We’re considering a departure from the soft, subtle, beach-inspired palette that has defined our current home, and moving toward a more moody, sophisticated look for the new house. It’s an exciting shift: riskier, richer, and layered with deeper tones and lush textures. Of course, we’re realistic about the process—often a color direction reveals itself through trial and error, and we’re not strangers to touching up paint or repainting rooms until we get the balance just right. We’ll share the outtakes and the do-overs along the way, because that’s part of the design process for us.
We haven’t pulled paint swatches yet, but there are a number of hues we’re seriously considering. At the moment we’re drawn to eggplant, soft lavender-pink, slate blue, light gray, avocado green, saturated teal, muddy blue-gray, navy, emerald, artichoke green, chocolate brown, and light khaki. These won’t all be wall colors—many will appear in textiles, upholstery, curtains, rugs, art, and accessories. The idea is to layer these richer tones throughout the house so the palette feels cohesive without becoming repetitive. We still plan to introduce pops of other accent colors across a wider tonal range to keep rooms dynamic and unexpected.
Our aim is to retain a semi-airy, natural foundation—because that’s the aesthetic we truly love—but to amplify contrast, saturation, and texture. Adding bolder colors and more varied fabrics will create depth and visual interest while preserving an overall sense of warmth and comfort. We’re imagining printed, saturated, floor-length drapes replacing our breezy white panels in most rooms, a plush and upholstered headboard in the master bedroom, and even select wallpaper for added pattern and character. A darker sectional is on the wishlist too, a contrast to the light slipcovered sofas we typically use. It would be a practical and cozy centerpiece where the whole family can gather—plus selling the old sofas locally will help fund the upgrade.
We’re also toying with repainting some of our white pedestal tables and the double desk in more dramatic, smoky shades. A few furniture pieces painted deeper tones could act as anchors in light-filled rooms, giving the spaces a grounded, sophisticated feel without overwhelming the airy base. In addition to new paint treatments, we plan to introduce new rugs, art, and fabrics to create layers of texture—woven throws, velvet cushions, handwoven rugs, and mixed-material accents that invite touch and create a lived-in, curated look.
To help visualize these ideas we put together several mood boards for the new house. These mood boards explore combinations of saturated colors and natural elements—think painted wood, warm metals, stone, and layered textiles—that work together to create a cohesive, moody-yet-inviting home. We’ll share specific paint colors and sources as we test swatches and start applying paint. We’re also considering a different bed design and plan to build a custom frame and DIY headboard, which should tie beautifully into the new palette and textiles.
We’d love to hear what color trends you’re drawn to lately. Are you feeling a move away from light tans and mochas toward soft grays, artichoke greens, slate blues, and deeper gray-green tones? Or are you leaning the opposite direction—embracing breezy, light hues and more understated contrasts? Color is endlessly fun to discuss and experiment with, and swapping ideas is often how new, unexpected combinations are discovered. For us, it’s tied up with personal taste and practical needs: lighting in each room, the scale of furniture, and how we want spaces to feel at different times of day.
At the end of the day, this is a process of discovery. We’ll try, step back, tweak, and paint again if needed until the new house feels like home—moody and sophisticated, but still warm, natural, and welcoming. We can’t wait to share the progress and the final choices with you as we go.