Color Buzz

Painted Floors

We bought this 140-year old farm house. The upstairs wood floors were all painted when we took the place on. After going through several ideas (some more successful than others), this light soft beige/green seemed the direction to go it. The painted floor has given the space a charming light quality that we wouldn’t have gotten if we had stripped and stained them. We are still going room by room to get the colors right. A painted floor can add a spark of excitement underfoot, it can be a great deep-colored anchor or when painted a light color can lift up a room as though you’re walking on clouds. What kind of feeling do you want to be walking into?

Bring Nature Inside

I keep finding myself drawn to the colors in Valspar’s Globetrotting and Botanical Releaf palettes. I love painting landscapes so I’m always taking a close look at the colors of nature throughout the year. There’s a harmony of color wherever you look. No matter where you are or what the time of year it is, nature gets it right. To take colors from this arena usually guarantees a home that’s warm and inviting. You can then add some colors from the Globetrotting palette to spice it up. For example, try a warm taupe-green such as Dakota Trail 6008-3A as a background color, add a coordinating trim like Woodlawn Misty Morn 6008-3A and then kick it up with a rich spicy deep rust orange like Woodlawn Salsa 2003-3A. 

                                            Globetrotting Paint Chips

                                           Botanical Releaf Paint Chips

Sunny Florida Shines with Color Palettes

This blog entry was written by Veronique Habermann and Michele Coppin

On an early, gray Saturday morning, we left New York for a well-deserved spring break. A few hours later, at the sunny Sarasota airport, we were surprisingly greeted by Jack Dowd’s colorful artwork – Andy 15 Times…a perfect beginning to our color inspired vacation.    

                     

Here we are, in beautiful Anna Maria Island. After a few days of relaxation and catching up on lost sleep, our passion for inspiring color combinations took over once again and we were off exploring the island on bicycles, with palettes in mind – on the look out for inspiration from Florida’s unique approach to color. Here are some examples of color schemes that inspired us:

                  

              Valspar Color Palette                          Pastel Delight Entrance
             Pink Whisper 1002-2C                                  Dove White
              Sheer Green 6007-78                         Pink Odyssey 1001-2B
                     Dove White                           Chairs-Whipped Peach 2002-2B
                                                                         Peach Kiss 2002-2C
                                                                           Lime Ice 6008-78

                                                

                   
                                                                      
                  Green House                                           Blue House
        Walls-Spring Lawn 6006-9C                      Walls-sea frolic 4008-10A
      Shutters-Lime Burst 6007-10B           Trim-Lyndhurst Celestial Blue 5003-9C
       Chairs-Blue Burst 4008-10 B                   Tin Roof-Dewdrop 4007 – 7A
                    Dove white                                            Dove White
Accent, Flowers – Frosty Berry 10030-1B  Accent, Flowers – Cosmic Pink 1001-1A

                      

 

Design Dilemma - Melissa's House - Update

Hi Melissa,

Thanks for updating us! Your progress looks great, and painting the bar in Café Miel looks like a good choice.  Some of your questions are about the wall areas that connect the different rooms. Below are some suggestions, but the great thing about your color palette is that all of the colors work well together, so there’s really no “wrong” decision!

Design Dilemma - Melissa's House - Update

Hi Ann,

            Dining Room

We are working on the paint slowly but we are getting there. I loved the colors and thanks soooo much for your help. We painted the dining room so far. When the Strawberry Malt went up I was thought, “Ohh my gosh, we have a pink dining room and living room!” But then it dried as a more beige color and it goes well with the tile.

Then when we put up the Cafe Miel color and it looked good. We painted the kitchen backsplash also so far and I love that color (we chose Churchill Hotel Maple) – it really brings out the counter top. Next we are going to paint the top of the kitchen and put up the chair rail in the dining room.

        Kitchen Backsplash

I also want to put a black wood dining table in there and a new chandelier.  We didn't know what color to paint the bar so we painted it in Cafe Miel color and it looks good.

I did have a couple of questions though...

A More Sophisticated Kitchen

This blog is written by Beehive Studios designer Megan Leblond.

I met with Julie on an overcast Monday morning.  Her smiling face, a sweet white poodle named Grace, and a steaming cup of coffee greeted me at the door.

Julie is a proud parent of two college graduates.  With the kids now out of the house, Julie was looking to welcome a new look into her home. While updating her kitchen and creating a more sophisticated look, she expressed interest in downplaying her cabinets which are currently a white-washed pine. Excited to showcase her new contemporary tile floor laid on the diagonal, Julie also wanted to steer far from the mauve and blue tints she once used in the kitchen and living room. 

Julie described a nice, rich, red kitchen as her ideal new space. However, she was having trouble selecting a specific red -- some seemed too bright a pink, and others, too close to the mauve she was eliminating.  She also mentioned a light green or gold as considerations. 

Kips Bay Decorator Show House

Sorry this blog is late in posting, but I had a late night out with friends after some of us checked out this year’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House. As one of my friends put it, “It’s the best one yet!”  If you are in the area I encourage you to go see for yourself, it’ll be there until May 22^nd. Some of the rooms there are truly inspiring. I loved seeing some of my favorite color combinations realized.

Geoffery Bradfield’s room combined a deep orange with tans. Very soothing and invigorating at the same time…like meditating with a cup of coffee in your hand. And there were lots of smoky lavenders in the various rooms – some were paired with taupes, tans, and blacks. You should check out a great New York Times article about the Show House by Penelope Green for more details on the rooms.

We were fortunate enough to be asked by the super talented designer Sara Story to produce a ceiling cloth for her room! Below are photos of our work in progress and the final result.

Her room is stunning. She has a soft, medium silver-grey on her walls with deep charcoal blue window treatments. The room’s trim is ivory, as is much of the furniture. To finish it off, there are touches of muted caramel. Very chic.

I’m going back in a couple of weeks and will report in more depth on what is there. Let us know what you think if you stop by!

      
                     Our storyboard                           Megan and Veronique painting

                                 

                                       That's me painting with our stencil
                     
                        

                                                The final result

Max's Story

Guest entry written by Max, 14 year old son of Beehive Studios designer Veronique Habermann.

Of the things I do in and out of school, there is one hobby of mine that stands out; art. It consumes most of my life. When I am not playing hockey, snowboarding, surfing, or studying, I am drawing. I even find ways to practice my art when I do not have access to my art tools. I will rip paper into shapes or draw in the condensation on my car window. My love of art is fueled by the ability to express myself. Colors and lines can express emotions. If I am angry, I will include very warm and vibrant colors such as reds and yellows. If I am sad, I will use much more dark colors such as grays and blues. Happiness can be expressed by using vibrant and friendly colors such as greens and oranges.

To me, a canvas is just as affective as a therapist. It gives you the opportunity to share your emotions without being judges. Drawing and painting take me away and allow me to forget about the stress of everyday life. Art knows no bounds and provides a sense of freedom. There are no limits to what you can draw or paint.

 

Restoring Life to an Antique

Charlotte Millwater recently inherited a family heirloom that has been passed down for three generations.  This little dressing table may not be a valuable antique, but it is precious to the Millwaters.

At 14, Charlotte wanted her bedroom to reflect her personality, so we had to find way to make the antique relevant. Since she loves unique, bold colors, we wanted to amp up the color of the dressing table to make it pop in her room.  Knowing that Charlotte envisioned the dressing table in a green/blue color and that her walls were already painted in a warm, cheerful yellow, we suggested Valspar Bay Mist.

We painted the dressing table and lightly antiqued it to keep the aged look intact. By simply repainting the dressing table, we were able to restore life to an old piece of furniture that is sure to be enjoyed by Charlotte and the Millwater family for years to come.

                                             
                                             Bay Mist 5006-7C 

Drawing Inspiration Up from the Floor

This rug is a much loved antique serape, and is quite valuable. The owners tried every kind of color angle to feature their treasure, however when we got there, the room was just not working. At first glance, we couldn’t figure out why. Taking a moment to look at each element was the first step. The soft green walls were actually a nice gentle contrast with the reds in the rug. After visually pairing each element with the colors in the rug, the problem became obvious: the white trim on the walls.

The bright white trim looked clean and fresh against the green, but it jumped out too much against the warm ivories of the rug. It was like two different rooms. We suggested a warmer tone for the trim to help soften the contrast. Two directions we wanted to try: Valspar Churchill Hotel Ivory, a warm creamy off-white, and Dakota Trail, a greener/grayer off-white. These colors would bring the room together as a whole while showcasing the rug as center stage.


                                                  
            Churchill Hotel Ivory 3007-8C                    Dakota Trail 6008-3B