Reader Dilemma-drowning in beige

This week, our color dilemma comes from a reader in Holland, who wants to add some color inspiration into her home. Let's see if we can help her out!
I have a limited budget, two small children and a very small apartment. In the beginning I started with a very neutral palette because I didn't want to overwhelm my space. Now, however, the neutral has overwhelmed me and I'm drowning in beige! Please help! I need guidance to make a restful, yet exciting and stimulating place to be, without making my apartment seem smaller than it really is.

I'd love to take elements from all three of these photos and mix them to create a palette that was really me.

I'm a little afraid of colour, to be honest. I find it overwhelming. There are so many choices, so many nuances. I find it difficult to choose one and then go with it, which is probably why my apartment is neutral, neutral and neutral some more.
Ashleigh provided us with some photos that inspire her, each paired with a useful break-down of the image's color palette.

So, here we have some greens and blues, balanced by neutrals
Cool, refreshing blues with a teensy bit of brown and a dash of claret...
and bright, cheerful pinks and violets, tempered by sage and olive greens.
Inspired by Ashleigh's color reduction process, I decided to take it one step further, and with my trusty Photoshop, boiled each image down to its bare essential palette, which will make color selection much easier, I would hope.
So, from these condensed palettes, it appears we have a nice soft periwinkle blue, a soothing palette of greens, and a robust rich eggplant with a more muted mauve. Would this palette encompass the entire house, or were they intended for one specific space? Either way, these three palettes work quite nicely together, don't you think?

I would suggest, for the "color cautious", that you ease into color use. If you don't want to commit to painting walls, I would bring color into your spaces through accent pieces-colorful throw pillows, a cheerful area rug, tapestries or art on the wall, etc. Here is a consolidated palette from which you can pull accent colors, or wall colors.


For small spaces, the important thing is to not break up the space too much, because you end up drawing attention to the size. This doesn't mean that each room can't have its own color, though. I would use a light to middle tone on the wall and the same color or a lighter tint on the ceiling. Balance a room painted in warm colors with a cool accent color, and vice versa for cool-colored rooms, making sure to bring in some warmth.

Some room palettes, based on the inspiration photos

Mood-wise, you want "restful, yet exciting and stimulating". I would closely analyze each individual room, as you will probably find that each space will have its own feeling or mood. Perhaps you want your children's rooms to be restful, calming spaces where they sleep and study, whereas the family room might be a space you'd like to encourage conversation and play-time.

How would you rescue Ashleigh from drowning in beige? Let's help bring some color into her world!