Are you ready to redecorate your home? One of the most challenging, and most fun, aspects of your planning is choosing the right mix and balance of colors.

If you’re having trouble deciding on a color palette for a room, how about starting with totally unrelated photos? Browse through some photos you like. They can be close-ups of nature like the one here, or landscapes in any season.

Let’s take a look at how a room looks that uses the colors in the photo above. This inviting mix of browns and neutrals has the potential to translate into a warm room in natural tones.

Let’s start with the flooring, the best foundation for any room’s design. As you can see the mid-range wood floor here pulls its color from the shell at the front of the photo. The walls pick up the shell’s lighter tones with the brown wrapping the windows and doors just like it wraps around the shell’s spiral pattern.

For the sofa color, check out the shell toward the back of the beach photo. That rich caramel is a very close match. The area rug captures all the shades of gray that are reflected by the stones in the photo.

The beach shot also has a variety of dark and light tones, and these can be seen in the accessories. By drawing on the colors and mood of a photo, this homeowner was able to create a room with a natural feel in soft warm neutrals. Whatever your color preferences, take the time to find just the right image for inspiration as you design your own home.