When choosing paint and fabric for my home, I'm often inspired by fashion -- the way textures and colors play off of each other in a terrific outfit. Using an ivory cashmere cowl neck, skinny camel wool pants, chocolate suede boots and gold bangles as a starting point will result in a room very different from, say, a classic Lilly cotton shift and lime green Jack Rogers. The next time you start a decorating project, snap a picture of your inspiration (whether it's a Michael Kors ad or a Vermont farm) and check out the Color Palette Generator from BigHugeLabs -- a freakin' fabulous (and free) web tool that converts photos into color palettes.

An ensemble created by Mrs. O (one of my MOST favorite blogs) at Closet Couture...