Color Buzz

Friday Project Series: Salvaging Wooden Furniture with Faux Boise

I was out to lunch the other day with friends when someone mentioned an old painted door they wanted to refurbish. I told her I would love to help and I thought I would share the technique on Color Buzz.

“Faux Boise” translates from French as “Fake Wood.” It’s a great decorative painting finish that we use a great deal at our Beehive Studio, especially when people don’t want to go through the trouble of stripping down a painted wood surface.

There are many levels of this technique from the very basic to the very complex. Artists have been able to recreate the look through layering various paints resulting in the familiar oak look to more exotic patterns like Zebra wood. I want to share with you all one basic approach...

To begin, I took an old armoire that had been painted white. The first thing you need to do is start with a strong base color. A deep yellow like Cowslip 6 from the Laura Ashley collection is a great all around base for this technique.

 

Once you’ve painted your base color, tape off the intersecting sections so that you can keep the paint moving in the direction of the “grain.”

 

Next, take a deep, brown paint and add a bit of water. For this demonstration, I used Boston Legacy. Brush the brown paint on the wood, keeping the strokes in the same direction as the grain. Once this coat is applied, go over the surface with a dry brush, again following in the direction of the grain. This will create stripes.

Once this section is dry, re-tape to close off the sections that still have to be painted. Repeat the previous steps in these areas. Now, you’ll have one last step...when the magic happens!

Emeralds of May

By Megan Leblond

 

The emerald is the birthstone for those lucky enough to be born in the month of May. The bright green color is a result of vanadium and chromium, two elements found in the earth’s crust. The rare meeting of these two minerals makes quality emeralds even more expensive than diamonds and among the most precious gemstones in the world.

Jewelers developed the ‘Emerald Cut’ so the stone could be appreciated for its fantastic green color! How fascinating, but not surprising to a Color Buzz writer.

The most famous collector of emeralds was Cleopatra. She was said to give special visitors a large emerald carved with her image. The leaders were buried with the stones to symbolize verdure and eternal youth, and Egyptian emeralds exhumed by pharos between 3,000 B.C. and 1,500 B.C. in a location known today as Cleopatra’s Mines.

Today, Colombia, Coscuez, Muzo and Chivor produce some of the world’s best emeralds. I adore the blue-green tones of Zambian emeralds. One of the most famous emeralds is the Mackay, designed by Cartier and given by Clarence Mackay to his wife Anna Case, the prima donna of The New York Metropolitan Opera from 1909-1920.       

                       

Check out these fantastic star stones. Named ‘Trapiche,’ these emeralds showcase a crystal pattern reminiscent of the wheels used to grind sugarcane. These are among the most sought after emeralds.

If you happen to agree with Pliny who said that a green emeralds’ color provides restorative strength to the body and mind, why not consider the beautiful hue for your home? Here are some Valspar colors reminiscent of the varying colors of emeralds.

Enjoy! And Happy May!
                   

 Simply Green 6002-8C      Vegas Green 6009-7     Tropical Rainforest 6002-10C

Color of the Week - Lindsey Lilac

Last week’s Color of the Week was Lindsey Lilac. It's a dusty soft lavender that has a very sophisticated quality to it. I would give it a try in a bedroom but it could look beautiful in a dinning room in a matte finish with semi-gloss trim of Woodlawn Snow, which has a touch of sage to it so it plays gently against the lilac.

                        

                  Lindsey Lilac 1002-8A    Woodlawn Snow 6003-1A

Of Bees and Honey

We at Beehive Studios are very fond of bees and honey. Bees are the most important pollinating insects and are even known as symbols of immortality. Their social structures and work skills have fascinated mankind for centuries, making them the emblem of industry and the inspiration for our blog. They also inspired Napoleon, who included the honeybee on his personal crest.



Beekeeping is also one of the oldest forms of animal husbandry, as bees were kept in beehives since antiquity. Indeed, Greek honey is delicious and quite famous.



Golden, sweet honey has always been held in high regard. The Bible refers to heaven as the "Land of Milk and Honey." In ancient times, honey was considered the food of the gods and the symbol of wealth and happiness. In the Middle Ages, honey was fermented and made into mead, one of the oldest alcoholic beverages.

Friday Project Series: Porch Makeover

Every year during this season I look at my side porch and imagine bright, bold fabrics against crisp, white wicker. For years, we've had sad, fading forest green and red checked and striped fabrics out here.  They melded into the dark floor and were overwhelmed by the gorgeous, green surroundings. This year, I absolutely had to do something! So I drew my inspiration from my grandmother’s vintage Lilly Pulitzer skirt.

I love these colors for summer so much! They are fresh and alive and make you want call your friends over for gin and tonics.

My first step involved the wicker chairs. As you can see, they were in bad shape.

To take care of this, I dragged the chairs out onto the lawn and gave them a fresh coat of white spray paint.

This was really easy and it was instantly gratifying to see the old furniture come to life. I love old wicker but this isn't old enough for the distress look – it needed to be polished up.  

Next, I had to scrub the pollen and last winter's dirt off the porch (I'll spare you the pictures of that).  I got some really lively fabric with colors from the skirt and I added navy to anchor the really bright pink and chartreuse.

I then got out a sewing machine and made pillows – I never thought in a million years I could make them.  It saved a ton of money.

It wasn't so hard or time consuming.  You can go to HGTV.com and read up on how to make them. The navy looks so nice and sharp against the white and dark wood.

The pink and green really add the right amount of punch to play against all the vivid colors in the yard. My little guy Jack approved.  Now I just have to wait and see what the rest of my family thinks.

Memorial Day weekend is the official start of summer, so take some time this weekend to spruce up your porch furniture with a fresh coat of spray paint, and add color with plants or bright fabrics. Send in your photos, we’d love to see what you’ve done! Have a happy holiday!

The Color of Graduates

It’s the season for graduations. It's an important milestone for the millions of young and not-so-young graduates out there. In a few weeks, I’m going to my nephew’s graduation from high school. It seems like just yesterday we were helping these little toddlers walk and now look at them...

My favorite college radio station played “Pomp and Circumstance” throughout the day last Saturday and it got me thinking what the different robes symbolize. I did some research online and found the robes date back to England in the Middle Ages when students would dress like clergymen—but the color of the robes had no meaning.

   

During the late 19th century, the United States began assigning specific colors to the students’ academic specialties. For example, red, which was the color of the church, was chosen to represent theology students and golden yellow, which is represented by students of science, stood for the “wealth produced by scientific research” (American Council on Education's Academic Costume Code). Here's a list of majors/academic specialties and their corresponding robe colors:

Agriculture - Maize
Arts, Letters, Humanities - White
Business - Drab
Dentistry - Lilac
Economics - Copper
Education - Light Blue
Engineering - Orange
Fine Arts - Brown
Forestry - Russet
Journalism - Crimson
Law - Purple
Library Science - Lemon
Medicine - Green
Music - Pink
Nursing - Apricot
Oratory (Speech) - Silver Gray
Pharmacy - Olive Green
Philosophy - Dark Blue
Physical Education - Sage Green
Public Administration - Peacock Blue
Public Health - Salmon Pink
Science - Golden Yellow
Social Work - Citron
Theology - Scarlet
Veterinary Science - Grey

No matter what color our graduating seniors are wearing, they always seem to have a similar mix of expressions on their faces: anticipation, anxiousness, sadness and joy. They share pride in their accomplishments and a yearning to get on with the parties! Congratulations to all the graduates out there. Keep dreaming of the future in living color.

Poll Results: Where Do You Find Color Inspiration?

The recent poll shows that a lot of you are getting out into the great outdoors and finding inspiration in nature. I find endless color possibilities every time I go outside. From colors of flowers, to all the greens of the trees, to the subtle colors of minerals in the rocks, there is so much to draw from.

Here are three color palettes that I have recently seen around my home. They each take their cues from vibrant flowers that have bloomed this spring.

This first palette is inspired by the geraniums I picked up from the garden center. The oranges are from a tree in my backyard that recently had a burst of fruit. This color combination would be so much fun in a teenage girl’s room...maybe I can convince my daughter to give it a try.





This next palette comes from the one last remaining forsythia bush still in bloom. In the past, I’ve had a hard time decorating with yellow. It was always a strong, demanding color, but recently I’ve warmed up to it and find it very cheery. This combination could look great in a kitchen. It’s a happy palette to help you start your day.





This third palette comes from two places. First, the gorgeous lilacs growing down my street. The other point of inspiration comes from a recent meeting I had at the new offices of William Sofield. They had the most beautiful color purple on the walls, trimmed out in a gray-green, which complimented the purple so nicely. Ever since then, I’ve been looking at that color combination.





In a few weeks, there will be a whole new set of colors out there...I’ll keep you posted on the season’s evolving color schemes and please share yours with us as well!

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We recently posted a new Color Buzz Poll and we'd love to hear from you. What's your greatest grievance when thinking about taking on a painting project? Check out the right sidebar to cast your vote!

Color of the Week - Radiant Pink

Radiant Pink was last week's Color of the Week. It is a warm, dusty shade of rose that would look gorgeous in a bedroom. It would give the room a calming beauty. Try it with a gray that has a touch of green in it to off-set the pink. A color like Modest Silver or London Coach would be a great choice for trim and accent coloring.

                    
   Radiant Pink 1007-8B        Modest Silver 4002-1        London Coach 1002-1B

Friday Project Series: An Old Lamp Brings New Life to a Room

By Michele Coppin

Recently, I was in need of a new lamp so I went looking through storage. I came across this old, gilded lamp that was flaking and gray. So, I thought I would try to give it a fresh look by polishing and spray painting it (and I hoped a genie would appear!).

I live by the sea, which is an endless source of inspiration. I decided to use a beach motif for the new design.

I gathered my materials including sand paper, white enamel spray paint, acrylic copper paint, shells, glue, stencils and tape.

Keukenhof Flower Show

By Michele Coppin

The world’s largest exporter of flowers, Holland, is especially famous for its spectacular tulips. Indeed, The Netherlands produces approximately 9 billion flower bulbs annually and is home to the world’s largest flower show, Keukenhof, where each year 7 million flower bulbs are planted.

Keuken (kitchen) Hof (garden) is located on the grounds of the old Slot Teylingen Castle. It gets its name from the 15th century herb garden where aromatic herbs and spices were cultivated for the kitchen of the countess of Holland, Jacoba Van Beieren.

In 1840, the gardens were turned into a park. The flower gardens however, were created in 1949 by the mayor of the neighboring town of Lisse. He worked with a dozen prominent bulb growers and exporters to develop the gardens. Their objective was to have an open air floral exhibition, where flower growers could showcase their hybrids and consumers could view and buy a wide range of flower bulbs.