Have you ever finally decided on the color family for the color you want to paint your room but then been stymied when it comes to choosing the exact hue?  If that happens it may be time to step away from the paint chip racks and take time to simply think about the color.

If you close your eyes and think about what you love about the color, what comes to mind?  What images appear?  What wonderful experiences do you recall?   These can all be clues to type of color that you will most enjoy surrounding yourself with.

For me, when I think about the color pink many of the pictures that appear in my head are of very happy yet delicate and soft.

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Of all the treats found at a fair, pink cotton candy was my favorite

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I find the delicate pink of a newborn’s cheeks and lips irresistible

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Pink clouds floating in the sky above lift my spirits.

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Pink rose buds have a sweetness and innocence that captures my heart.

The images that came into my head leaned towards a more muted and lighter pink.   With that in mind, I would look for a pink tint that isn’t too clean or too clear so that has the same qualities I found appealing in my those pictures in my mind.

I found a few examples of rooms on housebeautiful.com that could have been inspired by my ‘visions in pink”:

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Sherwin-Williams White Dogwood SW6315 was used in this pretty pink bedroom.

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This living room’s walls are covered in Valspar’s Paris Pink MS037.

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This luxurious bedroom’s walls are covered in  Benjamin Moore’s Pale Pink Satin 008.

The rooms above are all very grown up.  I gave some suggestions for how pink can be a lovely choice for a young woman from the time she is a toddler, to a teen and then on into being a young adult in my post Madison’s Pink Bedroom.

And if you want more pink inspiration visit the participants of Pink Saturday.

What do you see when you close our eyes and think of color?

]]> http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/how-thinking-not-just-looking-can-help-you-find-the-right-color/feed/ 16 http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/ask-kate-warm-vs-cool-colors/ http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/ask-kate-warm-vs-cool-colors/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:12:10 +0000 Kate Smith http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/?p=2406

My latest ‘Ask Kate’ article on HomeFurnishings.com answers a readers question about learning how to select colors that have the perfect “temperature.”

See the latest ‘Ask Kate’ article…

I’m happy to announce that  Homefurnishing.com launches today with my ‘Ask Kate’ column feature.

The first article is titled: ‘Finding the Perfect Kitchen Color… Please check it out and look around this fabulous new website.

Today’s reader dilemma:

We have a combined kitchen and family room. The couches are medium blue with a floral print and the window coverings are yellow. The kitchen has cherry and white accents. The furniture in the family room is cherry.  Currently the wall color is a medium sage green.  Katherine

Kate suggests:

To update without many changes to your furniture and accessories a new wall color is always a great option.

I think your existing scheme sounds lovely and your color combination made me immediately think of the sun-drenched colors of Provence.  There are the colors often associated with French Country style.  Even if this isn’t the style in your home the colors still bring to mind that same warm and comfortable feeling.

Shown above is a print from Pierre Deux that shows color similar to the ones you describe in your own scheme.  Depending on where and how you use the colors the scheme can be sophisticated, traditional or lively.

Another picture from Pierre Deux shows a more sophisticated yet comfortable look with blue print sofa.  Depending on your style I like the idea of replacing the sage green walls with a combination of beautiful neutrals.  The three colors on the bottom would be a place to begin thinking about going with a neutral or combination of neutrals.  Keep in mind that every home’s style and lightening is different it will be important for you to sample and study the colors in the room to make sure they are pleasing to you.

The blue is to show a color close to that in your coach, along with colors from Sherwin-Williams Pennywise SW6681, Gleeful 6709, Brentwood SW8146, Shore SW8115, Antique White SW6119

Shown above is a green that I think is probably a bit brighter and clear than the current green.  Just updating the green to a fresher version of the color is another option that could work to give you a whole new feeling.  As could going with yellow on the walls and not just the window treatments.

This is a Sherwin-Williams ad showing a brighter green with blue and yellow. In this case the blue and yellow they have chosen make it perfect for a nursery but with deeper blue, yellow and red a green that is a bit more vibrant and less grayed than sage green could work in your Family Room and adjoining kitchen.

Today’s question in the makeover gallery is from a woman who say she likes reds and browns for her living room.  I want to make it modern and warm but I was afraid with the cathedral ceiling it will be overwhelming if I don’t pick the right color.  My rug is tan and the couch (which is gonna go soon is also tan). Thank you.

Here’s a picture of the room now followed by my advice.

Red is a wonderful color but I agree it could be a bit overwhelming if you don’t chose just the right color.  If you really want to go with red I would choose a color that is more of an earthy red such as EB 38-1 Cabin Red.  This color is part of the Eddie Bauer collection from Valspar and is available at Lowes.

Here is a picture I grabbed off the Valspar website to show you how this color looks.  As you can see it is not a bright, stop sign red but rather a red that looks like it has aged or weathered.

Still red covering the large wall space you have could seem a bit too much even it you like the color.  As an alternate I would suggest a natural soft green for the walls and then you could bring the red in as accents and accessories.

Here’s an example from the Martha Stewart collection. This collection is also made by Valspar and is available at Lowes.  I like MS266 Anjou Pear and as you can see in this picture it works very nicely with the red cushions, black trim and dark brown table.

This close up shows the colors in the fabrics a bit better.  The print may not be as contemporary as you might like but you could bring other accent colors in accessories that suit your style.  I just wanted to get you thinking about color options.

Another wall color that would work beautifully with the brown and red is MS285 Fountain.  This works well with dark brown and would make a nice background for red.

I’ll look forward to seeing a picture of your completed project.

In the makeover gallery BMendoza ask for some assitance with choosing colors for an open floor plan.  Here’s what was shared:

Living Room shares a wall with my kitchen. I will be purchasing a new sofa and putting in a couple of chairs along. Later, I may add a nice wood flooring. So really, no color scheme is concrete based on furniture. Three big windows which let in pretty good amount of indirect light.

I recommend looking at the following Behr paint colors:

• Nomad in kitchen
• Ocean Pearl for main wall color
• Spartan Stone for accent wall color around doorway, back wall of exercise area and/or LR window wall.

All will work now and will work when you add hardwood floors or buy new furnishings.

Hear more about why I’m suggesting these colors:

In the makeover gallery Roland asked for advice on a paint color that would work with his blue stone fireplace. Here’s the pictures he shared of his living area.

I recommend the following paint colors from Sherwin-Williams.

Living Space:
Bagel SW 6114
Samovar Silver SW6233

Kitchen:
Heart of Palm SW 6415
Viva Gold SW6367

You can hear why I suggested these paint colors here:

In the makeover gallery JSG asked, “What color works with this piece of furniture?”

I recommend looking at the following Benjamin Moore paint colors:

• Audubon Russett HC-51
• Copper Mountain AC-12
• Silver Pine AC-21

Listen to why these are the colors to set off this antique blue cabinet:

Reader Karen L. from New Jersey wrote with a question about color temperature.  When she was looking at paint swatches for her dining room the person described one of the two reds she was looking at as being cooler.  She said she found this confusing because she thought all red hues were considered warm and asked me to explain.

All color families–-the reds, the blues, the greens,etc.– can be described as either warm or cool.  When shown on the color wheel warm colors are the ones from yellow all the way around to red-violet and the colors that fall on the other side of the wheel from yellow-green around to violet are the cool colors.  Red falls among colors classified as warm.

A color can also be referred to as warmer or cooler when compared to another color.  This is what is know as relative color temperature.

In this case when comparing two hues of red one might be described as cooler if it is a red with more violet or blue in it than the red you are comparing it to.  In general terms both would still be considered warm however relative to one another one could be described as cooler.

Today’s Color Dilemma:

I live in a 1950’s style cape cod, and want to do over the kitchen, however i am planning to just replace the counter tops, repaint the wood cabinets. But the biggest issue is that it has blue half way up the wall, with black trim, my floor is white/gray linoleum that we just replaced, i need ideas about color scheme for the cabinets/counters and the remaining half of the wall. I considered white, but it seems to be too much. can you make any suggestions? –Deb

Kate Suggests:

I like the idea of working with your 50’s elements and here are a couple of options.You can pick up on the existing light blue/black with black or gray based counter tops. Depending on your budget granite is always an option or if that is more than you want to spend look for another material that has black or gray or both.

White walls could work but a gray or lighter tint of the blue that is already in your kitchen could work as well.  You could bring in another color on the walls but without seeing the room I hesitate to suggest this as it might break up the look rather than pull it together.

As far as repainting the wood cabinets, you could go with white or gray that picks up on the gray in your linoleum floor or a very light blue that works with the existing blue walls.

For accents an option would be to use red and/or yellow with the blue/black/gray/white color scheme.  You can see a bit of vintage dish towel above with blue, red and yellow that has these colors.  Another option might be to use bright apple green accents but whatever hue you choose adding elements in a fun color in your kitchen will add to its overall charm.