5 Weird Color Schemes You Should Try in Real Life

You've never seen mood boards like designer and architect David Thulstrup's before. There are swatches and paint chips, of course, but that's the least of it. Also in attendance: spoonfuls of pigment, loops of wire, leaves, pieces of chalk, and spools of party streamers, all meticulously arranged into striking vignettes that wouldn't look out of place framed on a gallery wall. David's studio describes his practice as "a belief in finding beauty in all materials and combining them in a way that emphasizes comfort and livability"; his mood boards are the epitome of that philosophy.

We stared at David's creations so long we started to realize they all had something in common: weird color combinations that we never would've thought of but that, to our surprise, totally work. They're so good, we quickly realized we needed to use them in real-life circumstances; to leave these combos in mood-board form just wouldn't be right. To prove our point, we shopped out five of the strange but awesome color schemes we found in David's material mood boards:

1. Cobalt blue + nude pink

<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup
SHOP NOW: Blue short mug by Workaday Handmade, $44 each, workadayhandmade.com
SHOP NOW: Element dinner places in blush by Cost Plus World Market, $32 for set of four, worldmarket.com

2. Orange + camel

<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup
SHOP NOW: Velvet throw pillow in Burnt Orange by Urban Outfitters, $49, urbanoutfitters.com
SHOP NOW: Clutch leather chair in camel leather and white oak by Blu Dot, $499, bludot.com

3. Burgundy + teal

<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup
SHOP NOW: Mongolian sheepskin pillow in maroon, 16", by CB2, $90, cb2.com
SHOP NOW: Rustic ceramic extra-large floor vase by West Elm, $169, westelm.com

4. Yellow + seafoam green

<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup
SHOP NOW: Lily table in yellow by Good Thing, $240, supergoodthing.com
SHOP NOW: Verde paper clay sculpture by Paola Paronetto, $400, theprimaryessentials.com

5. Lavender + emerald green

<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup
SHOP NOW: Goober Candle in El by Tablot and Yoon, $24, areaware.com
SHOP NOW: Linen buttonhole napkins in emerald by Sir Madam, $70 for set of four, food52.com
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