Color Buzz

Newlywed Neutral

By Megan Leblond



The proposal in Todd's words:

I proposed to Katrina at center ice of a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey game. Katrina bought the tickets for me as a Christmas gift, so she had no clue this was coming.  I convinced Katrina that I won an online contest to play “Deal or No Deal” during the first intermission and had a chance to win signed jerseys. However, hidden in box number four, the box we agreed to pick on the way to the game, was a sign that said, “Will you marry me?” To make the story even more impressive, I invited our entire family to the game, so our parents, Katrina’s brother, my brother, sister-in-law and one-year-old nephew Luke were able to share the evening with us. To top the night off, the Penguins came back to win the game by scoring two goals in the third period, the last by Jonathan Filewich, with 20 seconds remaining in the game.
   
Todd and Katrina met in 7th grade, but didn't know they wanted to date each other until their eyes met across their junior prom floor. They were married on October 11th, 2008. Now, they have decided that as a reward for earning their master's degrees they will put an addition on their home of four years. The first color scheme for the home was chosen primarily by Katrina, and after living with pastels and beach tones for several years, they are ready for a change in the aesthetics of their home.

Todd's careful planning and self taught CAD skills seem to definitely be paying off.  Check out the awesome 780 foot square open format dining/family room the couple is creating.

The question now becomes, what kind of color will ring new and true for both Todd and Katrina? Todd is an Elementary School physical education teacher working towards becoming an educational administrator and Katrina is a Kindergarten teacher. Their Pennsylvania home should reflect their interests and provide a beautiful backdrop for their family. The couple definitely leads an active lifestyle. Todd runs an after school program and coaches a junior high baseball team. Katrina keeps up with the kindergarteners. The home should be a peaceful and serene place where the newlyweds can unwind after a high energy day.

Todd describes his style as “rustic” and Katrina's as “beachy.” Surely the two styles can marry into a cohesive living space. I asked Todd if there was specific furniture or décor he envisioned in the finished room. He provided these photos of a period piece of furniture and treasured Sports memorabilia he would like to include.  Check out these beautiful prints and artifacts. We can truly see a sophisticated and traditional American color palette present in the items. Gathering objects or imagery you appreciate can steer you into your final decisions regarding color choices.

    

  

                              

After living with a pastel color palette for some time, Katrina is willing to be diplomatic and try some new ideas in the way of color. The historic professional sports memorabilia creates a reflective and fun feel. While it might be nice to carry some of the bold colors from the memorabilia into other aspects of the home, Katrina and Todd are ready to move away from some of the brights that they have been living with. The open format floor plan lends itself toward a neutral. Neutrals provide for an even-tempered medium tone in a home. They are also very good for two-story spaces because the light color will not compete with low lying furniture or the bouncing light from larger windows. The light from the many windows in this space will brighten the neutral in the day time. In the evening it will become a comfortable and cozy medium. The deep tones of the wood furniture will create some darks to add contrast, depth and intrigue to the space.

Todd and Katrina spent a great deal of time looking at the Historic Valspar color line online.  As you can see, their appreciation for history is quite apparent. Here are some neutral tones that reflect both Katrina's love for the beach, and Todd's for the dugout.

Neutral Color Chips:

                   

Churchill Hotel Ecru 3002-10C   Filoli Antique Lace 3002-10B

                   

     New Penny 3001-8B              Pale Powder 3001-8B

Navy Color Chips:

                   

   Fioli Dark Iris 4009-5                  Royal Navy 4011-4

Leather-Inspired Color Chips:

                      
 
   Pale Cordovan 3010-7                 Caramel Toffee 3009-7

We'll let you know how this project shapes up! The neutral of choice for these newlyweds is: Ivory Brown. Good luck in your new life together Todd and Katrina, and here's to a major home renovation nearly complete!

Ivory Brown 6006-1C

Design and Compromise

By Megan Leblond

As we’ve seen in the Valspar “Love, Our Style” program, couples designing a home together can sometimes lead to conflict of tastes. To remedy this, we’ve compiled a list of tips for compromising on a happy home renovation project:

- Look at your goals together

- Identify each others strengths

- Think about what may happen if you choose not to compromise

- Keep in mind that many and very different solutions exist

- Let go of your negative feelings and keep working towards a solution

- Acknowledge your own perspective and your partner’s when discussing contrasting opinions.

- Show appreciation for your partner's opinion

- Do not harbor negative feelings after you agree to a conclusion

- Remember to stay positive as you work toward your goal

To help find a style that may work for you both, consider taking the “Love, Our Style” quiz or take a look at our recent post on scrapbooking. 

           

Bathroom Compromise

By Michele Coppin

Francis and Daisy are engaged and Daisy is preparing to move in with Francis - into his bachelor pad... Francis has been living alone and has not bothered to paint or decorate his house, yet he does have strong feelings about any transformations in his home. They have decided to start with the small bathroom, which has dirty, white walls and pretty, pale gray blue tiles.

Francis likes earthy tones where as Daisy prefers light pastels. I was brought in to mediate...

We looked at a variety of colors that either blended with the tiles or enhanced them. 

We settled on an elegant brown, making Francis very happy. The color is also soft and smoky which pleases Daisy. Furthermore, Roadhouse Tavern beautifully enhances the pale blue tiles, satisfying Daisy's desire for pastels.

   
Roadhouse Tavern 2002-9B

But she still felt that the walls were a bit masculine and needed more of a feminine touch...

So we went to Michael's where she chose a pretty stencil, which we applied in the same shade of blue as the tiles, tying the blue and the brown perfectly.

The overall effect is a combination of warmth and elegance, resulting in a happy couple who knows how to compromise.

Newlywed Styles Merged

I've been working with a client who recently got married. She loves her new husband but also really loves her style, which she would describe as Romantic. She and her husband have been having a great time setting up their new home together. The one piece they had a problem with was an old armoire that she has dragged around with her since college. She really wanted to keep it for sentimental reasons (did I mention she's a romantic?) but also because it's great for storage. 

The armoire has been a deep burgundy for most of its life. In the couple's new home it needed to change. He has more of a Classic style and really appreciates things that have a traditional feel to them.

When looking at the armoire, it seemed obvious what to do. First, it needed to be lightened up to work better in the new environment. To do this, we sanded the entire piece and then primed it. 

Then we had a blank canvass. I thought a light color would be best because it sits in a dark corner. We picked the color Stony Path. It reads white but it has a bit of sage/green to it that will set the armoire apart from the white trim.

   

   
    Stony Path 5007-1B

To take the armoire in a classic direction, I painted out the curved frames of the door panels. For the sides of the armoire, I measured the outline of a panel.

The outline measures ½” wide and runs along the entire length and width of the side. This helps bring some dimension to it.

Since my client loves romance, we went with a soft gray blue: Cincinnatian Hotel Ashley Atrium.

           
Cincinnati Hotel Ashley Atrium 4007-5C

I went back and gently brushed on a little of the Stony Path to soften the edges.  Here's the final result:

Pairing Paint and Quarry Stones

By Michele Coppin

I am working with two clients, Miguel and Anna, who have gutted their living room and are rebuilding it from scratch. It is a labor of love and a painfully slow process for these passionate DIY-ers. They want the fireplace to be the central focus of the room, so Miguel hand-picked the most interesting and colorful stones from the quarry. He then carefully cut and assembled them to fit together like a puzzle.

              

He explained that he used naturally weathered rocks because the face of each rock was exposed to the elements over thousands of years. I have been following his progress over the past few months and am amazed by the result. He has taken a pile of rocks and transformed it into this beautiful structure. I think Miguel might secretly be a sculptor.

               

Now it is time to paint the walls in a color that enhances all the wonderful nuances in the stone, particularly the more unusual purples and ochres (earthy-yellows). These are complementary colors, meaning they sit opposite each other on the color wheel. Each makes the other seem more intense. Therefore, ochre walls would emphasize the purple in the stone, whereas purple walls would bring out the ochre.

We looked at many swatches at different times of day and under different light. Anna does not care for ochre walls so we concentrated on creamy beiges. After helping them identify their favorites, I painted big swatches of the chosen color options above and next to the fireplace.

Miguel’s preference is Dusky Hyacinth, a soft greyish purple. It is quite dark and  would create a dramatic effect:

                                           

                                        Dusky Hyacinth 1003 - 10A

Anna’s choice is Lyndhurst Gallery Beige, which is soft and soothing, yet rich enough to be  very effective:

                                            

                                    Lyndhurst Gallery Beige 2006 - 10B

The jury is still out and the perfectionists are debating. What color would you suggest?