Color for Africa

How flat is the world when you get a request for a color consultation from Namibia, South Africa? If you didn't know from the title of my blog I'm located in Charlotte, North Carolina. I love that the world is flat and that Africa needs color!

Namibi Desert

With few details and some low resolution photos delivered via email, I had little to work with. I've never had the pleasure to visit Africa so I wasn't sure what colors I was dealing with. 

Sure I could Google and pull up beautiful images like I did here but where exactly is Namibia and what does it look like? I don't know. But I do know that my client was asking for a specific color scheme and that's what I had to go by.

As my imagination went wild, I had to keep in mind what Doret wanted. Here's her email. 

“Dear Donna, 

I googled for some advice on painting and I came across your site.  I was wondering if you might give me some advice please.

I am just frustrated with this project as I can’t seem to find an answer or a color to use.  Wish someone can just tell me use the green or purple or mustard color in the fabric.  I don’t want to go just for a beige or linen color.  That’s just too plain and boring.  We live in a town that gets extremely hot in summer and I want to create a cool tranquil atmosphere with a bit of drama to make it extraordinary as I am not afraid to use color.

Thanks for being willing to help me.”

When I read that she doesn't want beige, she wants a bit of drama AND is not afraid to use color I was ecstatic! Well my dear Doret, color you'll get! This is what I chose for her bedroom. 

I haven't heard back from Doret yet since I just sent her the colors today. I would love for her to send me some “after” pictures and some of her photographs of her surrounding town. 

I'll update this post when I hear from Doret!

www.DecoratingbyDonna.com

NKBA 2011 Winners. Which one do you like?

There is just something very exciting when it comes to kitchen design and color of course. Many of us who can't afford a new kitchen can dream and some of us who already have a new kitchen can dream bigger!

Congratulations to the winners for the NKBA 2011. I wasn't able to include all of them but here I featured just a few. I would like to point out that the photographs are from HGTVpro.com and the kitchen designs are from the designers that are mentioned in the credit. The color choices your see are MY representation of the overall look of the kitchens and are NOT actual color schemes of the designers.

Having said that, let's take a look at these beauties!

Kitchen Design by Chris Novak Berry

If this is log cabin living then put me in the woods and start a fire! I love wide plank wood flooring (not shown) for the main kitchen area. The contrast from the mahogany wood and the soft green hue is something I'd love to start my day with. Beautiful work Chris and I think this one get my vote too!

Bathroom Design by Holly Rickert

Holly knows how to take it up a notch for bathroom design. She clearly sees herself soaking in this gorgeous heated, fiberglass tub pan. Wow, a bathtub with a view of the woods. I would have a very high water bill if this award winning bathroom was mine.

Kitchen Design by Savena Doychinov

Now this is the type of kitchen I would have and eliminate a dining room. How many of us have dining rooms and only use it “for company” once or twice a year? That is a poor design and a waste of space. Here in Savena's kitchen, she has seating for four right IN the kitchen. I'll take it!

Kitchen Design by Melissa Morgan Sutherland

Remaining similar in color and sleek design, Melissa shows us how the use of mirrors can reflect an award winning design. It's a bathroom even Snow White would love … mirror, mirror  on the wall.

Kitchen Design by Jessica Williamson

Like it white and bright? Than this is the kitchen for you. I'm not sure this would be my choice since I prefer to start my day with a warm and cozy feeling in the kitchen with color but you certainly can bring in accent colors in this family functional kitchen by Jessica.

Kitchen Design by Cheryl Hamilton-Gray

Now THIS is a cozy kitchen! Custom carved cabinetry, terra cotta pavers and dark ceiling beams all add to making this design C-O-Z-Y. The feature I like the most is the skylights to add much needed natural light to a kitchen that has many nooks and crannies. Beautiful Cheryl!

If you would like to see some of these award winning colors in your kitchen or bathroom, contact me for a color consultation.

www.DecoratingbyDonna.com

Color for Kitchens

One of the most important rooms of the house  - the kitchen. It's the room we start our day in, enjoy meals, family time and just do most of our socializing here. Let's choose some color for this very important room, the kitchen.

Better Homes and Gardens

I started looking around the internet for pictures of kitchens and came across a few. The one above is from Better Homes and Gardens and it's actually quite nice. It doesn't have your typical dark stained cabinetry like the one below and I love it's unique color scheme.

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Although this kitchen is beautiful, it's very common to see the cabinets with the “orange stain”, neutral color tile and Gallio type granite. I can't tell you how many kitchens I've been in with this same look -  one after the other after the other, almost like a template. I understand that home builders choose certain styles but at least we have the option to choose a unique color scheme to give our kitchens a little originality. 

Now these two colors would be a great start.

This color combo would be a nice choice if your kitchen has the “orange stain” since blue would be it's complementary color. I wouldn't suggest your entire kitchen to be blue so adding this accent color will certainly liven it up.

HGTV

Now this kitchen looks very white to me which is fine if you like that look but today, we're looking for color for your kitchen. Let's add some color!

HGTV

Although by itself this is a delicate color, you have to consider if you want it in your kitchen.  Let's say you're not a morning person or you're feeling a bit “under the weather”. This color will certain do you in. See how important it is to choose the RIGHT color? Let's tweak this celery green into something that will both look and feel good in the kitchen.

Try Liberty Park by Benjamin Moore

What are some other color choices for your kitchen? Again, it all depends on various elements such as flooring, cabinet color, lighting and the color of your surrounding rooms. Having said that, let's look at some “out of the box” choices.

Don't be afraid of color choices for your kitchen. Make it lively, fun and classic. If you need help choosing the perfect kitchen color for your home, contact me at:

www.DecoratingbyDonna.com

The Colors of My Easter

As I was sitting in my backyard on this beautiful Easter morning I was surrounded by amazing colors. I'd like to share them with you with a quick post on “The Colors of My Easter”.

I counted at least 20 goldfinches flying around my yard.

I also have a family of bluebirds that are currently nesting. 

There are so many bluebirds here in Charlotte which are such a treat to see!

Purple salvia adorn the edges of my gardens and I was able to catch this busy bee enjoying it as well.

I guess with all the color that I have in my backyard it's ok that my iris's are white. I would really love to have purple or yellow iris's but I guess the birds fill in where color lacks in my yard. It's actually nice to see white as an accent feature in my yard instead of all this vibrant color. So very opposite of what I'd do in a home. Nature decorates the way she wants.

Here I just combined the purples and light colors of the iris. It's a great way to incorporate purple into your home. If the purple is light or muted, you can use it as a wall color instead of just an accent color. As a matter of fact - take a tip from nature. Go ahead and put purple on your wall and use the lighter colors as an accent. Just like the iris's in my yard. 

I hope you are enjoying your colors of 

Easter where ever you are today.

Natural Colors for Earth Day

All about brown. There will be a lot of postings about green for Earth Day but today, I would like to talk about brown, also a very earthy, natural color.

When I think of brown, the image of coffee and deep rich chocolates come to mind - and pumpernickel bread! Now brown is not one of my favorite colors in general let alone in a home. I'm not saying I don't like brown, I actually have it as an accent color in my master bathroom but it may be a hard color to sell for some people.

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With all the bright, beautiful colors that are trending now, 

why would we want this dark hue in our homes? 

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What do we know about brown? 

• Here are the Top Brown Paint Colors from My Perfect Color
• Sophisticated Neutrals from Martha Stewart.
• How To Make Brown Paint  - this is a great tip for the fine artist!
• Some FYI's about Brown from … About.com
• And of course, brown branding. What brown can do for you! 
• The Meaning of Brown - in jewelry design.
• Brown Color Scheme by Cottage Home Decorating

Now getting back to brown and how we can use it in our home. What colors can we pair with brown to give this dark, delicious color a new place in our home? Here are some color possibilities.

designed by Decorating by Donna

designed by Decorating by Donna

You may not like this dark, earthy hue by itself and it may have a bad reputation but look at some of the possibilities to modernize this once “gloomy hue”. I love the brown and light green combination, the first color of the brights - it reminds me of mint chocolate chip ice cream which is my favorite! Who wouldn't like that on their walls!

Give brown a chance in your home and pair it up with one of these colors. It'll look great!

Decorating by Donna

How to Choose Color For Your Home

It's easy as A, B, C, D … and maybe E. I'll show you how.

THE FOYER

Choosing color for your home can be a challenge.

Here I can show you where to place color and also 

offer you some color suggestions.

When I design a color palette for my clients, I refer to the interior as a 'tree'. The foyer is the trunk which is the core of the home and the rooms are the 'branches'. This is like a 'color map' which helps my clients visualize the layout of their home instead of being so overwhelmed with color placement.

The foyer is usually a neutral color such as the one you see (A) above. Most of the foyers where I live in the south Charlotte area are very open and continue up to the second floor. Keeping that in mind, a light, neutral color seems to work best.

I also like to put the foyer color in the hallways. Most hallways that I've seen have very poor lighting thus having a tendency to be shadowed. To compensate for this, it's best to keep the color here fairly light.

In most cases, the dining room is to the left or right side of the foyer. Now again, most of the homes in Charlotte follow this type of layout which is also called an open floor plan. Don't have a home with an open floor plan? That's ok! You will still have an entrance way and hallways where your (A) color will work.

THE DINING ROOM

I find that many of my clients ask for a red dining room but be careful with this hot hue - it's tricky to pick and to paint. Red will make a striking statement in your home but keep in mind, it's a typical choice to choose red and can be a dated look. Stick to something fun and updated as I pointed out with the warm gray shown as color (B).

THE LIVING ROOM

Now based on this open floor plan, the Living room is going to be surrounded by the kitchen, foyer and dining room. Knowing that, the color you choose for this room has to coordinate with those surrounding rooms. 

This warm hue (be careful not to get too gold. A warm, creamy color like I have as color (C) will look great with a gray and it's also an updated look. If you choose the wrong gold, it can be a throw back to the 70's.

AN OPEN FLOOR PLAN

Great example of an open floor plan.

Here is another shot of the Living room. Notice how you can see other rooms from standing in this one spot. Take that into consideration when choosing color. You also have to know where to start and stop the color. You can see here how I labeled the walls for  placement. This warm, creamy yellow will look great beside the neutral foyer and of course we all know that gray and yellow look great together but they have to be the RIGHT gray and yellow. 

Let's move to the kitchen. I think I see a nice warm green for that room.

THE KITCHEN

There are many factors to consider when choosing a color for your kitchen. Keep in mind the undertones of your flooring and cabinets. Do you want them to have the same undertone or to have more contrast? Let's say we are staying with the warm undertones therefore going with this this green hue. 

Caution: Be careful here! Your kitchen color has to coordinate with your living room color since these rooms flow into each other. Like the way the green and warm yellow look together? Ok, let's recap.

• Do you like this palette?
• Do the colors flow from room to room?
• Is there enough color?
• Is there too much hue for you?
• Will these colors match your flooring tile, carpeting or wood stain?

YOUR NEW COLOR PALETTE

I added an additional color (E) if you have an office on the same floor as these other rooms. See how they look great together? Other than the foyer color, feel free to mix and match these colors into the room of your choice. The thing to remember about the RIGHT color palette is that they will ALL coordinate with each other so you CAN mix and match. 

Color & Autism, Guest Blogger Denise Turner

With Autism now affecting 1 in 110 children and 1 in 70 boys, it’s imperative that architects, interior designers and color professionals be aware of the specific design requirements, for this growing population. Special consideration needs to be given when selecting colors and finishes, particularly for public spaces where children frequent.   

Autistic children frequently have difficulties with sensory integration, which are the senses that are experienced through sight, touch, sound, taste and smell.They rely on their visual senses to tell them what is happening since them often difficulty decoding verbal cues. Here’s another important fact that we need to keep in mind, when selecting color for children’s spaces. Researchers have found that autistic children’s rods and cones (components of the eye) have changed due to chemical imbalances or neural deficiencies. Colors appear more vibrant to autistic children. Of the autistic children tested, 85% saw colors with greater intensity than non-autistic children. The color red for example, looks fluorescent and vibrates with intensity.   

Environments with too much stimulus on walls, floors and counter surfaces can wreak havoc in neurologically delayed individual’s minds. Declutter! Disorganized, cluttered environments make it difficult for everyone to concentrate, especially for autistic children. For this reason it’s essential that their space be simplified. 

TIPS:

• Use non-defined patterns in fabrics, flooring and wall covering.  
• Color schemes should minimal hues; muted colors are preferred.      
• Put books, toys and other distractions out of sight; place them behind cabinet doors.  
• Draperies and shutters are distracting; use simple, inside mount blinds
• Although color preferences vary from individuals, studies have shown that many autistic children favor pale pink. 
• Reduce the use of primary colors to light weight toys, which can be removed from the space if needed.  
• A monochromatic color scheme instantly creates a peaceful environment.
• Cool colors such as blue and green typically have the most soothing effect.

Denise Turner, ASID, CID, CMG is an international colorist, Certified Interior Designer, speaker, author, artist, color & design trend forecaster, Chroma Therapist and president of the COLOR TURNERS.

As a spokesperson for ASID National, CMG Expert Speaker’s Bureau and as the Contributing Color & Design Trend Editor for idS Magazine, Malaysia, Denise regularly appears in press. Her redesign of an ADA-compliant master bath won the HGTV Designer’s Challenge. Turner is an ASID Professional Member, former ASID chapter president, CMG Chair Holder and UCLA graduate.

colorturners.blogspot.com 

www.colorturners.com

denise@colorturners.com

See how easy color can be?

Just wanted to share this beautiful color palette taken from my clients home last week. Can you see all the possibilities in color combinations here? I can go on and on with these combos and they're all taken from the boutique. 

See how easy color can be?

www.DecoratingbyDonna.com

What is Color Coaching?

We all want beautiful homes but not all of us can make our homes beautiful. 

Let's say you envision your home to look a certain way but somehow it doesn't turn out the way you want. Where do you go when you need a little color advice?

Elle Decor

You can get information just about anywhere these days but you really need to be careful who you ask for professional color suggestions, especially if you're going to pay them.

This is the point of my Color Coaching option. I get dozens of emails each week from people asking “just a quick question”. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind answering color questions but x's that by a few dozen and you're talking a lot of time and a lot of color advice.

Questions like, “Do you think my kitchen is too beige?”

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“What is the most popular gray right now?”

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“Is purple still in?”

Beautiful Kitchens Magazine

“What color will match my kitchen granite?”

What's great about my Color Coaching is that you'll be able to get color advice from me, a Color Specialist, for just $35! 

It's an awesome deal!

Let's say you need (1) color for your bedroom. All you have to do is send me a photo of your bedroom (a JPG will be best) and tell me the “feel” you want in this room. For example.

“I really like this color blue for my bedroom. Can you suggest a color that is close to this for me?”

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It's THAT simple. 

So you're saying that you can choose a blue by yourself? Of course. But what if it comes out looking like a baby's nursery (I've seen this happen before) or you pick a really pale blue and it reminds you of Grandma's house (yup - seen this one too). 

Why take a chance on color when you can get it for just $35? If you need more color suggestions with more details, there is another color option that I can offer you. Just email me and let me know what you need!

Fast color advice for a very affordable price!

www.DecoratingbyDonna.com