Back in 2011, Pinterest was still in the beta stage and the visually driven social media platform was available to new users by invitation only. I was invited by a friend, instantaneously became addicted, lured other friends down the rabbit hole and wrote about the platform for the Houston Chronicle, mostly for the selfish purpose of getting more pinners to join me in my obsession — er, the fun. What a difference a decade makes. According to Statista.com, “as of the third quarter of 2020, Pinterest had 442 million monthly active users worldwide” and NetImperative.com reported that it is “secretly the fastest growing platform in revenue.” This isn’t surprising for those of us who were using it back when it was still more of an idea space for creatives, whereas cut to the past few years when the feed has transformed from primarily friends irl and those users have made on the platform, to a deluge from brands and marketers. The evolution mirrors Instagram in that regard, but with less influencer vibes. Meanwhile, I’m over here still using it the way I always have, which is to build mood boards for fashion and product spreads for work, as well as for my own home design, costuming and other creative projects. Enter my newest obsession on the subject: My Home Color Palette.
As I’ve written in past posts, my décor vibe is midcentury modern and my home color palette inspiration is my Fiestaware collection. While I tend toward neutrals for the “base” of my interior furnishings and case goods — for example my couch is gray and the tables, cabinets and so forth are natural woods — accessories in my chosen palette are a place where pops of color come into play. Choosing a color palette has enabled me to eliminate unnecessary — and sometimes unfortunate — purchases and has simplified my decorating process. If it’s not in the color palette, I don’t need or want it. To some this might sound limiting, but I find it liberating. I’m able to focus my attention on refining and tweaking, as opposed to going back to the drawing board every time I want to freshen the décor, replace a piece or make a new acquisition. As the acronym states: KISS — keep it simple, silly.
So, in that spirit I’m keeping it simple today with this quick post to suggest hopping on Pinterest if you’ve ignored your boards for ages or, if you aren’t already a user, signing up, and creating a mood board highlighting your home color palette. Pull it up in your browser, the app or via a screen shot when you are out shopping or shopping online as a handy reference to stay on track with your color theme. #SorryNotSorry if you end up addicted to Pinterest like me. Don’t say I didn’t warn you at the top of this post. Happy pinning!
