Kate paints the office

Okay, well I didn’t exactly paint it myself I had my favorite painter Victor paint it for me, which made the process even more fun.

Before:

Here’s a shot of the current chocolate brown walls. They looked great above the white wainscot when the former office occupant had the room decorated with an equestrian theme but I wanted a lighter more open feel.

For the walls I wanted a perfect neutral plus a color that reflected my personality.

This was a tall order and I had considered several options but when I came up with ‘H2 Ahh!’ as my signature color for Full Spectrum Paint’s Designer Palette I knew I had the color I was looking for!

Painting begins:

In the picture below Victor is just getting started. I wanted to make sure that there would not be any hint of brown showing through so I had him start by covering the walls with Valspar Interior High Hiding Wall Primer.

You can see on the background wall how well this has covered the brown with just a single coat and works much better than an extra coat of regular wall paint.

I have to admit that having someone else paint is great especially if you can find someone that does as nice a job as Victor does.

Painting continues:

While I took my MacBook Air out for coffee he continued painting. The most difficult part of this process for me was having my neatly organized office discombobulated and covered in plastic.

Below is a picture of the office as he is getting close to being finished. This picture doesn’t even begin to show how beautiful this color looks. It is actually very similar to Restoration Hardware’s ‘Silver Sage’ but better.

I think I bought one of the first gallons when RH started selling ‘Silver Sage’ and painted my bedroom so I have lived with this color for years, seen it in every light and contemplated the color for hours and decided for it was just about the perfect wall color for me. The one thing I didn’t care for was that in low light the color could seem flat or lifeless.

Painting completed:

Last night I spent some time simply experiencing the ‘H2 Ahh!’ in low light and I think this problem has been solved.

By developing the hue using the full spectrum of colors and eliminating black pigment from the mix it doesn’t seem to lose its beauty. This is very exciting and after a few more evenings of confirming that we ‘got it right’ I’ll probably be repainting my bedroom.

I had both the walls and ceilings painted with ‘H2 Ahh!’ and the space already feels more spacious and as if the ceiling height has been raised. As soon as I pull it back together and re-hang the artwork I’ll post a picture so you can see how it looks.

My Signature Color ‘H2 Ahh!’

Comments for others that used ‘H2 Ahh!”:

One of Ellen Kennon’s clients was even quicker than I was to use the ‘H2 Ahh’ in her office and it sounds like she likes the color as much as I do. Here’s an excerpt of a note she sent to Ellen’s assistant:

“I couldn’t be happier with the way the paint has turned out in our new office. Her (Ellen’s) recommendation of the ‘H2Ahh!’ works great with all the other colors I chose (slate, verdigris, citrine, wedgewood, honeysuckle and oasis and celery).”

“I couldn’t really envision it from the sample, but I knew I could trust Ellen. It looks amazing. When it is on the wall you can understand why she (Kate) named the color the way she did. Everyone that comes through the place comments on the beautiful colors and asks about the product.”

“The painter loved the quality of the paint as well. When the remodeling is done and the furniture and carpet are in place I will have to send you pictures.”

The magic of color never ceases to amaze me.

Tell me your color story:

I’d love to know what you love or hate about the color of your surroundings.

Are your walls in your office the perfect color for you or do they leave something to be desired?

What about in your bedroom or other rooms of your home?

More on H2 Ahh!

• Introducing Full Spectrum Paint Designer’s Palette
• Trim color for ‘H2 Ahh!’
• Walls to show off a panoramic bay view
• Silver leaf design
• Get a sample of ‘H2 Ahh!’