Color palette

One fun but challenging decision has hung over me since May – the selection of tile and wallpaper. Last night, we finally got it all decided. Here it is, the final color palette for the walls and tiles:

We have mostly grey-leaning earth tones with pops of color and texture for interest. No strong patterns on the walls (except for the terrazzo in the unit bath), but one pattern on a ceiling.

The sacred geometry filigree ceiling in the bedroom is a delightful, quirky, last-minute choice. The brown paper for the living room is made of diatomite – it’s scratchy and sandy – and will look great with the “mud color” tiles in the doma. The yellow pantry is a nod to my mother’s yellow kitchen in the 70s. Most of the house is papered in an off-white that is super scratch resistant; we’ve been referring to it as “cat scratch white.” I surprised myself with the choice of kitchen backsplash. It’s a long narrow tile in a pale grey. It suits the stainless countertop and the white cabinetry.

Here are some of the many losers:

I started with infinite choices (or so it felt) and narrowed them down by ordering 74 wallpaper samples and 15 tile samples, sticking them up in the house, shining lights of different color temperatures on them, and taking many photos of ultimately unsuccessful candidates. I built presentations and photoshopped my own simulations when I couldn’t get samples.

Friends weighed in on Facebook and IRL with useful input. Tod helped to finalise. We decided! I love our choices and I am happy to have this process finished.

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Mediatinker, Kristen McQuillin, is an American-born resident of Japan since 1998. This blog chronicles her life, projects, thoughts, and small adventures.