Have you ever gotten stuck trying to create a fresh and inspired color palette? To the point when you’re nearly frozen in thought? Whenever that happens to me, I’ll get up and go outdoors for a walk to gather some inspiration from nature. Except, of course, when there’s a snowmageddon outside, or when the monsoons have arrived with torrential rainstorms, so I’ll stay in the cozy indoors looking for color palette inspiration in other ways.
Like perusing through a stack of fabric samples or images in shelter magazines, online, or personal photographs of interiors that I’ve taken while touring model homes or showhouses, such as this den designed by Brian Patrick Flynn for the Southern Style Now New Orleans Showhouse.
This color palette of blue, brown, and white is really calming and appealing to me. I love the visual balance and organic feel in the neutrally colored space. It’s filled with eclectic furnishings, a variety of textures, and whimsical accents. There’s a very comfortable and cozy feeling throughout this space, too. Don’t mind that black and white alligator behind the potted fern though. He’s just chilling out in the cool color palette of the space.
There are times when I’ll end up staring out of a window, daydreaming about Mother Nature’s bountiful south Louisiana color palettes, and wondering how she’ll inspire me next. Maybe she’ll show me a neutral color palette with sepia, sand, or greige tones. Or, perhaps a lovely blue color palette with various shades of green and violet. Like in these organic blueberries we’d picked at Blue Harvest Farms, owned by Chris and Rachel Pinto. It’s absolutely one of my favorite places to pick colors, I mean, blueberries!
It’s the largest u-pick blueberries farm in St. Tammany Parish, and is only about a ten-minute drive from our home. So, when those organic blues are in season, we try to get over there during the morning time picks while there’s still a bit of shade and cool breeze in the air. A gravel road leads to the blueberry fields and the new Pick-it Pavillion, where buckets await the farm’s many visitors.
After we strapped on a couple of buckets, we headed into the lengthwise grain blues. OK, I was on a mission to find a fresh color palette and had fabric patterns on my mind. It was very calming walking through the blueberry fields, with the birds singing in the wooded area nearby.
I caught a glimpse of some bee hives off in the distance beyond the blueberry bushes. I hoped to pick up a couple of jars of honey before we left the farm. But first, there were blueberries to be picked. Lots and lots of farm fresh blueberries!
There were so many gorgemous blueberries on those bushes! And, they were really tasty, too! At least, that’s what the little children, like these sweet local girls, were telling their mamas a couple of rows over. I concurred with their youthful honesty by picking a sample or two myself, just to make sure. Kind of like taking a paint swatch or fabric sample, you know?
It didn’t take long for us to fill our buckets with Premier blueberries, Brightwell blueberries, Climax blueberries, or Powder Blue blueberries organically grown on the farm. Even though there was a pleasant ever-so-slight breeze blowing through the beautiful blues when we first arrived, it started warming up quickly. And, when we overheard the little children asking their mamas if it was time to go to the swimming pool, we headed to the check-out counter with our nearly filled buckets.
As soon as we stepped up to the counter, I noticed some lovely pottery pieces that Rachel handmade in her pottery studio that’s adjacent to their stunning custom-built house sited within the farm. I spotted a small bowl having a nature inspired color palette that was calling my name. I picked it up, along with two jars of liquid gold (aka, raw and unfiltered honey) harvested from the resident laborers (aka, honeybees) who keep themselves busy tending to the blueberry fields! Just so you know, these came home with us, too!
We had quite a few blueberries after our pick, so I set them out on crawfish trays to rest for 24 hours before separating them into multiple storage bags to put in the freezer. And I put aside a couple cups in a vintage colander to make a fresh berry galette.
While I was looking through some of my cookbooks for a recipe, I started to think about creating a blue color palette with subtle shades of green and violet accents in a neutrally colored space. Yep, I’d say a little nature inspired walk through those blueberry fields was just what I needed.
So, if you’re in search of a little color palette inspiration, or if you would like to shop the look of the Den in the Showhouse images above, I’ve put together a collage and a helpful round-up list from various sources for you to peruse at your leisure and to consider for your own place. Some items are customizable, while others have color palette options for you to pick your own finishes.
Shop the Look with an ‘Organic Blues’ Color Palette:
(just an fyi y’all…some links on this site are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may get a small commission if you make a purchase):
Furniture:
- English arm Sofa with upholstery in blue color
- Club Chair with fabric in ecru color
- Customizable French Chair (pick your own fabric color palette)
- Round End Table with wood top on textured steel base
- Coffee Table in whitewash finish
- Side Table in whitewash finish
Wallcovering:
- Grasscloth Wallpaper in eggshell/cream color
Fabrics:
- Drapery Fabric in indigo blue color
- Pillow with geometric pattern in blue and white color palette
- Pillow with pinstripe pattern in indigo blue color
- Pillow with abstract pattern in periwinkle and neutral color palette
- Pillow with chevron ikat pattern in navy blue color
- Pillow with ink blot ikat pattern in shades of blue against white
Rugs:
- Natural Cowhide Rug in brown and white
- Hand-woven Area Rug in white/cream color
Lighting:
- Crystal Teardrop Chandelier with vibrant bronze finish
- Pharmacy Floor Lamp with vintage brass finish
- Table Lamp in cream with brown and antique brass
Wall Décor:
- French Mirror reproduction with frame in gold finish
- Original Art by Camille Barnes – fine art oil painting with gilded finish
- Original Art by Ryan Tramonte – watercolor on paper in blue color palette
- Original Art by Casey Langteau – customizable pelican painting
- Framed Textured Print on canvas with hummingbird in oyster shell color
- Oyster Plates by Amanda C. Bee – customizable color palette, made to order
- Embroidery Hoop Art – dandelion pattern on white tulle fabric
Accessories:
- Tea Cups and Saucers in blue and white
- Drinkware Tumblers in mouthblown glass
- Handcrafted Blue Floral Bone Inlay Tray
- Vintage Olive Harvest Bucket in galvanized metal
- Vintage Cachepots in wrought iron with rusty black finish
- Faux Fiddleleaf Fig Tree with concrete finish planter
We had a wonderful time at Blue Harvest Farms picking our own blueberries. And, it was fun gathering inspiration for a fresh color palette from nature, too. What inspires you for a color palette? Do Tell!
XO,
Trisha
P.S. The third annual Southern Style Now Festival is in Charleston, South Carolina, during November. Keep up with the news and details at this link for it and Traditional Home’s showhouse tour dates.
Disclosure Note: This is not a sponsored post. The opinions are completely my own and based on my own experience. This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience and to assist with the maintenance of this site.
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