• Home
  • about emily
  • before + after
  • HGTV + DIY Network
  • good press
  • contact
  • Let’s Organize These Posts:

    • Art Attack
    • Backyard
    • Barn
    • Basement
    • Bathroom
    • Beach
    • Bedrooms
    • Being Thrifty
    • Business-y
    • Buying and Renting and Selling
    • Casual Celebrations
    • Closets
    • Curb Appeal
    • Dainty Details
    • Deck
    • Decor
    • Dining Room
    • DIY
    • Dog-Related
    • Entryway
    • Flooring
    • For the Kids
    • Garage
    • Gardening
    • Helping The Economy
    • HGTV + DIY Network Projects
    • Holiday-Related Projects
    • Home Safety
    • Kitchen
    • Lighting
    • Living Room
    • Merry Travels
    • Office Space
    • Organized
    • Other Pads
    • Outdoor Living
    • Scooter Fun
    • Stairwell
    • Sunroom
    • Supporting Sponsors
    • The Art Room
    • Tools
    • Uncategorizable
    • Wedding
    • Windows
    • Work-pads
  • Search

  • Hi, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

    I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle.

    You can find me writing for Home Living Handbook, HGTV.com, and a handful of other websites. Follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

    Thanks for visiting!

  • BROWSE POSTS BY CATEGORY:

    • Art Attack (7)
    • Backyard (92)
    • Barn (8)
    • Basement (27)
    • Bathroom (43)
    • Beach (13)
    • Bedrooms (73)
    • Being Thrifty (53)
    • Business-y (12)
    • Buying and Renting and Selling (23)
    • Casual Celebrations (36)
    • Closets (17)
    • Curb Appeal (44)
    • Dainty Details (8)
    • Deck (23)
    • Decor (286)
    • Dining Room (37)
    • DIY (578)
    • Dog-Related (24)
    • Entryway (59)
    • Flooring (58)
    • For the Kids (32)
    • Garage (17)
    • Gardening (70)
    • Helping The Economy (30)
    • HGTV + DIY Network Projects (283)
    • Holiday-Related Projects (80)
    • Home Safety (12)
    • Kitchen (87)
    • Lighting (31)
    • Living Room (77)
    • Merry Travels (21)
    • Office Space (21)
    • Organized (41)
    • Other Pads (14)
    • Outdoor Living (12)
    • Scooter Fun (8)
    • Stairwell (20)
    • Sunroom (22)
    • Supporting Sponsors (43)
    • The Art Room (3)
    • Tools (43)
    • Uncategorizable (1)
    • Wedding (28)
    • Windows (14)
    • Work-pads (10)
  • Search

  • Pages

    • blog
    • Good Press: Special Features, Freelance Projects, and Long-Term Clients
    • Privacy Policy
    • about emily
    • before + after
      • before + after – transforming my first home
      • before + after, our current home
    • contact me
    • choose a badge and share the merrypad.com love
  • Home
  • about emily
  • before + after
  • HGTV + DIY Network
  • good press
  • contact

Workin’ The Rainbow

October 14, 2011

Not terribly long after I launched Merrypad, I posted about my then-current paint palette.

That graphic looked something like this:

The color palette of the house. Exterior doors are purple. Downstairs are white, and the gold shades; Upstairs are whites, blues, and grays.

But in the last year, likely because I was challenging myself with blog-related projects and daring myself to try new products and colors, that palette has evolved. Not overnight or anything, just really slowly, really gradually over the course of time. Last week when I organized the pegboard and sorted all of my color chips into one centralized basket, I noticed something:

The palette had evolved into a full rainbow.

Updated palette happiness!

I’m not surprised. I’m always drawn to golds, oranges, and greens in this house. I’ve always loved all grays too. And the light blues and pinks made me happy when I browsed stores and picked through paint samples. There you have it. I’m indecisive.

And because I firmly believe that any color could work anywhere, I’m really not the right person to ask what color you should paint a room in your home.

Side note: I’ve mentioned it before and I’ll mention it again… I originally painted the dining room a cool lava coral pink. And it was fabulous. It didn’t work out in this space, but I will find a better use for it someday. I am holding onto the paint chip, after all.

Cool Lava by Behr. Awesome.

This whole rainbow palette might a little out there. Maybe you’re imagining that my house looks straight out of  Rainbow Brite, but I like to integrate all colors throughout all rooms to make the transition from room-to-room feel more cohesive, even when the walls are different colors.

I thought it might be helpful to show you how the colors balance out, and are working out. And I’m officially looking for a color-analyst to help me figure out what this specific combination says about my personality.

On the main floor, golds and greens rule the roost. White has been inserted as the more-neutral backdrop, covering the walls of the kitchen and unifying all of the trim. The four colors to the right side serve less-impacting roles, acting as decor accents and friendly pops of color. These are the four colors I tend to lean towards when I’m in home shopping mode or looking to refinish something with paint.

A refined rainbow palette of the first floor of my house. On the second floor, grayscale has been consistently ruling. More blues and whites appear between the guest room and office, but the decor throughout all rooms helps to tie the space together. The stairwell brings in heavy gold from the first floor; I love how the gray and that gold vibe together. And the hardwoods are consistent throughout (except with the need-to-be-replaced gray vinyl tiles in the bathroom).

An advanced upstairs palette. What’s your palette like and how have you seen it evolve with your tastes? Rainbow or not, I like seeing how others integrate the chosen palette throughout their house! Do share.

Share

Bathroom  / Bedrooms  / Decor  / Dining Room  / Entryway  / Flooring  / Kitchen  / Living Room  / Office Space  / Stairwell  / Sunroom

Emily
I'm a home improvement enthusiast living a very merry, DIY-filled lifestyle. As a freelance writer, you can find my work on many popular home and garden sites, including HGTV.com, Home Living Handbook, a Pursuit Channel for Men's Journal, and other outlets. Follow me on social, or drop me a note.

9 Comments


Cait @ Hernando House
October 14, 2011 at 9:36 am
Reply

Our color choices have definitely changed over the two years we’ve owned our house. We went bolder in some places, and more toned down in others. I think it stayed pretty cohesive, but at times I’m tempted to repaint the entire house a bit more like our exterior palette.



    Emily
    October 14, 2011 at 9:43 am

    It’s fun to think about mixing things up! Your exterior palette is great too. Sometimes I think about just going all white and letting the rainbow appear only in accessories, furniture, and decor. Maybe someday.

Katrina
October 14, 2011 at 11:26 am
Reply

Your colors go together nicely! When we first moved into our house, each room had its very own dizzying wallpaper and I didn’t like how disjointed the house felt. Unintentionally, I did start using the same colors in different rooms – at first because I was stretching furniture from a 1 bedroom apartment into a regular house and later because I realized that there are just certain colors I prefer to look at all day. There are shades of warm brown, with robin’s egg blue, leafy green, and even a darker version of cool lava on the ground floor and little pops of red in most of the rooms upstairs to offset the mostly blue/gray palette. Always a work in progress :)



    Emily
    October 14, 2011 at 12:37 pm

    I have lava-esque envy! And boy, I’m glad I didn’t have too much crazy wallpaper to deal with…

Kirsti @Living in Lovely LaLaLand
October 14, 2011 at 12:05 pm
Reply

Our current home has a lot of aqua, white, gray and pops of pink. But now that we’re moving I’m thinking we’ll change things up in the next place. My husband and I were discussing a more masculine palette of white, gray, black and deep turquoisey blue with shots of vibrant colors for our new place, but nothing is set in stone yet. We’ll see what happens I guess!



    Emily
    October 14, 2011 at 12:39 pm

    I’ll get on board with that more masculine palette – I’m always drawn to the cleanliness of white and gray with fresh colors when I see it shown in mags. When do you move?

Ashley@DesignBuildLove.co
October 17, 2011 at 11:42 pm
Reply

love the color palette and how it’s changed over time. We’re coming up on our 2 year home anniversary and while I LOVE all of our decor choices, there are some things that I wouldn’t mind changing here and there… LOL… it’s amazing how much you grow as a homeowner in just a little bit of time. ;)



    Emily
    October 18, 2011 at 8:19 am

    Thanks Ashley! Agreed that there are always things changing and evolving. I think part of it is that you acquire more and more, so it becomes like more layers in the same space. Very onion-y an analogy.

Ashley@DesignBuildLove.co
October 18, 2011 at 6:17 pm
Reply

so true! Layers = warmth and love… and onion layers!



Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • HI, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

    I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. Follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

    You can find me writing for Home Living Handbook, HGTV.com, and a handful of other websites.

    Thanks for visiting!

  • Instagram

    Merrypad // Emily Fazio

    merrypad

    I’ll always say yes to a maker space experience, I’ll always say yes to a maker space experience, and The Shed at @timberland’s HQ did not disappoint ✌️🥾 @homelivinghandbook 

Final footwear design not shown 🙂

PS tagging some cute shoes they gifted from the Fall 2024 collection!
    I made the call and snapped off the elephant garli I made the call and snapped off the elephant garlic scapes yesterday evening. Who’s going to help us harvest and eat the next 1,000? 🧄🧄🧄🧄
    Hi! Boy, do I have things to share. 🎉 🫶 Fr Hi! Boy, do I have things to share. 🎉 

🫶 Friendly reminder to focus on balance and wellness: Pete and I lived abroad with our family for the entire month of August 2023. If you ever have the opportunity to work remotely, I promise it to be a worthwhile adventure that’ll change your POV in so many ways. And, If you need an in with an incredible AirBnB in Denmark, DM me. From new playgrounds and museums to the culture and design, making this trip a reality continues to be something we celebrate every day, and I wish everyone can experience it on some level.

💻 Friendly reminder to say yes to new (overwhelming) opportunities: The professional celebration happened upon our return. Last fall, I was approached to launch @homelivinghandbook, a new Pursuit channel for @mensjournal that highlights home improvement and DIY! It has been really fun to see it come to light, and truly one of the most exciting partnerships I’ve ever had. Timing couldn’t have been better, and I’m really happy to see how it grows over time. Please follow along — the team published 150 articles in two months, covering all kinds topics for home enthusiasts! So much more to come. #linkinbio #homelivinghandbook

✌️ the end, many thanks for your support!
    How much garlic is too much garlic? Maybe we’ll How much garlic is too much garlic? Maybe we’ll find out in 2024. Finished planting 1,005 cloves (and 19 shallots) in three new beds at the farm, and crossed one huge chore off my list 📝 #gardennotes #garden2024
    Instagram post 18003690670970980 Instagram post 18003690670970980
    We grew these fools. We grew these fools.
    pumpkin patch is doing great✌️#year1 #squashbl pumpkin patch is doing great✌️#year1 #squashblossoms #pumpkinpatch
    Load More... follow emily: @merrypad



  • Like Us On Facebook

    Facebook Pagelike Widget






  • BROWSE POSTS BY CATEGORY:

    • Art Attack (7)
    • Backyard (92)
    • Barn (8)
    • Basement (27)
    • Bathroom (43)
    • Beach (13)
    • Bedrooms (73)
    • Being Thrifty (53)
    • Business-y (12)
    • Buying and Renting and Selling (23)
    • Casual Celebrations (36)
    • Closets (17)
    • Curb Appeal (44)
    • Dainty Details (8)
    • Deck (23)
    • Decor (286)
    • Dining Room (37)
    • DIY (578)
    • Dog-Related (24)
    • Entryway (59)
    • Flooring (58)
    • For the Kids (32)
    • Garage (17)
    • Gardening (70)
    • Helping The Economy (30)
    • HGTV + DIY Network Projects (283)
    • Holiday-Related Projects (80)
    • Home Safety (12)
    • Kitchen (87)
    • Lighting (31)
    • Living Room (77)
    • Merry Travels (21)
    • Office Space (21)
    • Organized (41)
    • Other Pads (14)
    • Outdoor Living (12)
    • Scooter Fun (8)
    • Stairwell (20)
    • Sunroom (22)
    • Supporting Sponsors (43)
    • The Art Room (3)
    • Tools (43)
    • Uncategorizable (1)
    • Wedding (28)
    • Windows (14)
    • Work-pads (10)





  • a little bit of everything, friends, DIY, and inspiration

    • Dadand.com < My husband and his BFF
    • HGTV
    • Home Living Handbook, a Pursuit Channel for Men's Journal
  • Some Legal

    Merrypad incorporates the occasional affiliate link to Amazon.com and Minted; we link to many other websites and products, but if it is in context of a paid sponsorship, it is always noted as such. Please review the privacy policy and contact me if you have any additional questions.

    Theme customized by Pete Fazio Creative, the guy from dadand.com.


© Copyright Merrypad