Apologies to all my American readers. There will be plenty of superfluous vowels in today’s post because it’s time to talk colour.
In my version of the question, black and white will be considered colours even though, technically, they are not.
I also realize colour preferences can be heavily dependent on context. For example, the colour I would look for in a sweater may not overlap with the colours I’d want to paint the exterior of my house or fingernails. These Top/Bottom discussions are never an exact science, so I went with my gut.
The stakes are low – let’s have fun with it!
TOP FIVE
In no particular order.
- Plum. I love a deep, rich purple. I like this colour for clothes. I’d wear it on my fingernails, but it’s unlikely I’d ever paint my bedroom wall this colour. It feels very cozy and warm.
- Grey(ish). I like dark metallics that have a hint of texture to them. I also like warm greys that border on greige. My favourite neutral paint colour is Pale Oak by Benjamin Moore which is a mix of grey and cream. We’re slowly painting the interior of our house this colour.
- Forest green. I like this colour for sweaters (slightly darker than the Pantone swatch above). I can’t think of another context where I’d opt for forest green (maybe camping or other outdoor equipment)? But it serves its fashion purpose well enough that I’m putting it in my Top 5. Remember, I’m going with my gut here…
- Teal. I enjoy this colour but wouldn’t use it for many things. My Yeti is teal, and our daughter painted one wall in her room Tropical Pool which is bright, but very fun!
- Black. For clothes; it’s classic for a reason.
Bonus: This isn’t a specific colour, but I also tend to gravitate toward natural wood tones. And, more generally, rich, dark tones or light, airy pastels. I love the aesthetic of white but I’m too messy to own white clothes or have white furniture. Bright colours are a hard pass…
BOTTOM FIVE
Anything that is neon-adjacent or resembles the colour of any bodily secretion is a firm No.
- Yellow. Yellow is okay in small doses. For example, as part of an accent pillow, or for the petals of a sunflower painting on the wall. It has the potential to look cheery on a front door (though I’d likely never paint my own door that colour), but for a car or fingernail? Nope. And forget about clothes. I look like a walking corpse in yellow.
- Hot pink. Really the only pink I tolerate well is a pale pink that could basically double as cream.
- Lime green. Just…no.
- Orange. I feel like orange is a popular colour and I’m utterly perplexed. It makes me think of Halloween and it always comes across as garish to me. But a dear friend loves orange, so I don’t discriminate based on colour preferences. Though it does make me wonder about her…
- Brown. Outside of footwear (and only specific tones), I’m not a fan. It’s boring and, let’s be honest, many shades look like the contents of a diaper…
Bonus: Bright blue. A very pale blue is fine; navy clothes can be lovely. But bright blue? Yikes! I’m also not a huge fan of bright red, though I think it can look fabulous on other people.
Your turn. Top/bottom colours. How often do you making purchasing decisions based on colour? Do you spell it gray or grey? If you could only wear one colour for the rest of your life – EXCLUDING black, navy, white or grey – what colour would you choose?
Header photo by Thomas Despeyroux on Unsplash
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Michelle G.
I am SO HERE for a talk about color! I shall even spell it colour just for you! My colour profile is autumn. I love turquoise, teal, deep blue, browns, and greens. I love a dirty, spiced orange, a deep mustard yellow, a swampy green, and all things neutral. I’ll pass on neons. I love your daughter’s Tropical Pool wall. I’m also obsessed with names for colours! Well, my spell checker has about died from all these u’s, so I’d better sign off! 😂Thank you for this lovely, light-hearted post!
Elisabeth
Michelle, your liberal use of “u” has made my day 🙂
mbmom11
I love forest green (wearing it now!), purples, gray , dark blue, fuchsia.
I like pale yellow , pink, electric blue, teal.
I do not like bright red, vermillion, mustard yellow, pale blue, chartreuse.
I thought teal was darker- I’d call that colour turquoise, but then again, I am not an artist or a decorator.
I like wood tones and cool colors, mostly, with a bright pop of fun for contrast.
Elisabeth
I’m wearing a pale pink (cream almost) sweater right now; so fun you’re in forest green.
Chartreuse hurts my eyes!
Agreed about colour for contrast. I think I play around with patterns more than colours. So I wear a lot of dresses that are quick fun and floral, but they still tend to be in colours that I am drawn to.
I’m envious of people that accessorize well with bright things. I like them on someone else, just not me!
Cattis
My favourite clothing item is a yellow dress, I always look for colour when shopping for clothes. I prefer mustard yellow, yellow, red, strong pink, burgundy but also cornflower blue. I only have one green hand knitted sweater my MIL made me and it’s in forrest green. Not exactly the lovely shade you had here. I also love patterns on clothing, I really struggled until I realized grey (or grå in swedish)/ beige/ brown/ black/ don’t have to be the base in my wardrobe. Now they’re more like the sideshow to my main pieces that’s either colorful or patterned or both 😆
My favourite colour is actually navy blue but if I only could use one colour I guess I would go with yellow 💛
Elisabeth
I’d love to see a picture of that dress! I think my issue is skin tone; I am verrryy pale, and so yellow makes me look quite jaundiced and/or more washed out.
I had to look up cornflower blue – I wasn’t exactly sure what shade that was! It feels very country chic to me!
I tend more toward patterned clothes (if I’m trying to add interest to an outfit) in my go-to colour palates.
Kyria @ Travel Spot
I would guess that at least 75% of my clothes are black most of the time, although I do like a pop of color on top and my old works shirts were blue and red mostly (when they were not black). For home colors, a friend of mine actually had an orange kitchen that I really liked, and she did a greyish purple accent wall (I guess I spell it GREY) in her bedroom that was quite tasteful. I never would think to paint a wall orange or purple personally.
I actually have an orange dress that doesn’t look horrible on me, but yellow is DEFINITELY not my color! Pink is probably one of my least “me” colors, but it does look good on me (says I) so I do sometimes wear it as a shirt, but I have never worn pink pants or a dress. Speaking of, your hot pink jacket is pink!! I have also been known to buy whatever is on sale, so do own an orange laptop and have many pairs of pink running shoes, so many that some people may actually think I like pink!
Elisabeth
Fair enough – that coat is VERY pink. Thanks for reminding me. And I really like that coat. It’s fun and quite surprising for me, I think? So maybe I like that because it takes people by surprise. Also…it’s VERY easy to spot me in a crowd 🙂
Elisabeth
I’ve had a lot of pink running shoes, too. I feel like they don’t look as dingy with crusher dust and other trail debris as quickly as some other colours!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
What a fun Top 5 Bottom 5. I think I need to steal this.
Well, good thing you don’t discriminate against other color choices because we would have stuff to discuss.
Hit pink would probably be in my top 5. I have clothes, nail polish, jewelry in hot pink…
I can agree with most off the other in your bottom list. But my tops would include blues – obviously.
Elisabeth
I love that we all have different preferences because it means we’re exposed to the entire rainbow. If we all liked the same colours, think how dull the world would be (or, overly bright, I suppose!)
Jenny
First off- I disagree with MBMOM11- that is definitely teal! I think of teal as being a little more green-ish, and turquoise as being more blue-ish. Anyway- we have similar color preferences. As a matter of fact, everyone in our family has a similar color palette when it comes to clothing. I always hate the color themed days at school, i.e. “wear orange” day, or better yet, when every grade is supposed to wear a different color- I swear my kids’ year is always brown or yellow, or green (who chooses these things?) Last year for the band picnic, all freshmen were supposed to wear YELLOW, ARG! We literally don’t have one yellow shirt in the house. You’ll be happy to know that I’ve made good use of the Goodwill store in these situations.
I love the Pale Oak for the inside of your house!
Elisabeth
Ally had a quiz a few weeks ago about how people process colours and the main thing they were tracking was how you rated greens and blues and different people see teal/turquoise quite differently. It was fascinating!
I hate any themed day at school and can I admit that we basically never do them. The kids aren’t into it and rarely ask to participate, so we just…don’t. Except PJ day. They love that. But crazy hair day or backwards day. Meh. They don’t care and I’m assuming lots of other kids don’t care so they aren’t alone in just showing up as normal.
Yellow. For band? That seems like such an odd choice for band. When I was in a little private Christian school we had to have a pale yellow top and it drove my mom crazy. There weren’t assigned uniforms, you had to buy the clothes yourself. Finding a pale yellow shirt is no easy task (and at one point all four of her kids were in that school). “Why couldn’t they have picked white or navy?” she was forever asking.
I love Pale Oak. It is such a warm, neutral, goes-with-anything colour. It also looks very different in different lights, but I like that our living room (the main spot we currently have it) changes during the day. In mid-day light it looks creamy; later in the day it can look almost like a light coffee.
Jean C
Love Benjamin Moore’s “Revere Pewter” paint color as it is a neutral that goes with most anything and has saved me from paint color paralysis. (I read about it in a random decorating magazine someone left behind).
Also, lime green and purple is a pretty combination that I would never imagined would work well together (for styling clothing or accessories).
I love yellow but it doesn’t love me.
Elisabeth
It’s interesting how much skin tone/eye colour and maybe even face shape impacts how certain things look. I feel like some clothes look fine on me in the summer when I have a bit of a tan, but in the winter I go so, so light and a lot of colours can make me look quite sickly.
I know I’ve heard that name before! I have spent so much time looking through BM’s paint colours. The whites are the most overwhelming. We did Dove White for the non-accent walls in our daughter’s room and I like that. To be fair, in any white I prefer yellow undertones. Definitely all about the cream.
Central Calif Artist Jana
Have you ever had your colors “done”? I did this in the ’80s and still rely on my swatches so that I can make many outfits with various pieces. It certainly simplified things for me.
I love talking about color but our electricity is scheduled to go out in 15 minutes for the entire day. Again. Sigh.
Elisabeth
An entire day without electricity; how frustrating. It’s funny how when it’s all you know/what you expect it’s okay (every summer I spent 3 weeks off-grid at a cottage so it never felt like a big deal because it was expected), but now I’m in a tither if the lights even flicker!
I’ve never had my colours done, but I know that I look best in deep, rich colours for sure!
Lisa’s Yarns
I don’t think of that blue in the tops as teel – I would describe it as more aqua? Color is kind of subjective.
My top would be navy, black, red, and plum. My bottom would be yellow, orange, and green.
It would be hard to pick one color that isn’t a neutral to wear going forward. I guess I would say red but I think it would get old fast!!
Elisabeth
I think I’d pick a rich plum for a go-to colour that wasn’t black, white, grey or navy. I feel like it’s a colour that can be dressed up/down well, doesn’t show stains easily. I guess it’s not great for summer weather (it screams fall and winter vibes). Thankfully, no one is forcing me to pick one colour!
Lindsay
Oh, I love this!
Top 5: most every shade of purple (violet, grape, plum); mossy and forest greens; teal but not for clothes; silver grey; night sky black / blue
Bottom 5 (I could almost say anything too bright?): yellow; orange; pink; white (I’m so pale I disappear); light blue (pastels are not my thing)
Elisabeth
Purple is my favourite colour, especially dark/plum varities. I’m with you on the bright colours (though Kyria pointed out I own a bright pink coat that I love). So I guess occasional pops of colour I’m okay with?!
Jessica
I love all things pink! When I was younger, 20’s and probably pushing into my 30’s, most of my wardrobe was pink including a lovely pink pea coat I had. My towels and bedding were all pink until I got married and my wedding shoes were hot pink. I’m not even a girly girl but I just love pink. I’ve toned it down as I’ve aged but still have a pair of pink Converse that I rock one in a while. Rounding out my top 5 would be deep shades of purples, navy blue, teal, and cream.
My bottom 5: bright red, orange, any yellow shade, light oak, and emerald green. Unfortunately, my house is filled with light oak woodwork and when we moved in painted a lot of emerald green. I think it was the style in the mid 90’s. We’ve painted over most of the emerald green but the light oak is solid and good quality so probably here to stay.
Elisabeth
I love that you have a signature colour! It clearly brings you a lot of joy and I love that you incorporated it into your wedding.
Shelly
I love plum. Coventry grey is what I did for my house in well lit areas. For a darker room I choose a lighter grey from that grey scale which worked great. I like blush instead of a full pink. Also black and white.
This is my clothing besides the paint colour.
I love yellow flowers but alas it is not a colour I can wear. My least favourite is also neon and browns.
Elisabeth
Plum is such a lovely colour. Agreed about blush!
Ernie
Bodily excrement made me chuckle. I dislike yellow. And I agree with you 100% on orange. My fav colors are blues and greens. I’m not a big fan of red. I like hot pink in the summer when I’m tan. If I could only wear one color forever? I guess I’d choose shades of green. Dark green in winter and lighter in summer.
Elisabeth
I agree that the colours I choose depend on the time of year – not only because of the weather but also because my skin tone is so different in the summer vs. winter!
Melissa
I like blue, green and red. I have developed a bit of an obsession with green and often buy clothes in green if I see them. Red also really suits me. The cocktail dress I had when I was at university was a bright red, but I don’t have much red in my wardrobe at the moment. I cannot wear yellow; I also stay away from orange. In our house, we have blue in our bedroom and green accents in our living room.
Elisabeth
I think it’s fun – and helpful – to have a go-to colour. It makes shopping a lot easier.
A red cocktail dress sounds fabulous!
Tammy
We had a joke when my daughters were little. They would ask, “What is your favorite color today?” and every day I would give a different answer. So I don’t think I could pick my top 5 and am quite impressed that you were able to decide! There are some colors I just don’t like including maroon, navy blue, and deep forest green. One thing I’ve found interesting is that there are colors that I used to dislike and now I adore them? For example… mustard yellow. This was a fun post!
Elisabeth
When my kids were younger I used to do a birthday questionnaire every year asking things like favourite song, closest friend…and favourite colour. And it changed every single year! I feel like I fluctuate even as an adult. There are certain seasons of life where I gravitate toward different aesthetics.
sustainablemum
My house is painted orange and my car is also orange ;), I have bright yellow walls in my bedroom but I would never wear that colour, ever like you it looks awful on me.
I agree with others who have commented that the colour swatch for Teal above is not what I would describe it as, it is not green enough, I would describe it as Aqua or Cyan.
I don’t own any black clothing, another colour which I don’t think suits me, I wear blues, navy, pinks, purples and greens. I love the green in your swatches and I too have a jumper in that colour.
My top and bottom five colours for clothing would be completely different to those that I would want in the house for walls/soft furnishings etc.
Elisabeth
Belle wanted bright yellow walls, but I’m glad she settled on a teal colour! But I know lots of people loving having bright walls. Maybe if I tried it I’d love it?
sustainablemum
Colour is such a personal thing, even down to how we perceive each shade. All the walls in our house are painted in strong colours, it is what I need to bring my house alive, to make it feel home. I couldn’t live in a house with pale walls, especially white, which I find particularly jarring, but I know folks who find white/pale walls soothing. We have to do what works for us don’t we, I wouldn’t go for yellow walls if it doesn’t work for you.
Elisabeth
Absolutely! I’m fascinated by how different we can be with aesthetic preferences but it’s really what makes the world vibrant and exciting! I am definitely a “pale wall” kind of girl!
Sara
Ummm. My entire condo that was the first place I ever owned and loved and brought the boys home to…was painted in Pale Oak. The knowledge that you love it too makes me nostalgic and happy.
Elisabeth
Sara, this makes me so unbelievably happy. We are kindred spirits, right down to paint colours <3
San
You and I would make a great team… my color palette completely aligns with yours, my favorite colors are plum, teal, grey and black! 🙂
I am also not a fan of orange or brown or bright *anything*.
Elisabeth
Wow – we really are very similar with our colour choices!!
Suz
Top/bottom colours. How often do you making purchasing decisions based on colour? Do you spell it gray or grey? If you could only wear one colour for the rest of your life – EXCLUDING black, navy, white or grey – what colour would you choose?
Your bottom colors are about the same as mine; I don’t love fluorescent-overly bright colors.
The Pale Oak is going to be lovely on your home!
I wear a lot of black and Navy. Not together, but you know. I also love beige and white, together. I find it to be a soft, moody feeling.
It’s Gray because America. (Grey in Europe) 🤣
Elisabeth
I think our colours overlap significantly. In terms of decor I’m all about neutrals with pops of colour (NOT the other way around). I find it so much more calming, but I think it’s wonderful others enjoy bright colour. It takes all kinds to make the world an interesting place <3