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5 Color Palette Lessons from The Silos

Magnolia Market at The Silos is an inspiration for a modern farmhouse color palette.  On their own, The Silos are an ugly industrial setting. With the simple Joana Gaines design, the color palette makes the campus joyful and welcoming.  I heard a guest say, “I came because I was curious, but it’s happier and prettier than I expected.”  I absolutely agree!

Every corner is an Instagram moment, even the public bathrooms!  Thank you to the Fixer Upper TV show for making this beautiful space possible.

The Farmhouse Color Palette

The foundation color palette throughout the Silos complex is black and white, a classic farmhouse color palette.The black and white colors are softened with organic colors from nature. Nature’s contribution of green for plants and brown for wood and silo rust can’t be ignored..   I matched the black and white paint colors to Benjamin Moore Carbon Copy and Glacier White.   Brown warms up the black and white with wooden features such as doors, planters, beams, and trellises.  Even the rust from the industrial silos warm he black and white.  Green plants add texture and connect nature to the industrial spaces.

Color Palette for Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco, TX

Bright Daylight Softens Colors

Exterior paint colors should always be 3-5 shades darker than your target. The buildings at The Silos look like bright white farmhouse structures, but Benjamin Moore Glacier White paint is actually a very warm and creamy color that reads bright white outside.  A cleaner white paint color would look like primer.

Check out the gleaming exterior of the Magnolia Market at The Silos.  Its hard to believe that this is actually a creamy white in the Texas sun and not a crisp clean white!

Magnolia Market with black and white color palette.
Magnolia Market with black and white color palette. Photo by M. Marceny

The tool shed near the Magnolia Seed and Supply store also has the same palette, with a match for creamy white Glacier White paint that looks like a bright white in the sunshine. The wooden door and trellises combined with the vines and plantings soften the black and white paint for a total color palette.

Magnolia Seed and Supply Tool Shed with lattice trellis and climbing vines.
Tool Shed, Magnolia Seed and Supply. Photo by M. Marceny

A Simple Paint Color Palette Gives you Flexibility

You might object to a black and white paint color palette by saying its boring, which couldn’t be further from the truth.  With a simple foundation color palette its easy to change colors in an interior store.  Everything matches black and white.  This type of a palette becomes the background and the stage for beautiful and creative vignettes that are Instagram worthy.  Below are several photos of interiors at The Magnolia Market at the Silos, where the black and white color palette is continued.

Dish display with overhead plants at Magnolia Market at The Silos in Waco, TX.
Magnolia Market at the Silos, photo by M. Marceny
Faux daffodil display at Magnolia Market at The Silos in Waco, TX.
Magnolia Market at The Silos, photo by M. Marceny
Dried lavender display in Magnolia Seed and Supply store in Waco, TX.
Dried lavender display in Magnolia Seed and Supply store. Photo by M. Marceny

Transform your walls with a splash of color.

Use Green Plants to make Ordinary Amazing

The silos are an industrial site, but the plantings connect the rusted exteriors to nature.  I heard someone say, “How can Joanna make something so ugly beautiful?”   The answer to the question is that she connects a natural color palette to manmade structures to make them part of the natural world.

Plantings between the Silos in Waco, TX
Plantings between the Silos. Photo by M. Narceny

Have you ever seen such a beautiful men’s room door?  If you didn’t have texture from plantings, this door would be too stark to be pretty.  This color palette changes the bathroom line from a toilet to a restful wait in the shade.

Men's room door at The Silos in Waco, TX.
Men’s room door, photo by M. Marceny

I’ve seen alot of industrial warehouses in my life, but this is the most beautiful.  No one looks at the warehouse when there are beautiful black lights with warm creeping vines next to it.  Can you imagine how ugly this would be without the plantings?  I’ve been to The Silos three times, and this is one of my favorite views.

Warehouse entrance at The Silos with vines climbing on trellis in Waco, TX
Warehouse entrance at The Silos in Waco, TX. Photo by M. Marceny

I found this Employees Only shed tucked into the back corner of the garden.  The designers didn’t spend thousands to make this beautiful, but the trees next to this entrance make it quiet and restful.  You can still see the paint color and natural color palettes blending for a harmonious design.

White toolshed for employees only near Magnolia Seed and Market with green tree in Waco, TX.
Employees only entrance, photo by M. Marceny

Seasonal Splashes of Color add Richness to the Simple Color Palette

With a simple paint color palette, you can add seasonal colors to make a place look lived in, as if people really care.  Joana changes the plantings in the garden seasonally to surprise her visitors. Every time I’ve visited (3 times), I’ve had a different experience because of the changing plants and colors.

I took this picture of the garden teepee the first time I visited in the Summer of 2017.  This is the picture I have had on my desktop screen for the last year.  I can’t stop looking at it! The teepee looks different every visit.

Teepee frame draped with vines and purple flowers in Magnolia Seed and supply gardens in Waco, TX.
The Teepee in the gardens (my screensaver). Photo by M. Marceny

This photo of the tool shed in the garden was taken last fall.  I love the pumpkins and snapdragons!

Summer flowers near planting shed at Magnolia Seed and Supply in Waco, TX.
Summer flowers near planting shed. Photo by M. Marceny

This pumpkin display was in the back of the garden.  Yup!  Our foundation color palette with white, black, green and brown doesn’t disappoint, with pumpkin colors to make it interesting.

Perfect farmhouse color palette with white, black, brown, green and seasonal colors with pumpkins.
Perfect farmhouse color palette. Photo by M. Marceny

The Verdict

The farmhouse paint color palette for The Silos is simple black and white, warmed and softened with green and brown colors from nature.  The simple black and white foundation paint colors let us add seasonal richness with color.  Plants seamlessly connect the industrial spaces with nature to make them look intentional and warm.

You can create this exterior with black and white foundation paint colors, warmed with wood doors and lots of plants.

Don’t forget to test your paint colors – our directions are here.

Online Color Consulting

If you still need help with paint colors, check out our Online Color Consulting packages or an In-Person Color Consultation in the Denver Metro area.

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5 Paint Color Lessons from Magnolia Market

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Meet Michelle

Driven to help clients fall back in love with their homes with intentional paint color schemes. She started the company based on her passion for color and its ability to make a house a home.

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