What Color Should My Bonus Room Be?

Bonus rooms usually have the “odd wall” with a partial ceiling and perhaps not to much light. How do you work around this? With color!

Before we determine the color of the room, we have to know the function of the room. What is this bonus room used for? Storage? Playroom? Man Cave? Most of the homes in South Charlotte that I've chosen color for use the bonus room for the kids so playroom it is.

Keeping in mind there is usually just two small windows in this room, you'll need to use a fairly light color, but still have enough pigment in it to be youthful and playful. 

I chose this green as the main color. Why is green a good color for a playroom? Because it's universal, both a boy and a girl like the color without being to gender specific. 

Take the green over the entire ceiling so you don't have that awkward white landing strip. Making it all one color will also make it appear larger. Take the yellow and put in on the accent wall where the window is - you can do this on both sides of the room. Add a splash of yellow to the bookcases to tie in the look and you're done!

If you'd like to know what these two colors are or to choose the perfect color for you bonus room, you can contact me if you live in the South Charlotte area. 

My Most Popular Posts for 2011

Since I just mentioned my best colors for 2011 it's only fitting that I tell you my best blogs posts for 2011. So again, here we go, the most popular blog posts for 2011

#1

How to Choose Color for A Kitchen

Here I show you step by step how to choose color and even suggest a few that will work together. There are so many elements in a kitchen that need to be considered when deciding on a palette. After reading this post, you'll be on your way to beautiful kitchen.

#2

Home Furnishing Color Trends for 2012/2013

Oh the dreaded “T” word - Trend. I'm not a fan of following color trends but here are few that were popular for 2011. I can't wait to see what will be hot for 2012.

#3

How To Combine Classic Colors & Color Trends

The best way to choose color is to use both Classic colors and trendy colors to develop your own unique look. Mix them up and have fun!

#4

Man Cave Colors

Keep it dark and colorful and there you have a your Man Cave color. This was a fun post.

#5

10 Questions About Color For Your Home

Sometimes it just gets too overwhelming. Here's some of the questions that were asked about color in 2011.

(see #6 at the end of this post)

#7

The Biltmore Estate At Christmas

If you live in North Carolina, you'll be very familiar with this home.

#7

How To Use Warm Grays

Gray is a color that is still trending. Love the warms grays and this post show you how to use them.

#8

Tickled Pink with Pantone's Color of The Year

A surprisingly bright color from Pantone - but how will the men like it?

And, the most surprising post for 2011 comes in at #6. I did this post in May 2010 as a joke and even thought about deleting it because it was so off base compared to what I normally do. Just goes to show you that there is a reader for all the posts that are written no matter how silly, odd or weird. If it's about color - it's ALL good! Here is it, coming in at #6 -

The Color of Comic Books

Thank you to all my readers for enjoying my blog posts over the years. They are always fun to write and I hope I've covered just about every subject you'd need to get the best color for your home.

A Year In Retrospect 2011

As 2011 comes to a close and I get ready for 2012. I like to look back at some of the colors that stood out from the rest.

Here I have a short list of the colors that were unique to this year in one way or another. Without further adieu, come take a look at 2011 in retrospect.

Prettiest Pink - Milk Shake 1165

Most popular Color - Contented 6191

Best Red - Currant Red 1323

Best Purple - Magic Potion 1250

Creamiest Beige - Barley 199

Spiciest - Armagnac 6354

Most Dramatic Dining Room Color

Jute Brown 6096

Prettiest Gray - Anew Gray 7030

Best Chair rail color - Bosc Pear 6390

Unexpected Kitchen Colo- Bali 702

Most shocking laundry room color

Exuberant Pink 6840

Best in Foyer Color - Netsuke 6134

Best Peach - Mark Twain House Peach  - Valspar

Bluest Living Room - Moody Blue 6221

I'd like to that all my readers for your comments and reposts of my blog. I look forward to new, exciting and colorful events for 2012!

My Christmas Decor at Night

We know Christmas decor is beautiful in the daytime but doesn't it have a magical ambiance at night? Here's a few pictures of my Christmas at night.  You'll see that my main color scheme in one part of the house is purple and the other part is gold.

This is one of my favorite ornaments. It's a Martini glass filled with the Classic Martini with just enough ice to chill it while it's sipped thoughout the night.

When placing your Christmas tree in your home, look for places where it can reflect. Use mirrors and windows to help you with this look. Doing this will double the lights and triple the atmosphere.

I love how the LED's reflect off the presents.

As you move into the living room, you'll see the main hue is gold. From the vanilla candles to the Gold Buff (Behr) walls, this color really warms my room.  

The dark green mantle really stands out against the Gold Buff background. You can't see the painting from this photograph but I chose the green that was in the painting (Tuscan Village). When you choose a color that is in existing decor, there really ties in the look of the room.

 You can't see it here but I glazed gold into the crevices in the mantle to give it an additional yet subtle sparkle. 

Santa dangles over the edge of the mantle and watches the family enjoy the Christmas season. Dark red and green velvet stockings complete the look.

I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into my Christmas at night.

Merry Christmas and Happy, Healthy New Year to All!!!

What Color Is Your Christmas?

My tree at night

It's that time of year when we start breaking out the Christmas decorations. My tree usually goes up Thanksgiving weekend. It goes in front of the window so everyone can see it at night - the light, the ornaments and the tree topper.

What I just love about tree decorating is that, like anything else, everyone decorates differently - different trees, lights, colors and styles.

So when you think of Christmas, most people think red and green. I wonder how many people break out of the norm and choose an usual color to call their own? What color is your Christmas?

Some people don't put up a tree, but use several small ones instead. A neighbor of mine used to have a tree in every room of the house each with a different theme. It was a Christmas wonderland!

Blue and silver is a “cool” choice.

Love the “Back to Basics” decor with these rustic bells.

Restoration Hardware

Here the tree is neutral but the wall color set the theme. It looks very much like Contented, a trending color here in South Charlotte. The tree looks like a Douglas Fir - artificial or real - with simple gold and white decorations on it. Very classic.

And here you have the very traditional full tree with red accents and white lights. Very classic, extremely beautiful. One year I had red apples and red bows throughout the tree accented with small bird nests. One of my favorite looks for the tree but between the kids and the cats, the decorations seemed to disappear. 

Photo credits: Christmas at Historic Houses and Decorating For Christmas at Historic Houses McMillam & McMillan, Schifferbooks.com  - ANY "SHARING OF OUR IMAGES MUST CREDIT OUR BOOKS.

Thank you to Patricia Hart McMillan for some of her beautiful photographs

Do Your Plants Match Your Decor?

I've had this Christmas Cactus for about 10-15 years and I never really thought about the color of it until now. I guess since it's in full bloom, the question about it's color came into play.

When you purchase a flowering plant for your home, do you just buy the plant because you like it or do you take the color of it's flower into consideration?

I know these plants come in various colors and I think my #1 choice would have been red but it is what it is and I have fuchsia. Beautiful plant, beautiful flowers but does the color really go with my decor? 

You can see the colors in the rug and column that I've circled are close to a burgundy. How do you think it looks by the cactus color?

For the 2-3 times a year it blooms it really shouldn't be a concern but for the main Holiday which is Christmas of course, it really is! Everything else in my home is gold and burgundy. During the year it really doesn't bother me but it seems to clash a bit when the main color of Christmas is red.

What do you think?

Do You Live In a Cookie Cutter Home?

We all love cookies but do we love the “Cookie Cutter” home?

AKA - the Tract Home.

Definition: Large single family homes with manicured lawns, very close to each other, same layout, same appliance options and upgrades inside, consistent curb appeal, great for active neighborhoods with a lot of kids. Sometimes these homes lack individuality and personality and you may be able to get a little creative with exterior color if you don't have an HOA but for the most part - they all look the same.

What you may see in a Cookie Cutter home.

Composite Crown moulding

Hollow Interior Doors

Ceiling mounted lights that look like female body parts.

The same low grade, shedding beige carpet.

The point of this post is that even though our homes may look all the same on the outside, we can definitely  make them different on the inside - with color! 

Would you like a color consultation? 

Contact me, Donna Frasca, Color Specialist in Charlotte

Choosing Colors For The South Charlotte Homes

I've often mentioned that I work mainly in the South Charlotte area so I thought it'd be nice to talk about South Charlotte, what type of homes are there and touch base on the process of designing a palette for these homes.

First of all, where is South Charlotte? The towns in South Charlotte are mainly Ballantyne, Wesley Chapel, Marvin and Weddington. Prices range anyway from $349,000 to well over a $1,000,000. The homes are very large, mostly new homes, gorgeous custom builts and homes that have beautiful open floor plans.

What does a typical home in South Charlotte look like? Well, there are the custom homes that are very large, unique and usually have high end materials from the best granite to gorgeous wood flooring.

Then there are the “cookie cutter” homes. These home are still typically large, about 3500 sq. feet, and have a two story open floor plan. They are very close to their neighbor because land is fairly expensive and will have the same layout on the inside but sometime the builder flips the layout to change it up a bit.

So in a nutshell, these are basically the two style of homes I work with. Both are beautiful and both have their pros and cons like any other neighborhood. More common is the “Cookie Cutter” home so I'll be talking more so about this style of home.

Here I've included a very typical layout of these homes. Generally, you walk into a large, two story foyer. On the right is a sitting room/office and on the left is the dining room.

As you enter into the home there is a large family room that ideally may also be open to the kitchen and the second floor area. The main core of the home here of course are these main areas and it's imperative to choose a color palette that transitions from room to room.

Now this home I'm showing you is for sale and does have a really nice layout - however - since it's for sale, the colors may hinder the sale of this potentially beautiful home. It's not that the colors are bad, some people like strong colors, it's that these colors are not the best choice to bring out the homes full potential. Here's what I mean.

I just LOVE this rich butterscotch color but it may be too overwhelming the second you walk into the home. I does kind of hit you in the face but it's definitely a 'make a statement' color.

How would I change it? Keeping in mind there is a lot of wall space here that opens up to the second floor, I'd soften it up a bit and choose one of the colors that are in the area rug. Doing this not only is easier on the eye but it also starts to tie in the decor of the home by incorporating the area rug.

Now the dining room is the one room where  I like to choose a darker hue. The green is not bad and would actually match the new foyer color but I'd like to give it a milk chocolate color.

It looks like they used the same color for the living room and the foyer.  I just think it's too much. I would again soften it a light brown - keeping the dining room color in mind as well.

DESIGN PEEVE #1:

I just don't like the TV over the fireplace! I think it's an eye sore and it takes away from the beauty of the fireplace. You don't have to have a TV in the LR folks, especially if you don't have the proper place to store it.

DESIGN PEEVE #2:

Please do not keep the switch plates that the builder has provided for you - especially if you have a dark or bright color on the wall. With the contrasting colors, the white or cream switch plates really stand out and it's NOT a good look. I know it's expensive to purchase 4 dozen new plates for this size home (I know because my home is the same size) BUT - you can spray all the plates in your home for just  a few dollars. I sprayed my plates Hammered Gold (my walls are Gold Buff by Behr) and it looks beautiful!

Huge problem in many of the homes here in South Charlotte - the dreaded 'orange cabinets'. Not sure what the builder was thinking using orange cabinets and a 'yellow' tone floor but it's really a challenge to make these kitchen tie in with so many undertones. I chose this warm gray and it really looks nice with the countertops and just softens the look of the kitchen.

Here we see the butterscotch color again in the master bedroom. Sometimes when people really don't know what colors to choose for their home, they pick 1 color and use it throughout the entire home - I've seen this dozens of times but it's usually with a more neutral hue.

Since the bed is so big and heavy, I went with this blue/gray which is strong enough for this big room and will compliment all the orange woods you see here. I really like this color!

For the master bath, I took out some of the gray in the bedroom color so it shows more as blue. Nice color choice for the lady of the house who usually likes the spa bathroom. Again, this blue will look perfect with the orange tone tile you see here. Brushed nickel hardware also looks perfect with these blues. 

Before

After

So here you see how I've changed the color scheme. It went from only using three colors to having six colors throughout the house. Also keep in mind this home is selling so the colors should be soft and somewhat universal for the potential new homeowner.

Since the home is large, it can easily hold at least 6-8 colors comfortably. Now the colors that I choose will softly transition from room to room as you can see in the 6 colors that I've provided here. If I choose 6 distinct and unrelated colors than you'd have a “patchwork quilt” looking home. Not a good look.

I also choose colors that can be mixed and matched. Keep in mind that when you choose color for, lets say the kitchen, it's chosen to suit the lighting in THAT room. If you take the kitchen color and put it in the dining room, it will look slightly different because there will either be less light or more light making the color appear either lighter or darker.

Keeping that in mind, I always tell the client that if you have an extra room like the basement, laundry room or just an extra guess room, feel free to choose any of the 'base' colors I've provided because you know that it'll match with the rest of your home.

If you're hesitant to choose color for your home, you can contact me to choose a color scheme for you.

Donna Frasca

A Color Specialist in Charlotte, catering to the

South Charlotte homes.