Do you really like neturals because they match with everything, but sometimes you just really want to play with different colors yet not sure if they go well together? I agonize all the time! Does pink and green work as a combo? Maybe a lighter shade of green? Is it too much if I also add some yellow? Do I need to add some white to balance it out? Argh!!!
That's when I look to our feather friends for help. Sure, we can find color everywhere, but what a fun way to get some inspiration! I see mostly crows and pigeons where I live (BTW, please stop pecking at my lawn thank you very much) and sometimes forget that there's actually so many beautiful birds in the world. If their color combinations successfully work to attract mates, then hey, that's probably a sign that those combos are pretty darn good!
So I scoured the internet for birds with gorgeous coloring and found restaurants that actually used the same, or very similar, color combination. And the results are beautiful. Mother Nature definitely knows what she's doing!
Apologies in advance if I got the names of any of the birds wrong. If I did, please let me know!
1. Gouldian finches – native to Australia
Credit: David Clode
Look how cute they are! They're like fluffy little rainbows with wings! What really stands out is of course the bright red, yellow, green, and purple. And I see a bit of bright aqua blue as well around their necks.
Let's see how this works when it comes to décor:
Hutong Miami – Miami, Florida
See how that color combination immediately jazzes up those brown tables? Who knew that throwing together a bunch of bright colors could work so well?
2. Lilac-breasted roller – widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa
Credit: Laya Clode
This little guy (or girl) reminds me of a watercolor painting! This may be the prettiest bird I've seen. There's plum-purple, different shades of blue, and that bit of green around its head.
Here's the décor version:
sketch (the Glade) – London, England
Pretty spectacular! I would have thought that 2 such unique shades of purple and blue wouldn't have worked well together. But this birdie has proved me wrong!
3. Common kingfisher – wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa
Credit: Vincent van Zalinge
Not sure why it's called the common kingfisher when I definitely don't think there's anything common about it (color wise anyway!). Just look at how striking the brownish-orange and blue-green are together. And that little bit of lighter feathers around its neck adds some nice contrast.
Obviously this next place likes this color combo too:
Symbios – Stockholm, Sweden
That color combination looks so relaxing. I think the only bright color I've ever combined that shade of brown with was orange. I would never have thought of matching it with blue-green, but it really works!
4. Blue-gray gnatcatcher – native to North America (yay!)
Credit: Ray Hennessy
Absolutely adorable! This bird can totally be in a Disney movie. It looks like a little puff of cloud with beautiful blue-gray and what looks like grayish-taupe feathers. And that cute little beak!
What do you think of this next place?
Middletown – Prahran, Australia
This is such a classic color combination. I don't think you can ever go wrong with white and blue (although I think that shade of blue they used is especially striking). And including that tan color really brightens it up.
5. Galah – found throughout Australia
Credit: pen_ash
I really like pink. My favorite flower, hands down, is the cherry blossom. So now a bird with not just 1, but 2 shades of pink?! And of course, all nicely complemented by that soothing gray.
So now, get ready for pink galore:
Clearly, I have a weakness for lots and lots of flowers! Sure, we may not be able to have a beautiful cherry blossom tree smack in the middle of our house, but this shows that pink, when combined with white and and a slightly darker gray, can totally work to create a sophisticated, grown up vibe. So don't avoid pink just because you think it's too cutesy for you!
Any bird watchers out there? Share your favorite bird with us!
