOM

Wall Art, Three Ways

Party Animal Coasters

Catch-All Mini Tray

Colorful Planter, Three Ways

Fancy Footed Vase

Pom-Pom Basket

Style Your Space: Bar Carts for Beginners

Get Colorful: Amp Up Your Neutrals

CHAPTER TWO:

THE DINING ROOM

Two Quick Centerpieces

Three Pretty Napkins

Embellished Placemats

Salt & Pepper Shaker Makeover

Painted Chair Set

Style Your Space: How to Set a Charming Table

Get Colorful: Warm and Cool Colors

CHAPTER THREE:

THE KITCHEN

Color-Blocked Trivets

Rainbow-Scalloped Sugar and Flour Canisters

Marble-Dipped Utensil Holder

Bright Hanging Planter

Rainbow-Stamped Dish Towels

Photo Magnets

Style Your Space: Creative Ways to Organize Supplies

Get Colorful: Bolds and Brights

CHAPTER FOUR:

THE BEDROOM

Wooden Hanger Makeover

Instagram Wall Art

Mini Photo Blocks

Colorful Mirror

Mini Bud Vase

Pom-Pom Votive Candle Holder

Geometric Patterned Pillow

Mini Bookcase Makeover

Style Your Space: Staging a Beautiful Bookcase

Get Colorful: Pastels

Photography Tips

Resources

Tear-Out Artwork

About the Author

Acknowledgments

INTRODUCTION

It’s obvious that I love color. But it wasn’t until I lived in a not-so-colorful place that I discovered just how much. Transitioning from the dreamy pastels of San Francisco to the brick tones of Portland, Oregon, shocked my system. It was this change that made me look closer at the world around me.

To cope with the new scenery, I looked for every bit of brightness I could find. Whether a pop of yellow on a car repair shop, an unexpectedly bold trim on a house, or even just the plants blooming in my neighborhood, I was able to find color almost everywhere I looked. As it turns out, you don’t have to live in a colorful place, or have pink hair, to live colorfully—color is always there for those who want to see it.

It’s easy to feel timid about adding color to your home—what if it’s too bold or you end up hating it? I completely understand! I, too, avoided making the color leap for many years. I thought nothing would match unless everything was neutral, so I didn’t take the risk. I worried about spending money on signature pieces only to regret them later. But playing it safe was just no fun! And that’s the greatest thing about color: it’s meant to be fun. You can create your own rules. You can add as much or as little as you wish.

The palettes in Hello Color are my personal favorites, but they’re only suggestions to help you get started on your own color journey. Think of me as your tour guide. I want you to feel free to explore and experiment with the colors that resonate with you. The ones that make you feel happy, peaceful, or calm. The ones that lift you up and put a smile on your face. The ones that just make you feel good.

When it comes to decorating, you don’t have to invest a ton of money or time to get the rainbow-hued look you want. In fact, you can make a lot of decorative and artful home-decor items yourself. In this book you’ll find fun and easy DIY projects for every room in your home. You’ll create artwork that allows you to proudly say I made it! when someone asks where it came from, or practical objects that serve a purpose and pack a colorful punch. You can even use the tear-out artwork in the back for decor that’s easy as can be. But you’ll never have to admit that they took less than thirty minutes to do—that’s our little secret.

I hope this book inspires you not only to seek color where you live but also to bring your own vision to the space around you. Once you take the leap and start living colorfully, you might wonder how you ever lived before.

One of the most amazing things about working with color is that it really is subjective. We perceive color based on wavelengths of light that bounce off objects—so, for example, a red apple absorbs all wavelengths but red and reflects those back to our eyes, which then perceive the apple as (you guessed it!) red. But every person’s perception is slightly different—and, of course, everyone has different favorites.

Fortunately, colors come in thousands (yes, thousands—Pantone alone has at least 1,114 spot colors) of options. But so many choices can be overwhelming, especially if you’re new to decorating, don’t know where to start, or just have a hard time making decisions. The good news is that, in all of those thousands of colors, you’re bound to find at least one or two bright ones that work in your home. With those selections and a little know-how about mixing and matching, soon you’ll be pairing palettes like a pro!

COLOR TERMS

PRIMARY COLORS: The colors that kick off the color wheel—red, blue, and yellow. These hues cannot be formed by any combination of other colors, and all other colors are derived from some mixture of two or three of these bases.

SECONDARY COLORS: Colors that result from mixing primary colors together—purple (red + blue), green (blue + yellow), and orange (red + yellow).

TERTIARY COLORS: Colors made by mixing adjacent primary and secondary colors. For example, red and orange will give you…red-orange!

TINT: A lighter version of a base color, created by mixing the color with white.

SHADE: A darker version of a base color, created by mixing the color with black.

VALUE: The lightness or darkness of a color (i.e., its placement on the spectrum from tint to shade).

PASTEL: A soft, delicate, subtle color that reflects a lot of light.

JEWEL TONE: A dark, intense color (like a gemstone) that absorbs a lot of light.

SATURATION: The intensity of a color, determined by how much the color differs from white; for example, pastels are less saturated than jewel tones.