The “it” color, the “hot” hue, it’s how we’ve referred to purple for more than a year now. So I’m confident when I say purple continues to reign supreme as the go-to color for fall. Purple has proven itself as a true color trend through longevity in the market along with its ability to change and create unique color combinations. It’s the perfect mix of both the warm stimulating qualities of red and the cool calming effect of blue. It can be subtle and sophisticated, or powerful and punchy.

Often when looking to nature for color inspiration we lean to green, blue, yellow, or even brown. Purple is typically the forgotten color, but when we describe different hues within the purple family we use natural associations. So why not use them as our inspiration for interiors.

One determining trend factor I look for are colors that can break down barriers. When a color usually connected with one industry, group, or gender begins showing up across the board and changes how someone from another area perceives the color, then you’ve got a successful color direction. Purple has successfully achieved this status, especially influencing men’s fashion. Because of its sensual and spiritual connotations, purple has feminine appeal and women are most attracted to this hue. However, the popularity of purple has also gained attention by the male sex, who are growing more comfortable with wearing the color as an accessory or even an entire outfit. Along with this new found apparel acceptance comes a refined attitude for using purple in other areas of their lives, including interior décor! 

And this goes for women too!

So where is purple going next…well as blue gains popularity, purple begins to shift more and more towards the warmer red-violets making the range of purple more passionate, powerful, and hot. When it comes to interiors we will continue to use purple mixed with gray to create a grounded balance, and we will still see purples done in a complementary scheme (paired with it’s opposite), but what is really driving the purple trend forward is pairing this color in analogous (with colors that sit next to purple on the color wheel) or even diad palettes (purple plus another color two steps away).  Let’s take a look at those combinations through some visual inspiration.

Monochromatic

Complementary

And now for the freshest look for purple…

Analogous and Diad color combinations. The idea here is to pair purple with the warm color that sits near it on the wheel, especially purples with reds and oranges, HOT!

And if those spaces aren’t quite colorful enough for you. Try expanding your color palette beyond just 2 or 3 colors and go for an Analogous scheme with 5 or even 6 colors. Beware: these are tricky, but when done with the right color proportion, temperature control, and addition of neutrals for balance, they can be really beautiful and in both of these rooms (below) the purple is what ties everything together. When using multiple colors like these two shots (below) from Rohm and Haas, don’t forget to give special attention to that inspiration color!

‘Light the Night Yellow’ on October 10th to bring Happiness to Depression and turn our front porches, towns, communities, and businesses yellow with lighting to symbolize the joy, hope, and happiness we feel when we have successfully treated our depression.

Then ‘Brighten Our World Pink’ on October 12th to get Sassy and turn our lights, towns, communities, and businesses pink to symbolize the boldness, courage, and sass of so many women and men that fight Breast Cancer.

People across the world are encouraged to put colored lights in their porch light or window both at home and at their place of business to create a beautiful environment to celebrate those that fight depression and breast cancer.  Learn more at Brighten Our World…

Go directly to Mood Factory to find colored light bulbs…

What is it about the fame and fortune of Hollywood that is so fascinating? Maybe it’s our natural desire to surround ourselves with luxury. It could be our attraction to the glamorous style that defines the stars that live there. Or maybe it’s the glitz and glimmer, sparkle and shimmer, brilliance and beauty of precious metals that have long been the epitome of taste and style. Yeah, that’s it.

Gold has always been considered one of our most prized materials. It has an aesthetic appeal that is universal. Now the “new” metallic, a liquid washed gold, is taking center stage in haute couture fashion, automobiles, and high-end home interiors (among other areas). A colored neutral with an undertone of yellow, it’s a cross between opal and gold with gilded iridescence and a touch of fluidity. Like this for example…

The debut of this trend is one I’ve anxiously awaited, so you can imagine how delighted I was while watching the Emmy’s Red Carpet event and saw a plethora of luxe materials. My favorites stood out through their sheer elegance and reminded me of the parallels between fashion and home trends. Read more..

I’m all about inspiring people to use color and that is what my presentation last week at the House Beautiful Color Institute in Atlanta, GA was meant to do.

I thought about what I was going to say, put together some great boards and worked with Cathy the fabric guru at Ainsworth and Noah to find fabrics that would capture the audience’s imagination but what unexpectedly inspired the design mavens that attended my talk was the color of the sweater set I was wearing.

Sure, its is a great color for me and I love blue-greens but who would have thought it would have evoked so many comments?  One of my friends from House Beautiful even asked me if I knew what paint color would be that blue since during my presentation he decided it was the perfect color for his bedroom.

Funny but I have been lusting after a room in deep blue too ever since I saw Windsor Smith’s kitchen on the cover Read more..

Did you ever look at the color scheme on a home and instantly think, “Love it!”?  That was my reaction when I saw this home while in Provincetown, MA.  I loved the color scheme but even with my knowledge of color it wasn’t immediately apparent to me why it worked so well.

I really had to look at the colors closely but once I did I discovered that there were three reasons that the colors on this home’s exterior worked so well.

I began by figuring out the undertone of the stained siding  The shutters appeared to be a very muted tint of yellow-orange and harmonized rather than competed with the siding color but I wanted to be sure both colors were in the same color family.

I keep an NCS color deck in my car specifically for the purpose of generically determining paint colors.  I can then use their standard and match to any paint brand’s color.  Luckily, I was driving so I had it with me.  My iphone color apps are helpful but in this case I really wanted to see the color standard next to the actual surface.  I’m only sorry I didn’t think to take a picture so you could see it for yourself but it brings me to the first reason this color scheme works.

1.  The color of the stained siding and the color of the shutters have the same undertone

The NCS standard confirmed that both the exterior siding stain and window shutter color had basically the same undertones.  In the case of the siding the color is a visual blending of the stain along with some for the original color showing through so rather than guess which color stain would achieve the same results I check with the folks at Olympic Paint & Stain. Read more..

OK, so I have to admit I’m a little bummed that today is the first official day of fall as color trends often turn drab and somber during this time of year. But the sizzling summer hues brought such optimism and vibrancy to the palette, and if you’re anything like me, you’re not ready for them to go anywhere anytime soon.  Here are 5 of my trendy tips for punching up your color, keeping your interiors happy and bright, while helping you forget that the days are getting shorter and cooler.

1.  Hot Hues…finding the “Right Bright” and color combinations will help you easily incorporate multiple brilliant colors into a space. Use this no fail palette as a jumping off point. Pick a single color or create a scheme by pairing two, three, or more of these colors together. Blend in neutrals for balance…white, gray, black, taupe, brown, tan, cream, beige and so on.

2.  Put it on a Plate…take it from the picnic table and bring it to the dinner table. These upbeat patterns matched with the intense hues will bring a bit of surprise inside. Find the design that fits your style and let the color lead your decorating direction. Read more..

Before you start thinking about the specific color or color I recommend that you define the type of look you ultimately want to create and the mood you want to set.

Sometimes this is easy. For instance if you’re painting your daughter’s room and she insist on pink and you insist on her being able to sleep you are well on your way to finding your perfect paint color because you know the color family (pink) and have defined the mood (restful, tranquil, dreamy) you want to create.

So if you already know the mood you want to create and have a color family in mind I say, “Great!  You can jump on the fast track and go directly to Step 3!  If you are not so sure keep reading.

I suggest that you start by thinking about the mood or feeling you want to create in the room. Is it a family room that you want to feel warm and welcoming? Is it a kitchen that you’d like to jump start your morning and energize you for preparing a meal at the end of long day?  Or is it a master suite that both you and your partner wake up in feeling as pampered as if you were staying in a five-star hotel suite?

For every room you decorate you are setting the stage for the activities and interactions that make up your life. Close your eyes and see yourself or your family in the room.  If you don’t already have a vision of the finished room this is one of the best places to begin.   You don’t need to think about the color just yet.  Just imagine how you want it to feel and and capture that feeling in your mind.

Once you have captured the feeling of the room you can begin figuring out how to create that ambiance with color.  In the next steps we’ll talk about how to take your vision and select a color scheme that works with the furnishings you already have or the ones you plan to acquire.

I suggest that you keep a notebook or file of your design inspiration and ideas.  If you haven’t already created one now would be a good time.  It is an excellent place to keep track of everything from your paint swatches to pictures of those pieces you want to purchase.

You will want to have a visual reference as you create your color scheme.  With so many things on flooding our minds don’t depend on your memory for recalling every detail when with a glance you can know the exact details.

Just a reminder that this is the week I’ll be speaking at two Calico Corner stores in Northern Virginia. Tuesday evening I’ll be in the Great Falls store and on Thursday evening in the Fairfax store and hope to meet you there.

I can’t wait to show you many of the beautiful new fabrics that are now in the stores and share some tips for using color in your own home to ’set the mood’. Read more..

The well thought out scheme and bold use of color make this charming Victorian one of my favorites homes in Provincetown, MA.

Five reasons I think the color scheme and attention to details make this adorable Victorian stand out.

1.  The homeowners had the confidence to use a bold color for the home’s exterior.

While a color this strong might be disastrous on some homes it is exactly what this home needed to keep it from getting weighted down or lost under the roof.

The bright gold was the right color choice for the main home exterior paint color.  A dull or muted gold would have ‘aged’ this home in the same way using the wrong foundation color ages a woman. Read more..

I just hate it when I break a dish especially one of my brightly colored ones and it is even hard for me to throw the broken pieces away. I’ve seen where some people have broken dishes up into ’tiles’ and set them into interesting designs.  I know that is not going to happen at my house so I frown as the colorful shards go the way of the trash or recycling bin.

Finally a solution!  While I was walking down Commercial St. in Provincetown, MA I noticed that several homeowners and at least one business owner have replaced the gravel or broken shells typically used for driveways or walking paths with broken dinnerware. Read more..