Start by selecting three small samples to place on your surface: a neutral piece, a small color you already have in your space, and a small accent color that you like. They can be any small piece of material, such as a fabric swatch, a square of painted paper, a cord sample, or a small cardstock piece. This small group is all you need to begin a home decor project without having to create the piece in every color available.
An attractive home decor palette does not have to be a bold one; it simply needs to help your handmade piece fit into the room. Consider the wall color, floor tone, nearby furniture, or curtains, and even the color in cushions, trays, and objects on a shelf or mantel. This room can be a source of a neutral color in your palette: think of a warm beige, soft gray, off-white, cream, brown, white, black, or a faded wood color. If your neutral color relates to that of the surrounding room, the resulting wall hanging, tabletop piece, or shelf accent usually feels more peaceful.
You also want a second color in your palette to complement, not distract from, the space. This can be anything from the color of a plant in a neighboring plant stand, a dusty blue on a pillow, a warm terracotta on a vase, or a pale yellow from a nearby framed piece of artwork. Use this second color sparingly, but still visibly. For example, use a strip of fabric, a painted backing panel, a few paper shapes, or a section of cord wrapped in the color. If each color on the piece is a strong and vibrant color, it is hard to read the focal point.
For your accent color, you will want to use it more sparingly than the other two. Beginners often think an accent color means “bright colors everywhere,” but actually, the less of this color on the piece, the better. Consider placing this color into just one repeated motif: a few small knots, just a bit of the edge, a small painted element, a strand of thread, or even a single dried flower. Step away from your palette and see where your eye is attracted; if the accent color is everywhere on the piece, it might not be clear where the focal point should be.
Test your colors under the actual lighting in the room. A color can look muted in the light of a desk lamp, yet become too gray or harsh under the lighting at other times. Before gluing or cutting or tying final materials together, take all the sample pieces into the room where the project will ultimately be used and let them sit for a few minutes to observe their colors with the actual space and lighting. Be sure to examine them not only in your hand but against a nearby wall, a shelving unit, or even the table that will ultimately be used for displaying the finished piece. Matte paper, woven textures, acrylic paint, cord, and dried plant elements all look slightly different depending on the color of the backdrop on which they are seen.
Pay attention to the surface on which you are looking at your colors. A painted surface will often look the cleanest, yet a textured material such as a woven fabric can soften the color, while a twine string, knots made of macrame cord, or even dried plant pieces can have a darker, more saturated color due to the shadow, or even variations in the material itself. When creating the palette, be sure to look not only at the color of the samples, but also the surface texture; it is possible that the neutral color can be a strong, textured piece, thus, allowing the accent color to remain very tiny.
Once you are done with your palette, take one of the colors off the table and look again. If the idea now appears more peaceful or easier to read, that color might be redundant and therefore unnecessary. The best palette to begin with is one that gives you fewer options and thus fewer decisions to make when assembling the piece: which material becomes the base color, which color helps complement the room, and where your accent color will fit into the design. Having these decisions made can simplify all the measuring, cutting, gluing, overlapping, and finishing steps involved.