Color Buzz

Design Dilemma: Donna's Living Room Sofa

Hi Designers!  

The color of the sofa in this living room is teal. It doesn't photograph well, but it's very similar to Valspar’s Spa Green. Although I like the gold in this room I would like another colorful option other then gold. What would you recommend when working with teals?

Thanks, 

Donna

   
     Spa Green 5004-6A
   

Red Living Room

Want to create a festive mood that will last all year long? How about a red living room?! What a great way to bring in some heat and some cheer at the same time. With the holidays coming, it might be time to spruce up the rooms that everyone will be gathering in.

When working with such a strong color there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Let it be the star
• Choose your supporting colors carefully
• Find a red you love (there are so many to choose from)
• Embrace it!

To let it be the star, you may choose an all-over red:


Here the red is a unifying element in the room. It gives a kick to the wheat colored upholstery. The cream colored wainscoting is a great choice for a support color. I love the charcoal fireplace against the red. The coolness of the color gives the room balance.

Or if you want to use it as a bright bold accent:


Here, you get a lot of bang for your red buck. The red curtains create height and give a real “wow” factor. You don't need much to create an exciting impact. Again, the cool, light charcoal gives balance to the room.

Here's a wonderful way to build on your reds when decorating for the holidays:


And here are a few reds to choose from with some nice supporting colors:

Classic Red
   
    Classic Red 1009-2

Supporting Colors:
                                   
         Cliveden Sandstone 3007-10B         Lyndhusrt Mushroom 3007-9C

Rosy Red
   
    Berry Blush 1004-1A

Supporting Colors:
                                   
               Dakota Trail 6008-3B                        Dry Earth 1010-1

Brick Red
   
   La Fonda Antique Red
            2002-5A

Supporting Colors:
                                   
          La Fonda Sagebrush 1010-1             Shoreline Haze 6008-1B

Orange Red
   
Woodlawn Salsa 2003-3A

Supporting Colors:
                                   
                Bay Sands 5008-1B              Lyndhurst Castle Sand 5008-1C

The main thing is to have fun with a color like this. It's got a lot of charge, so get ready to take your home up a notch or two for the season!

Color of the Week - Pink Kiss

Last week's Color of the Week, Pink Kiss is a sweet, soft, breathy pink that would look pretty in a bedroom. You could also pair it with grays and whites to create a beautiful, elegant living room. Try Dust Bunny as an accent color, Anthem White as a trim color and Delicate Bliss on the ceiling.

                        

            Pink Kiss  1007-2C              Dust Bunny 2005-10B

                       

        Anthem White 7006-24             Delicate Bliss 7001-8

       

The Obama’s in the White House

President Obama now calls the White House home. He has taken office with soaring thoughts of change, one of them concerning redecorating.

Indeed, every four years, a congressional budget of $100,000 is set aside for the first family to redecorate the presidential apartments. They can change everything from paint color to furnishings. Also available is the White House storage house, which is complete with antique furniture and an art collection of about 500 sculptures, drawings and paintings. This stockpile of art includes some works by American painters Norman Rockwell and Georgia O’Keeffe (), which have been obtained as gifts to past presidents. Traditionally, presidents select portraits of their favorite predecessors to line the walls, such as Lincoln.

Oil painting by Freeman Thorp

I am sure the Obamas will bring their own personal style and flavor to their new home with a combination of Michelle's sophisticated, classic taste and Barack's modernity, internationality and ethnic background. The new look will certainly be classy  and interesting. And don’t forget, the apartments will be home to two little girls, so the new décor will also be comfortable and child-friendly.

 
I expect the White House to be quite green. With the environment high on our future president’s agenda, his commitment to an earth-friendly society should begin in his new home. In recent years, the Bush family made many green improvements to the White House, adding low-flow shower heads, energy-saving lights and solar panels.

Most importantly, the Obama's home will need to be relaxing and harmonious; an oasis of calm, a comforting retreat, and a rejuvenating space for President Obama to regroup and prepare for each new day. To achieve this, he could follow a few simple Feng Shui guide lines. Feng Shui is an ancient art and science developed over 3,000 years ago in China. It is a belief system that can establish balance, harmony and energy flow in your home, garden or office.

The colors should be  fresh and luminous with lots of natural light and plants. The rooms should not be cluttered with too much furniture or too many objects. For a space and its inhabitants to breathe, it needs air and open space.

This beautiful dinning room by Sharon Cameron Lawn Interiors, for example, is modern, cozy and luxurious, without being ostentatious. The colors are a warm combination of beige and browns with touches of turquoise. The bold horizontal lines are offset by the round chandelier, mirror and patterns in the fabric. I particularly like the wooden chairs and table. In Feng Shui, wood is considered a lush and healing element which lends energy, vitality and growth to an interior. This room is elegant without being too formal. It is earthy, energizing and inviting. The materials reflect a love of nature and concern for the environment.

 

 

Results of 1st Color Buzz Poll - Living Rooms

From our first readers' poll, we learned that many of you would place your living room first on your "to paint" list.  Living rooms are a great way to make the most of your painting time and money because they are the public space of the house, where you entertain friends and family. From cocktails to children's play dates, this room is the stage for so many of life's enjoyable moments. Putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls can make a big difference.

For most of us, we want a cozy or maybe rustic living room where we can unwind. To create a cozy space, try a deep, rich color that you can incorporate with fabrics and rugs. A red could go nicely with colors of sand or stone. For a bold statement, try a red like Oatlands Upholstery Red 1008-3A. Staining the ceiling a bone color keeps a sense of lightness in the space.

If you prefer light and airy, try lighter shades to make a room feel more spacious. In this living room, the creamy whites play off each other and the soft neutrals give some dimension. The charcoal coffee table anchors the space. When working with whites, try to find ones that have a bit of brown and gray to them so that the color isn't mistaken for a pastel. To achieve this look, try Snow Cap 7003-8 or Romano 7003-15. 

The third living room we wanted to share pairs a rich, warm gold with fabrics of subtly lighter shades. This gives the walls more drama, but maintains the sophisticated atmosphere, while the blue accents add some kick. The room appears bigger as the eye moves out into the hall to rest on the gray-blue matting of the bird prints.

There are many ways to approach this very social room. Let us know how you treat your living room and what colors and textures are of interest to you

Design Dilemma: Emily’s Living Room, Kitchen and Couches

I recently posted this question on Apartment Therapy:

"I just bought my first place and I'm dying to paint the interior. I need a color for the living room and a color for the kitchen and I need them to look good together.

The biggest issue is my couches. While whether or not they are attractive is debatable, they are definitely a little loud. I need the color of the living room walls to complement the couches, and then I need that color to blend well with the kitchen. I thought about a white kitchen with a color on the door, however I'm not sure if white is going to make the kitchen look too sterile. Any suggestions?"
 
I got some good answers; the most popular one was to use the blue color that is in the couch. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for a hue that would match or compliment this blue.

I've looked at paint samples for hours and I am still unsure how dark/bright to go with the wall color and where to apply the color. The most important thing for me is to brighten the living room up, however I can't see many light colors going with those couches.

I do plan on keeping the couches and I want to incorporate them into the decor without getting stuck with too much of a retro feel. Also, a few people suggested using the blue in both rooms to create a more open space. I'm having trouble picturing that much of one color, although I do like the idea of keeping a unified feeling throughout both rooms.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

...................................................

And please don't forget to answer our latest Color Buzz Poll on where you get your color inspiration!

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?

Design Dilemma: Jason's House

Hi there!

I am in desperate need of help with the color selection for my hallway and kitchen. I have an open floor plan where my dining room and kitchen are both open and the hallway comes between both rooms. I just think that my current color selection doesn't quite go together.

Right now my dining room is painted with Hopsack.                                
                                 
                                   Hopsack 3003-10B

The powder room has stripes that my wife and I painted by masking off the green base and sponging on a silvery metallic.

      

Also coming off the main hallway are two bedrooms. One is painted with River Mist and the other is painted with Ralph Lauren Chaps Sandstone BRS-31, which is a medium dark brown.

                                      
                                        River Mist 5003-9A

The kitchen, which falls at the end of the hallway, is painted with Woodlawn Silver Brook and my dining room is painted with Hopsack.

    

                         
  Woodlawn Silver Brook 5001-1B          Hopsack 3003-10B

The hallway, which links each of these rooms together, is painted with Dutch Boy's Mackinac Island with white trim throughout. It just seems like the green in my hall doesn't go well with my other colors.

I was wondering if you could help me determine what colors I should paint my hallway and kitchen. My wife and I like contemporary colors but we tend to choose more browns than anything. Also, we don't want any of the colors to be too loud in case we decide to sell the house someday.

Any advice you could give me would be appreciated. Thanks!

Jason

Redecorating the White House

By Michele Coppin

                          

Yesterday marked a historic moment for our county. Today, President Obama will change his address and the Obama family will trade their red brick Chicago home for the White House.

                    

The White House is a symbol of the presidency and the U.S. government for all Americans. Leading back to its construction under George Washington in 1792, it has had a fascinating history, with each occupant leaving his mark in some way. 

The White House has been redecorated many times, most famously by Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy.  In 1962, Jackie ran a very public campaign to restore and redecorate the White House with authentic colors, furnishings and period pieces to maintain the history of our nation’s most famous home. As a patron of the arts and a woman of sophisticated taste, she turned the White House into a museum of American history and decorative arts.

 

The state rooms are found on the ground floor, where business is conducted and official guests are received, including some members of the general public on guided tours.  The Committee for the Preservation of the White House preserves these rooms, including the Red Room which has maintained a red décor specific to the empire style of the 1830s.

While the grandeur of these stately rooms is exquisite, it is important to remember that this monument is also the home to the First Family, including two young children and a new puppy. The second and third floors of the home are strictly residential and the Obama’s will be able to redecorate them however they please.

So, with such a monumental redecorating project ahead of the Obama family, we thought we should offer tips and ideas to make the move easy and the redecorating meaningful. 

Let’s begin with the private living room and dining room:

        

How do you think these can be improved? Please leave your comments and suggestions below!

A Red Makover

By Michele Coppin

Inspired by the recent holiday colors, my friends Daisy and Francis finally decided to update their plaster-white living room. They are both intimidated by color, choosing many shades of beige throughout the house, so I commend their brave choice! 

            

I love red. To me, the color is sexy, sassy and classy, so I was thrilled to help with the project. However, I can understand Daisy and Francis’ hesitation. While some find red to be seductive and warm, many others believe red is too loud a color. Because red can be interpreted in so many ways, such as frightening, erotic, revolutionary or royal, its ambivalence makes it appealing to decorators.

                     
To determine the best shade for Daisy and Francis, we spent time comparing a variety of red swatches, then looked at my favorites under different lights and at different times of day.  Francis was worried his living room would look like a French boudoir and Daisy started to doubt the drastic transition. I reminded them that color is easy to change and encouraged them to be flexible and open-minded. In the end, we settled on a luscious, earthy tone that is not too pink for Francis and not too purple for Daisy: Sienna Dust.

                                                
                                                    Sienna Dust 1007-3A

Then it was time to paint. The first coat was a bit scary!  Against the white wall, our carefully chosen color appeared orange. However, when we finished the second coat, we stood back in awe. The room looked absolutely gorgeous! It was warm, cozy, glowing and elegant. In just one weekend, the blank white space was transformed into a beautiful living room that was inviting and comfortable. Furthermore, the existing furniture, including dark green couches and a light green rug, was enhanced by the complementary background.

With the bold, red statement finished, we decided the hallway leading into the living room also needed a makeover that would harmonize with the red. We settled on a soft, pale grayish-green, Milestone, for the lighter walls and its lighter version, Cliveden Mist, down the narrow darker hallway. 

                                 

                    Milestone 6002-1B                      Cliveden Mist 6007-1A

  The finished project was bold and beautiful!