Color Is My Life

Do you ever stop and wonder how you got to where you are in life and career? Sometimes I stop and wonder how did I become such a successful Color Expert, own my own business and where did I get such a finely tuned eye for color?

I really don't mean to sound conceited, I'm really a very down to earth person, but knock on wood sometimes I even surprise myself. Here's a painting I did today of Monet's Lady With Parasol, mine is on the right. I just love color so much and it's such a huge part of me it's clear that this is my destination. 

Some people go to school to learn about color or take some certification classes and some “Color Experts” just decide to go into design because they “like” it. Which is fine because there are all levels of expertise and I can respect that. However, for those individuals such as myself who had their hands literally IN paint and color since they were kids - THOSE will be the true color experts if not by anything else but by experience alone. 

There's a small percentage of people who clearly were born to color. I guess it's like the difference between a Chef and someone who just likes to cook. Everyone can follow a recipe but isn't it funny how some meals just taste better than others depending on who cooks it? Why is that? Because some people have the natural God giving talent and drive without even trying so it just comes more naturally to them. These are the people that will shine.

Getting back to color and art, if you look at my “fancy” painting palette which in nothing more than a white plate which I bought at the local Goodwill store for 25¢, notice the colors. Looking closely, I circled the original colors, you can see 5 main colors. 

Starting at 12:00 there's a blue, yellow, red, black is at 6:00 and white is - or was - in the center. Those are the only colors I work with. With those five colors, you can make any color in the world - if you know how. This little factoid comes in handy when you're thinking about what colors to choose at a color consultation.

I've been oil painting since I was 10 years old, had several art shows in New York, won several blue ribbons and been published a dozen times over. Have I sold paintings? Very few - it's just something that I can't part with. When I paint, I feel like there is a part of me that is in the painting so how can I sell that?

I was just talking to David Hunt, Artist and owner of Eight Legs Gallery & Divine Custom Frame about selling art. He to was not able to sell his art for years but after a while, for one reason or another, an artist makes the decision to sell their work.

David Hunt 

David Hunt

Perhaps at this stage in my life when my home is completely adorned with my paintings and I do have an art show coming up December 2nd, I think I may be at the point to share some of my work. After all, why not? If it brings such joy to me and I see how other people love it as well, then I'll share.

If you live in Charlotte, NC and would like to purchase this painting, see more of David's beautiful works of art or just enjoy the art of the Waxhaw Arts Councils members, please stop by the Bean and Belle Art Studio in Waxhaw. The event is this Friday, December 2nd from 5:30-9:30pm.

Classic Thanksgiving Colors

Babette's Feast

How To Design a Color Scheme for Your Kitchen

Choosing color for your home seems fairly simple right? You find a color, make sure it looks good in your room, brush out  a sample to be sure then paint. But what about your kitchen color? It's more than just choosing a wall color. You have to choose a countertop that matches your cabinets, cabinets that look good with your flooring, flooring that matches your backsplash - it's like “Pandora's Box” - if one element is not considered, you're entire kitchen design will be off.

FLOORING:

I'm a huge fan of both bamboo and cork flooring, BR111. I've done several posts on them and really love the look in the kitchen. 

If I had the pleasure to re-design my kitchen, the tile flooring would be out. Why don't I like tile? It's cold, hard and a pain to keep the grout clean. So in this “just for fun” design board, you see a medium tone bamboo for the floor. It's a “green” product (bamboo is actually a grass that grows EXTRTEMELY fast - like 24" in day fast). You really need to go to to local showroom and look at the grain and just walk on it. It's very cool.

CABINETS:

The panel shown here is actually an oak wood, Cathedral raised panel in a honey stain. It has a greenish tint which I thought was really unique. It also picks up the colors in the granite. So much you can do with this color.

HARDWARE:

Since the refrigerator is stainless, I felt that was enough “silver” in this kitchen - I really dislike the “matchy-matchy” look. So I tossed in a heavier look of Mediterranean Bronze to pick up the dark specks in the granite. The bronze with copper highlights finish on the pulls adds warmth to the room and compliments the granite. Switch plates are a small accent to tie in with the refrigerator. 

DESIGN TIP: Please do NOT keep the stock, cream, plastic switch plates that come with the house. I litterly cringe when I see them, very much like plastic covering on a sofa. There are so many beautiful choices for switch plates and sometimes the little details in design make a huge impact.

LIGHTING:

Just for a little mood lighting, I thought it'd be nice to have some track accent lighting. The tea stained  shades coordinate with the green undertone in both the granite and the cabinets. Of course you'll have the main lighting in your kitchen, I just highlighted this for fun.

PAINT COLOR: 

Definitely go with the green that can be seen throughout this kitchen. Sage/muted green is very appealing to most decors. Try Benjamin Moore “ Shakespeare Tan” and “Da Vinci's Canvas” and an accent. These are two awesome colors to start your day with. 

ACCESSORIES:

Run right to Crate & Barrel. They have the colors that will make this kitchen shine! The rich golds, warm greens and spicy oranges to jazz it up a bit will be perfect for this kitchen.

photo by Donna Frasca

Need help coordinating color for your kitchen? 

Contact me to set up an appointment to get the 

RIGHT colors in your home.

Backlighting in The Bathroom

Fancy light?

Just a hint of light?

FreshHome

Where is the light?

So many people retreat to the bathroom for a spa experience or at least to get pampered just a bit. It's one thing to choose the wrong color in the bathroom, that's an easy fix, but what do you do if the lighting is completely off target? Here's what I'm tailing about. Come look!

As an Interior Designer, I know one of the most challenging design elements to perfect in the bathroom, or really any room in the house, is lighting. When you're planning out the room design, you really have to put yourself IN the room and virtually walk around it to see if it's really a functioning design.

Designs look great on paper but are they functional? Here's one of the biggest design dilemmas I come across, I know because this is MY bathroom delemma - BACKLIGHTING.

What is backlighting? It's exactly what is states, “being lit from the back” or having the light source coming from behind, creating a silhouette.

Here is a partial layout of my bathroom. Here you see the tub, with a window then on the other side you have the sink area with vanity lighting (not shown). Here's the problem.

The window by the tub is a 40" x 40" glass block window. I have a dark brown cellular shade on the window now for privacy, light and heat control. However, since we have many sunny days here in Charlotte I often love to have the window treatment up to let in the light and to warm up the room durning our cooler months. Plus my cat loves to soak up the sun in his basket on the edge of the tub.

Jimmy, Platinum Burmese
Wall color: Clair de Lune, Behr

Back to the bathroom layout …

Now the problem starts when I have the window treatment up and full sunlight comes in from the window behind me. When I stand by the sink and look into the mirror, I can hardly see my face. How does one apply make up in this lighting? Answer: you don't. Why? Since the light source is coming from behind me, the front of me is dark and the back of me is where the light is hitting - backlit.

So at this point, I now have to pull the cellular shade down and turn the vanity lighting on - it the daytime! Waste of electricity and frustrating to say the least.

There's nothing I can do about my bathroom design at this point but if only the designer thought how he or she would function in this bathroom, perhaps this fiasco could have been avoided.

ONYX in the Bathroom

Last week during the KBTribechat, of course the subject of lighting came up and I mentioned Onyx and how beautiful it looks when backlit. I first saw this effect when I went to go visit the Charlotte showroom of Charles Luck Stone.

Onyx by itself  is beautiful …

But look how beautiful it looks when it's backlit. Now even though the light source is coming from behind, it's a soft light that really shouldn't project a silhouette, plus, there's ample spot lighting from above. 

So however you envision your dream bathroom, keep in mind how you want your lighting to function. Lighting is so very important so take your time and design well. Need help you with color choices? Contact me, Donna Frasca, Color Expert in Charlotte.

I Don't Use White and That's No Lie

After reading a great post by KG Style, When White Walls Are Your Only Option, it inspired me to write about the color I really just don't use.

I kid you not when I say that if I used white in my color consultations MAYBE a handful of times, that would be an exaggeration - and that's a 20 year career! Of course I've used it on trim and ceilings but that's a given. 

I remember at one color consultation a few years ago I suggested white, and I can't even remember which room it was to be in, the client protested loudly! “I hired you to choose COLOR for me. White I can choose on my own.” “Wow, really?” I said but white would be perfect in this room.” I said  and then I got a stern look as if she said with her eyes, “choose white and you'll be walking.” She had a point and to an extent, I agree. Not only is the customer always right but when SEVERAL clients say the same thing - you better listen!

White has it's place of course and when I lived in New York and Pennsylvania where the homes were older and smaller, white would have been fitting. Ironically, I didn't hear my clients voice themselves about white until I moved to Charlotte. What's the difference? The size and style of the homes.

Typical home in South Charlotte, NC

So not only do you have to consider how white will fit into the scheme of things in your home but you also have to consider the SIZE and style of your home.

The McMansions that I colored here in Charlotte are anywhere from 3500 - 7,000 sq. feet. When you consider how much crown molding, trim, chair rails, ceiling and two story wall space that is, you are looking at a considerable amount of space. Do you really want to see THAT much white?

Another reason I don't use white is because of what it symbolizes. The first thing I think of when I see an all white room is either a hospital or some type of doctors office. Who would want that feeling in a kitchen? I know I'm not the only one who associates white with hospitals so why would you want it in your kitchen unless of course for some odd reason, hospitals are exciting to you.

White isn't a cozy color, it's not fun, not exciting unless paired with a color, has no imagination and quite frankly, I question designers who have it for their signature look. I know that's not really fair to say because I know for a fact, choosing an all white or off white color scheme is not easy. One of my more difficult consults were when a client wanted her ENTIRE home to be various tints of white. That my friends, was a thee roughest color consult on my books to date.

Now on the side of white, of course when done properly and with enough color in the room to un-sterilize it - it can look pretty darn good.

Houzz

But - when there's too much white - why have this …

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When you can have this …

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You can still have a “light” kitchen by using white sparingly - just a splash here and there. Now I'm all for off or soft white such as Benjamin Moore 's classic white collection like Cloud White, White Down, Soft Chamois, Monterey White - the list goes on and on but it's up to my clients if they are open to this “color” that lacks hue and grayness.

Not a fan of white either? Contact me and we can get some color cooked up in your kitchen - and we can take a peek at some of these whites to see how YOU like them.

Color: Going Outside Your Comfort Zone

So you bought an accent piece for your home with a little too much color. You really like the color but now you're not sure what will go with it. Same old question applies, “should I choose a white or beige and be safe or can I have a fun color to go with it?”

I say -  choose a fun color for your main wall of course! You may want some help if you're not 100% sure, I'll make a few suggestions for you.

Who doesn't love a fun yellow chair? I love this chair and I could see any of those three colors to go with it. These three colors actually look nice together and throwing the purple in there makes it a bit unique. Using the red for a very dramatic room or just in accents if you want the chair to stand out. 

There's nothing too unique about this mossy green vase so you'll definitely need some jazzy wall color to liven up this room. 

These three colors are cool which is nice considering the vase is a warm color. Same as the first example, use the dark purple as the main wall color if you want a dramatic room but I think the lavender would be my choice.

Hello kids room! No rules here just have fun 

with color - a lot of it!

Pale blue can sometimes come across as a little boring especially if you have a neutral wall. Liven it up with these hues for an exotic twist to a normally hum drum hue.

If you're looking for a Color Specialist in Charlotte, I can make some beautiful suggestions for you. Contact me to see how.

For The Veterans

Veterans Day Red

Pretty Doesn't Always Mean Practical in Kitchen Design

I really shouldn't say “goofs” but certainly design elements to ponder. Looking at this kitchen, which is actually very pretty except for the area's I have circled.

Why would a kitchen designer add that awkward shelf area where the rooster is? The cabinets are non functioning and it's just a shelf to collect odd decor such as roosters and plants. How often will you be going up there to dust? I'm thinking the bill for this kitchen would have been considerably less if that area was utilized a bit better or just eliminated. 

The other area I have circled is the bottom of the cabinetry. Again, this is a great example of something that looks pretty but is not practical. Can you imagine all the dust bunnies and other “collectibles” that will be gathering under those cabinets? 

Look where the hinges are on the cabinets. There's no way you can have full swing of the door without hitting the range. Poor design.

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Never liked a white kitchen. This kitchen (actually belongs to Courtney Cox) looks like a doctors office. I'm pretty sure there are no children in this home because that white sitting area would be filled with black footprints in a heartbeat if there were. 

I don't care for this kitchen design for several reasons. Since the kitchen is so very white, the black island sticks out like a tank and it's not even an attractive island. It has an awkward design with those two legs looking like they're about to run away.

The tile floor has some color but the pattern is too busy for this small room. I do like the stainless appliances though.

See, it just goes to show you, pretty doesn't always mean practical.

A Designers nightmare. Too many undertones!

It doesn't happen often but I kid you not when I shake in my boots a bit when I see all these undertones in one area.

From “orange” kitchen cabinets to …

a pinkish backsplash to …

a gray countertop to …

a yellow undertone floor tile to …

a very orange wood flooring in the surrounding room to …

the dreaded pinky beige carpet in the living room, that can be seen from the kitchen.

This is definitely is a challenge when all these colors are in one room and you need a wall color to tie it in. What color do you choose? A taupe? A off white? A gray?

Or do you forget the neutrals and just blast in some color?

Well there's one more factor that I forgot to mention and it's lighting. The color that you choose to tie in your kitchen kaleidoscope really depends on the type of lighting you have. Do you have a lot of natural light, north light, florescent light, yellow light? 

You have to look at the overall picture, take all these factors into consideration and just look at the paint chips in your kitchen. Have no more than 4 to really consider and see how you like the color during different times of the day.

Paint out a sample or two for the two runners up and decide which sits well with you at the end of the day. 

Need more help? Contact me and I can help you through the undertone madness that, sometimes happens but it's certainly possible.

Do you REALLY love your kitchen color?

You wake up, get out of bed, head into the kitchen for that first delicious morning brew and you see this …

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VERY bright “in your face” color. 

Is this how you want to start your day?

Pinterest

Or, you went with the “trend of the year” and now it looks like it belongs in a Barbie Doll house.

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Or, you decided on a white kitchen, which is fine, with a splash of counter color but you chose the wrong blue for the walls. Bottle of milk instead of that cup of coffee? Yup, you just turned your kitchen into a nursery.

Oh the things you need to think of when choosing color for your kitchen. And it's more than just wall color. You have to consider counter tops, cabinets, flooring, lighting and the list goes on and on.

Cherry cabinets? Go to it's complementary color and soften the edges in your kitchen. Green is a great color choice for your kitchen - but - you have to be careful not to choose it too minty or too pea green.

Love the silver/gray look for the kitchens that have stainless. They were just meant to be together.

Want to be a little cozier? Play off the colors in your granite. 

Doing that will really tie in the look.

Like a white kitchen?  Or maybe just a little? Try a very, very pale blue but make sure you have enough gray in the blue so you don't get the “nursery” look again.

Need help in the kitchen? No, I'm not going to cook but I will cook up some great color for you. Contact me to schedule a color consultation. Great color in the kitchen is a right way to start your day - and a great cup of coffee.