Consider Your Artwork when Choosing a Wall Color

My French Obsession

At my last color consultation in Waxhaw, Lawson subdivision, one of the children's rooms proved to be a bit of a challenge. The 11 year old girl chose a very vibrant, almost neon color for her room. It was called “Minty”, a Valspar color.

Minty

Now in itself, this is a great color, very much like Gliddens Lime Twist. Now the girl, I'll call her Kathy, loved this color but mom was a little hesitant because it “glowed” a bit. Now this color was bright even with the window shades down so you can only imagine how bright it was with the shades up.

When I choose color during a consultation, the kids rooms are where I like to have a little fun and be a bit playful with color choices - after all, these are children's rooms.

I wanted to keep this color because Kathy really, really liked it but yes it was a bit luminous even for a kids room.

Going a step further, I asked mom what Kathy was putting on her walls. She said it's going to be all black and white photographs with a Parisian flair. (see photo above) “Perfect!” I said. She definitely can have a flashy wall color since her artwork is going to be black and white. The two will cancel each other out.

So here's how Kathy's room played out. I basically kept the color she wanted but tweaked it just a bit. The toned down “Mint Ice Cream” which is also my “Hue 2 Have” for this week, was the perfect fit. It gave the same feel that Kathy liked but it's slightly more muted so mom liked it too. I also added a light gray striping on the walls to incorporate and tie in the black and white theme of her art. 

Unfortunately I don't have any 

after shots yet but this one will be a beauty.

Au Revoir!

Man Cave Colors

As I was surfing the web this morning I came across the Top 10 Color Palettes for Glidden paint. Now this is a paint brand, I must say, I haven't used in my color consultations so I'm not familiar with what they have.


… and be sure to see my updated post on Choosing Colors For Man Caves!

Man Caves

Basements and garages become havens where men can unwind and have fun

Since I recently wrote a list post, I wanted to check out their list. They had their top 10 color palettes grouped as such: 

Just Baked Kitchen Colors

Growing Up Colors

Share The Harvest Colors

Feels Like Home Colors

and the one that caught my eye was Man Cave Colors.

This got me thinking about the colors that I've chosen for past Man Caves. So I looked through all my files of color consultations and came up with my list of Man Cave colors. Here they are.

This Sherwin Williams color is deep and rich and perfect for  a ceiling color.

Benjamin Moore had some beautiful 
coppery colors that  will  coordinate any media room 
that has brass accent features.

Man Cave have a lot of black accents? 

This rich gold will make it pop!

Another Sherwin Williams color with a cool blue hue.

This Benjamin Moore will be stunning with mahogany furniture!

Now keep in mind that some of these caves had lighter colors as well and these were used as just accent colors. But for the most part, the caves were dark, rich and yes, very manly. They boasted dark furniture and dim lighting and all the electronics and sports paraphernalia you could imagine. There were manly yes, but I liked them too!

Where are the "New” Colors?

I must say, I'm highly disappointed in the "next" color prediction by Color Marketing Group. Gold - really? How old is that? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

CMG

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE this color and have it in my home. But, I've been loving it for over 9 years already!! Nothing new there. I wouldn't dare even suggest this color for my clients anymore. 

I've been sitting back for the past few weeks reading, observing and watching these big companies brag about “the one”. They claim they research and diagnose the economy and the trends of ours surrounding countries and politics for color clues. If you ask me, it's spin the tail on a color. What was the though process for gold? Purple? Pink? And are we really going to use these colors in our homes?

Come on people, let's get into something new and exciting!! How is gold new and exciting? I've been reading post after post, tweet after tweet about how disappointed people are in this “new prediction”. So I know I'm not the only one thinking that this color is a little long in the tooth.

I don't even want to talk about Honeysuckle or Vintage Wine anymore. I do however, applaud Glidden for nailing a refreshing color for 2011 - Lime Twist. It's a color that makes people feel refreshed. Not a baby pink “just for a girls room” color or “it looks like a funeral parlor color”. You know if I'm having these thoughts of color there are millions out there too thinking the same thing.

So what would I choose if I were “on the board” of guessers color forecasters? Sometimes the answers are smack in the middle of your face. Answers are so close to you that you can't see them. Did that ever happen to you? I say color should be back to basics, less is more with an out of the box thought process. 

I still say that Salmon should be the next color to gain popularity. Why? Because of what it represents. We all know that salmon is loaded with vitamins and omega 3's to ward off many diseases from Alzheimer's to Heart Disease. We're all trying to live a healthy lifestyle now, why aren't we choosing color in our home to represent that? I know some of you are going to say "but honey is heathy”. Let's just move up to the 21st century in terms of color already. 

Another reason I like this color direction is because it will compliment most blue color schemes that were hot and heavy in 2010. It's a great color to start toning down the blue - especially if people are starting to tire of turquoise. I would combine this color with the ever popular green for too many reasons to mention in this blog.

I chose this color at my color consultation last week. It's called New Haven Clay and it's a Valspar color. It's coordinates with the home's wood stains, flooring, granite countertop and of course the other colors I chose which were the popular grey/yellows that are popping up.

What other fresh colors will go with this fave of mine? There are boatloads of combos but here are just a few that you don't usually see in one's home - which is the direction to go.

Also, combine these with black, white and grays for a very modern feel.

I can hear the remarks now about these colors but just think a minute. You can always combine a newer color with an older one to make it comfortable for you. Here are some colors that have been around a while and most of you I know have these in your home - that include me too so don't feel bad. An  I do this for a living!

My job as a Color Specialist is to choose amazing color for YOUR home. And I've told this to my clients before. If you hire me to come into your home, let's choose something fabulous - not like your neighbors safe color scheme. 

What would you choose if you had to 

predict a color trend and why?

How to Choose Color for Your Home

As we slowly approach the “painting season”, at least here in Charlotte, people start to ask;

• How am I going to choose color for my home? 
• What paint brand am I going to use? 
• How will I know where to start and stop the color? 
• What if I choose the wrong color? 
• If I do make a mistake, is there someone that can come to my home to help me choose color?

I though it would be fun and beneficial to mention a few of my top 10 blogs posts on color to get you on your way.

I wrote a great blog about Choosing Color For Open Floor Plans. This particular post just makes your aware of the surrounding rooms of your home. Keep in mind when you choose color for a room, you also have to consider the neighboring rooms that need to coordinate.

Need just kitchen color? Here's a post that will guide you. It's How to Choose Color for Your Kitchen. This post mentions various granite colors and some popular paint colors to match. I do have this one post Granite Countertops and Kitchen Colors that I've found very helpful. Since most of us have granite countertops, this blog post came in at #3 for most viewed since I've started. I can see why!

Featuring Pottery Barn Kids - you guessed it - How To Choose Color For A Boys Room. This is a great post with some bedding from Pottery Barn and literally dozens of colors schemes you can pull from just bedding alone.

How to Choose Color for A Bedroom - this post was designed more so for Master bedrooms but of course these rules can apply to any bedroom.

Don't forget the outside of your home too! Staining Your Deck? Here's Some Tips is a supper important one with great tips on how to prepare you deck BEFORE you stain it which is crucial to get best results from your stain.

And also for the outside of your home How To Choose Color For Your Awnings featuring the beautiful fabrics of Sunbrella. When you invest that much money into decking and awnings, you better make sure you also choose the right colors for them! 

The list can go on and on but these really are in my top 10 most viewed blog posts. I hope they help you to choose the right color for your home!

100 Things You Should Know Before You Paint

The other day my color karma was completely off so I decided to take a day off from color and do something in black and white - two of my least favorite colors.

credit

I knew I wanted to write a list. What did I know enough about where I can list 100 tips on one subject, that couldn't be color related and my blog friends would still want to read about? Painting!

With more years than I'd like to admit, I know enough about painting to make a paint contractor jealous. So the list started. 

I'm not going to show it on this blog page because of the page configurations, the list wouldn't look right so I have it in Squidoo all ready for your viewing. So without further adieu, click on “paint brushes” under the picture of the brushes and that will take you to the list of 100.

Let me know if I left any out!

PAINT BRUSHES

Why are some Homes Easier to Choose Color for?

I came across the blog post of Maria Killam from Color me Happy and saw her post on Why are some Homes Harder to Decorate than Others. It got me thinking a similar question - Why are some homes easier to choose color for than others?

Maria Killam's Blog

After spending a substantial amount of time at my last color consultation last week, I was wondering why this particular consult took longer than normal. Was the home larger than the typical Waxhaw home here? No. Was the color scheme more complicated than normal? No. Was I enjoying the company of my client, well sure but that all goes into consideration when I estimate my consulting time. So why did this consult run a little longer than the usual allotted time?

The house was the usual large home with an open floor plan, which is the style of 99% of the homes here in the south Charlotte area. So when I stood in the living room, I could see the entire core of the home, the upstairs hallway, the kitchen, part of the dining room and the foyer. All those colors were picked already and the living room and kitchen were last in line.

Typical home style in south Charlotte

Now oddly enough, Maria did yet another post on The Versatile Green Sofa that I just happened to recall as I was in my clients living room. There it was, the green sofa but versatile was not the word I had in mind for it.

At this point I felt like I was trapped in one of Maria's blog posts and I started to laugh - to myself of course. The living room was one of the last rooms I was choosing color for and it absolutely, positively HAD to be green. The problem was if I chose green for the living room, there would be way too much green for this room because of the sofa. I wasn't about to change the entire color scheme at this point so the only choice was to get rid of the green sofa. 

Now I'm thinking what other blog post Maria had that would get me out of this situation. Did she have one about asking her clients to purchase a new dark brown leather sofa because it'll look better with the color scheme she was about to choose for them? Well since I didn't recall such a blog post from her I realized I was on my own and I went for it.

“Excuse me but would you mind purchasing a new sofa so I can choose this green for your living room? Right now the furniture you have is interfering with my design”. I didn't say it in those words but for the most part, that was my point.

Boyles

I held my breath and looked the homeowners in eyes and watched their lips as they said “ok”. Wait, what? They said that they could move the green sofa into the basement and it was ok for them to purchase a new living room sofa in the color I recommend. YES! I was doing my little happy dance inside as I muttered that I thought their living will be perfect in this shade of green. It was Withered Moss by Valsar and will look ok so perfect in their living room!

As I gathered my paint decks, paper clips, notes and camera, I was happy as could be visualizing how this color would look with a new brown sofa. 

So the mystery was solved. The conversation we had about the living room actually took a bit of time but I didn't realize it until I got to my office. It was well worth it and I'd do it again in a heart beat. Sometimes you have to go out on limb and suggest that your clients make a large purchase to accommodate their new color scheme. This way when the colors go on their walls, it'll look like a page out of a magazine - picture perfect!

How better to spend a morning choosing color for clients and re-reading Maria's blog posts in your mind? I wonder if her ears were ringing. Maria?

Choosing Color for Open Floor Plans

As I was browsing the website of the Tile Collection located in Charlotte, I came across these three photographs that caught my eye. Of course I noticed the beautiful color that the rooms were painted but then it got me to think one step further. If these rooms are unique colors such as purple, gray or light blue, what colors would you pair up to their surrounding rooms?

Most of the homes here in south Charlotte do have open floor plans. It's always a challenge to choose the right colors for the other rooms in the house to complete the color palette. Which colors you would choose? Here are my picks.

The color on the left can be seen in the tile flooring
and a peach is always a good neighbor to have next to any gray.

Hues of blue, green and peach are always a beautiful combination.
Keep them all soft and light.

Gotta love those open floor plans … and the RIGHT colors.

Kitchen Backsplash & Renovation

Let's talk about options on how to fix this.

(first step is to remove ALL 

wallpaper an prep walls for paint)

Some people have very dated kitchens that still have old wallpaper, old appliances and laminate countertops. These are all upgrades that you would want in the perfect world. Let's assume that you are on a very tight budget and the only project you can do at this time is some type of backsplash, countertop and color for your walls. Let's start with color.

COLOR:

Keep in mind the cabinets are very yellow and it looks like the floor is a gold to. I can't tell if it's carpeting or wood. So as far as paint color goes, golds, oranges and yellows are definitely out.

Let's start with a nice white ceiling. I must say that I've never seen wallpaper on a ceiling before but I'm pretty sure starting with making the ceiling white will make a huge difference in starting to transform this kitchen. Use a ceiling white paint not just flat white.

I'd keep this kitchen light and bright. The refrigerator is an almond color. If the paint color is lighter than the refrigerator color, the refrigerator will appear to be dirty. So having said that, I think a creamy color like Crisp Linen will do the trick.

Crisp Linen by Sherwin Williams

Artisan Tan by Sherwin Williams

I love to paint the kick side of a sitting area a darker color so footprints and scuffs don't show up as easily. Artisan Tan will be perfect. This color can also be found in the tile backsplash. Make this at least a satin or semi gloss for easy clean up.

  

BACKSPLASH IDEAS

I would even keep the color of the backsplash light and bright. You can bring in an accent color with a listsello or some ceramic inserts. I'm going to keep in mind that since the kitchen is very dated, the rest of the home would be dated as well. Knowing that, I think we'll try the “less is more” approach and keep it simple. 

This type of border would be perfect since you can add a little splash of color while still keeping the design simple in this small kitchen. I like the green CE-372. If you want to jazz it up a bit and use an accent tile instead of a liststello, than I'd suggest a little pop of old world with a few metal tiles.

TILES

I would definitely go with a Natural Tumbled Stone for the backsplash. The Sienna Gold has various neutrals but I really like that it has some darker hues as well. It'll be nice a contrast by the refrigerator and wall color.

COUNTERTOP

Knowing that this is an older home and probably needs many updates, I would go with a Quartz countertop instead of granite. Quartz has the many of the same properties as granite plus you don't have to seal it. This is Jerusalem Sand from Queen City Kitchen and Bath.

When all your kitchen projects are complete, add some home accessories in your favorite color. Since everything here is basically a neutral backdrop, you can add just about any color you'd like to accessories your updated kitchen. Enjoy!

If you want to buy any of these tiles you can visit the

Tile Collection in Charlotte. If you'd like color and advice, 

you can email me, Donna Frasca, Color Specialist.

Color Question from Piper Glenn, NC

Donna,

We have a large home in Piper Glenn, NC and the problem I'm having is lack of color. I have an open floor plan and high ceilings.

It seems I have a lot of “blank” wall space and it also looks like my furniture is floating because it's so dark. Buying new furniture is not an option because my husband and I just can't afford it now.

What do you suggest we do to cozy up our living room area? 

Thanks in advance,

Jill S.

Jill,

The great thing about color is that you CAN afford to paint your home but it has to be in the RIGHT colors. Painting is the most affordable way to change the look of your home without breaking the bank.

Many of the homes here in south Charlotte do have open floor plans and high ceilings. When you don't have color on the walls, the white or contractors beige sticks out like a sore thumb. There is also a huge contrast because your furniture is dark and your walls are so light. How do we fix that? With color!

I would suggest a few colors for your LR so you'll have a light, medium and dark color scheme to add interest and dimension. Choosing just one color for this size room would be a little too safe and a bit boring for this beautiful layout.

Here are some popular colors by Sherwin Williams that could be possibilities for your home.

 Try Sedate Gray for your walls. It's a soft, neutral that will complement the burgundy in your upholstery.

 I would paint Steady Brown on the fireplace wall. This is a medium tone that will balance out the heaviness of your furniture.

 

Turkish Coffee should go on the wall right behind the fireplace. This dark color will bring your eye up to the ceiling where you have a medium tone wood.

Jill, with this color scheme you have a light, medium and dark color for balance. Your furniture will no longer look like it's floating because it won't be the first thing you see when you walk into the room. To add a finishing touch, choose colorful artwork and home furnishings to bring a few of your favorite colors into the room. 

Thanks so much and send a photo when you're done!
Donna Frasca, Color Specialist

Sherwin Williams colors Charlotte

Before the year gets into high gear, I usually like to recap the prior year of color so I can  see if there was a pattern. 

What was the most popular colors? 

What paint brand was preferred over the others and why?

I've been a Color Specialist in Charlotte, mainly south Charlotte, for four years now and there is one paint brand that seems to be the favorite - Sherwin Williams.

With my expertise in color, clients not only rely on me to choose the right color scheme for them but also choose a paint brand that will hold up for years to come. 

Decor Pad

One very popular color was Comfort Gray. It seemed to be a great choice for both the master bedroom and the spa retreat to match. What most of my clients loved about this color was that it changed depending on the light conditions in your room. Sometimes it appeared to be more of a gray and sometimes is looked like a pale blue as pictured in the photograph. It was like getting two colors in one!

Decor Pad

Versatile Gray was another popular color. It's was a great neutral but had a warming undertone that also made this a very lovable color.

Decor Pad

As you peek into this powder room, Netsuke was an extremely popular color since it blended so well with most granite countertops, kitchen cabinetry, flooring and just about any decor.

When it comes to choosing color for your home, keep in mind that many of the homes here in south Charlotte have an open floor plan. That means that you can see up to 5 rooms at one time in any given area of your home. It's imperative that your color scheme flows endlessly from room to room.

Credit

So 2011 will be another new year for amazing color. So if you hear yourself saying “I need color for my home” you know who to ask. You can also know that not only will you be getting the right color choices for your home but also a paint brand that is hugely popular here in Charlotte.

If you live near Waxhaw, NC there is a Sherwin Williams store right on Providence Road. I believe they have someone working there that can help you if you just need a color or two. If you need a color scheme for your entire home, you can email me and I can come to your home to design a palette for you!


I have some beautiful new color palettes waiting to be discovered!

Pearls, Chocolate and Slippers on Your Walls?

Love isn't love till you give it away,

I love you more day after day.

My heart starts to pound,

When you are around,

So please be my Valentine!

I just had to include that. It's a silly poem I wrote when I was about 10 but I think about it every Valentine's Day. Speaking of which, have you bought your sweetie something special yet? Do you even know what to get her? Well I have a unique gift idea for you!

What do women usually get for Valentine's day? 

    Jewelry? Candy? Slippers?

Well, yes, yes and yes! But, of course you know that I'm going to throw color in here somehow and here's how I'm going to do it.

First of all, let's make it a one of kind gift idea - give her the gift of color! But you can't just say you're going to Home Depot to pick out some paint then repaint your bedroom comes springtime. Remember, Valentine's Day is all about romance and presentation. So here's my suggestion to you, actually three suggestions to choose from.

JEWELRY

So you want to buy her jewelry. That's great! Let's take it one step further and incorporate it with color. Let's say you went to Jared and purchased a beautiful string of pearls. What woman doesn't like pearls? Well actually I don't because they just don't have enough color for me. Personally, I love rubies. Back to pearls. How romantic would it be to paint your bedroom the same color as the pearls you bought for her this Valentines day? How romantic!

The color I have featured here coincidentally is called “String of Pearls”. It's a Valspar color from the Creative Ideas Collection. This soft, delicate hue captures the opalescence of the pearl. This neutral tone will go with any decor, flooring or furniture style in your bedroom because it's so light and very much a neutral color. 

She doesn't like pearls or already has a set? Don't worry, you can do the same with any piece of jewelry from the rubies I mentioned (very expensive though) to affordable amethysts (a muted lavender is a great color for the bedroom by the way). If you do use a ruby, emerald or sapphire color, I would recommend using these as accent colors and pair it with a neutral.

CHOCOLATE

Oh, say no more. We all know that women love anything chocolate and now taking it one step further, use the same principle as what we did with the pearls but replace it with chocolate. YUM! 

The color I have here is also by Valspar and it's called “Pink Chocolate”. It's a very accommodating color that again, will look beautiful beside most dark woods and stains that you may have in your bedroom. It obviously does have a pink undertone so just be careful with this color if you have oak or pine stained wood in your room. It may clash so I would recommend sampling this color first to be sure. How delicious would it be though? I can taste it already!

Credit

SLIPPERS

Last but not least, slippers. This may be a great color just for "her" room -  a bathroom, office, or dressing room since it's considered a femine color. You could however, combine all three of these delicious colors and use them in your bedroom. 

Think accent walls, ceiling color and color for the master bath. Mix and match and have fun with your colorful Valentine's gift - whichever one she chooses. 

Every time she looks at the walls in the bedroom it'll be a reminder of how much thought you put into her gift. She'll love it and you,for years to come.