5 Stunning European Color Palettes For Your Next Home Project
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When I first moved to Germany two and a half years ago, I was shocked to realize just how colorful Europe is. Streets are lined with buildings painted in a plethora of colors, but yet they seamlessly flow from one to the next. Accent colored shutters, doors, trim and flowers highlight the facades in a beautiful and timeless way that both brings interest and continuity despite the variety of color. After traveling throughout Europe though, I have come to see a few color combinations (or variations of them) which are regularly repeated. Whether in northern UK or southern Italy, eastern Hungary, western France, or Germany right in the center, many color palettes are repeated with slightly varying tones and accents. Seeing this, I thought I might make a compilation of some of my favorite and most seen European color palettes to share with you all so that you too might be inspired by European dwellings and perhaps even integrate a bit of history in your next home project.
Paints Of Farrow & Ball
I have come to have a deep love for the paint colors of Farrow & Ball. Created in the UK, Farrow & Ball’s paint line has a rich offering of historically inspired colors which feel layered with thought, depth and beauty While Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, PPG, Behr and many other companies have beautiful colors as well, I have primarily used Farrow & Ball within these palettes as many of their colors suit the slightly aged tones seen on these facades. Similarly, with a more select group of product offerings, Farrow & Ball provides an easier launching point to start from in this post as opposed to searching through thousands of other paints. Due to their unique paint formulation process, the paints of Farrow & Ball cannot be matched exactly, however many paint manufacturers can replicate a color in a similar ballpark. If through this post (or others online), you fall in love with one of these colors and would like it produced at a local paint dealer, I would recommend ordering a sample from Farrow & Ball and painting a color swatch which can then be matched at a local store. Of course, paint colors do not display the same in person as they do on a screen and even can differ room to room depending on the lighting, so I would definitely recommend gathering a few swatches to test in your space before ordering a large amount.
Sunny & Cheerful : European Inspired Yellow Color PaletteÂ
.01 – Hay No. 37 | .02 – Lime White No. 1 | .03 – Blue Gray No. 91 | .04 – Oval Room Blue No. 85 | .05 – Beverly No. 310 | .06 – Sudbury Yellow No. 51 | .07 – Dorset Cream No. 68
This first palette to mention is one that is both sunny, cheerful and seen widely throughout Europe highlighting yellow. Whether using a dark yellow as the main body color with lighter yellow trim or a lighter yellow base with soft white trim, buildings frequently highlight this cheerful color as it ages well, hides wear and tear fairly easily and inspires happy thoughts of sun filled days. Often, yellow facades can be accented with shutters, doors, or aged metals in subtle blue grays, bright blue or rich green colors. If bringing this palette inside, you could keep the bolder color (.01 or .06) as the predominate focus of a room, the lighter color (.02 or .07) as the trim or secondary focus and the accent color (.03 or .04 or .05) as a pop of furniture, cupboard, tile, textile, pillow etc. as the final cherry on top for a bit of interest.Â
Aged & Unexpected : European Inspired Copper Color Palette
.01 – Dimity No. 2008 | .02 – Red Earth No. 64 | .03 – Teresa’s Green No. 236 | .04 – Card Room Green No. 79 | .05 – Green Smoke No. 47 | .06 – Oxford Stone No. 264 | .07 – Fox Red No. 48
This next palette is inspired by the aged and unexpected blend of materials throughout buildings. Often in older buildings, stone (of varying colors) is blended with tiles and metal. This blend can particularly be seen in relation to churches which have stone walls, terracotta tiled roofs and aged copper spires that have patinated to a bold turquoise green. To capture this unexpected palette, begin with a neutral primary color such as Farrow & Ball’s Dimity No.2008 or Oxford Stone No. 264 before adding in a fun terracotta color and accenting a pop of green as subtle or rich as you like. Whether you want to take this combination in a more moody direction with deeper tones or a light and punchy direction with Teresa’s Green No.236 and Fox Red No.48, you will be able to recreate a fun, yet timeless color combination full of unexpected interest.
Unapologetically Bold : European Inspired Red Color Palette
.01 – Shadow White No. 282 | .02 – Worsted No. 284 | .03 – Mahogany No.36 | .04 – Picture Gallery Red No. 42 | .05 – Mole’s Breath No. 276 | .06 – Joa’s White No. 226 | .07 – Etruscan Red No. 56
Keeping in the red family, we have an unapologetically bold color palette highlighting bright reds and deep maroons contrasted with rich gray and cream tones. Often seen on medieval half timbered homes or within tiled church floors, striking red, gray and cream colors are used in variation with one another. Most often, the cream color is the primary background with varying tones of red, gray, taupe or deep maroon like colors used as the highlights. Whether bringing in this palette through bold cabinetry and trim or tile patterns like seen in these examples, you certainly can invoke a feeling of both historical richness and modern sophistication all at once with these color options.
Soft & Sweet : European Inspired Pink Color Palette
.01 – Setting Plaster No. 231 | .02 – School House White No. 291 | .03 – Charleston Gray No. 243 | .04 – Brinjal No. 222 | .05 – London Clay No. 244 | .06 – Naperon No. 315 | .07 – Templeton Pink No. 303
On a softer note, let’s highlight pink! Just behind yellow, pink was the color in which I was most surprised to see incorporated into European facades so often. But yet, buildings from the coast to downtown city centers feature bright pink tones. Much like the yellow palette above, the pink palettes normally lean in one of two directions: lighter pink with soft cream trim or bold pink with subtle pink trim. For either option though, bronze, plum and taupe tones are used as color accents through roof details, metal adornments and wood features. Adding in a rich plum or bronze statement piece within a light and bright pink space helps to ground the design in a thoughtful way that gives a room an unhurried and lived in feeling.
Drama With A Twist : European Inspired Teal Color Palette
.01 – Inchyra Blue No. 289 | .02 – Marmelo No. 316 | .03 – Shaded White No. 201 | .04 – Paean Black No. 294 | .05 – London Clay No. 244 | .06 – Douter No. 318 | .07 – Duster No. 319
Lastly but certainly not least, we have a dramatic teal color palette that unexpectedly highlights slightly muddied warm colors paired with rich, bronzy tones. If the yellow color palette embodied Spring, the copper palette is Summer and the red is Winter, this teal palette would without a doubt embody Fall. With a strong deep teal (either more blue with Inchrya Blue No.289 or green with Douter No.318) as the base, you can decide whether to add in more colorful spice tones or more muted plum and chocolate tones. For either option though, you can be sure to have a rich and soulful design that will be sure to add drama with a twist.
Final Thoughts
Exploring Europe’s unique designs, winding streets and unusual architecture has been one of my favorite aspects while living abroad and certainly, finding continuities that can be easily applied in design schemes elsewhere is a treat. Despite many of these unexpected color combinations, they bring a real richness, depth and unique contrast that makes their use quite striking. Taking a chance on color through paint or decor is such a simple way to totally change your design aesthetic without major investment or entire renovations, though these colors definitely fit more permanent installations as well as exhibited through the many tiled floors, roofs and facades which fully embraced a colorful experience. But I would love to know! Do you have a favorite historical color palette you’d like to incorporate into your space? Let me know in the comment section below and be sure to save this post for your next home project!
Happy designing!
