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 of the September House Beautiful (okay, I confess I’ve been carrying the awesome special color issue that included my ‘What the Color Says’ around with me ever since it arrived) and I have thought about painting a room this color every time I put on the sweater set but I hadn’t gone as far as to see if the color existed in any of my favorite paint brands.

Since I’m not the only one loving this color I decided once I got home I would find out.  Now I was on a mission to see if it was a readily available color or one that was going to have to be custom blended.  I was speaking at Calico Corners in the evening so on the way I stopped at Vienna Paint, sweater in hand, to see if Benjamin Moore had a color that matched.

I pulled many color swatches but none of them matched the quality of the color exactly.    The closest was 2059-10 Marine Blue but it was a tad dark and lacked the hint of green the sweater has.  While all of the other paint color swatches were close they seemed either too dull, too green, too blue…you get the idea.

Actually the closest match I found in for Benjamin Moore was the color they used on their brochure of historical colors and although it looks close to the paint swatch in the picture it really wasn’t that close.  The brochure was a much better match but unfortunately, they couldn’t ‘read’ the brochure with the equipment they use to match colors.  They couldn’t ‘read’ the sweater either since it doesn’t work with fabric either but offered to mix it by eye.

The next day I was running into Lowes to pick something up and even though I didn’t have the sweater with me I decided to swing by the paint department and see if any of their colors looked like a match.  I immediately honed in on color 4011-5 Newport Gray (not a color I think anyone would describe as gray but that’s the name) and thought it looked like it might be right.  I grabbed a swatch and as soon as I saw it against the sweater (ding, ding, ding) I had a winner!  It was a great match.  Not too green, not too dull and not too dark.  Perfect!

It is so good that I could see the Valspar ad with my sweater color being ‘poured’ into the can of paint.

And as the ad says “Now the colors of life can last a lifetime” and this is one shade of blue that I think is worth keeping around that long.  What do you think?

]]> http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/the-perfect-blue-at-house-beautiful-color-institute/feed/ 7 http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/paint-color-to-show-off-an-antique-cabinet/ http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/paint-color-to-show-off-an-antique-cabinet/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 02:13:28 +0000 Kate Smith http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/?p=952 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:

I have more of a question than a comment. I have an open floor plan with all white walls that are making me crazy. I NEED color!

I want the rooms to flow, but be distinct. The front room gets a lot of sun and has oak colored bookcases, and a little darker piano. I would like to do a sage(ish) green, pale yellowish and raspberry-reddish colors. It flows into the kitchen with one wall that connects via a vaulted ceiling. The kitchen has med. wood cabinets, black countertops, and stainless steel appliances.

The current decor is sort of country(ish) with black, red and goldish yellow. The living room shares the same wall as the front room and kitchen, and currently has a reddish leather couch that will have to stay and is sporting and “Americana theme” which could stay or go.

Most Pictures that will stay as part of the decor are framed in black. All rooms receive a good amount of natural light Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance! -Mindi

Barbara suggests…

Your preference is for sage green, pale yellow and raspberry-red colors, although you did not indicate where you would like these colors to be used. However, colors of the type you mention that could do well together, depending on their location, combination and proportion. I’m going to propose a couple of ways to do this:

From Benjamin Moore:

Sage Green: some varieties of ’sage’ that are either toward blue/gray :Benjamin Moore 1579 Grayhound or 1580 Intrigue, or more yellow-based: 459 Woodland Green, 460 Herb Bouquet, 465 Antique Jade, or 466 Garden Path.

Yellow: Benjamin Moore HC-5 Weston Flax, HC-6 Windham Cream or HC-29 Dunmore Cream. These are all different from each other but each would work well with green.

Another suggestion would be HC-26 Monroe Bisque, which is a deeper, toned-down yellow (almost a “tan”) that might work for your Living room that shares a wall with the front room and kitchen.

Raspberry: Several hues that would work with the yellow and sage green are Benjamin Moore 1356 Fashion Rose, 1357 Bottle of Bordeaux, or 1364 Vintage Claret. All the greens above are grayed, soft colors and these vivid raspberry-like hues would create a real punch to the color scheme.

Another approach: the way you described the rooms I think you could benefit from a unique type of paint, “Full-Spectrum” color mixes (from Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paints) . Her Yellows are particularly beautiful and have the extra advantage of being Full-Spectrum, so in the light conditions you describe you will see a changeable kind of color that is a real pleasure to live with. The Yellows I recommend from her palette are Buttercream, Luminaire, and Sand. They range from luminous, to warmer, to almost-tan. The Full-Spectrum nature of these colors will give you the advantage of providing a bridge of sorts to connect the green and red in your color scheme. You’ll have a color-rich environment that is still very liveable.

Sage Green in Ellen’s Full Spectrum line: Clay (more blue-type Sage) and Sage (more yellow-type Sage)

Raspberry: More violet type, but check out Silk Road Plum

These would all be beautiful together.

For your vaulted ceiling try a creamy white like Benjamin Moore 967 Cloud White. This white will work very well with your color scheme.

Basically this is a palette with a lot of flexibility but you have to watch the contrasts and placement so it does not become garish. For example if the walls were painted in the Sage or the Yellow, you could bring the Raspberry in as accents or decorative accessories rather than on the walls.

Your artwork in the black frames will look great in with these colors as will your kitchen counter tops and stainless steel appliances.

Resources:

• Type in your zip code for a list of Benjamin Moore dealers near you.
• Do you have a color dilemma? Post it in the Makeover Gallery at RoomVues.com and you could be the next reader to have your color question answered on the Color For Your Home blog.

**Please note: Due to individual computer monitor limitations, colors seen here may not accurately reflect the paint colors. Please refer to an actual sample of the paint for an accurate rendition of the color.

I’ve been reading about Dorothy Draper but most of the pictures are in black and white. Can you give me some examples of the colors she actually used? I’d like to decorate my apartment in bold colors and thought her palette could inspire me. Thanks, Riley K.

Kate suggests…

Benjamin Moore put together a special palette of their colors that captured the style of Dorothy Draper a year or two ago for a museum retrospective show. Here are the colors they included:

Dorothy Draper was the Grand Dame of using bright, bold color and texture combinations in her day and thought to be quite outlandish. While in her day using these hues might have seemed quite brazen today it is no longer that unusual and in fact quite fashionable.

Find out more about America’s first interior designer in my article on Sensational Color…

Resources:

• Type in your zip code for a list of Benjamin Moore dealers near you.
• Do you have a color dilemma? Post it in the Makeover Gallery at RoomVues.com and you could be the next reader to have your color question answered on the Color For Your Home blog.

**Please note: Due to individual computer monitor limitations, colors seen here may not accurately reflect the paint colors. Please refer to an actual sample of the paint for an accurate rendition of the color.

Thanks for finally addressing the bricks…The front of my home has partial red brick and the rest is stucco. I am in Florida on a small lake.

The house was painted beige with the mauve trim, plenty of trim includes the garage. The house next to me had the mauve color shot and painted their house in it. The color is ok but not fantastic. It is midtone. What color can I use. Should I color shot the mauve ( from the 70s) and tweek it a little?

I like colorful; One house on the lake is a violet periwinkle and is pretty. Also 2 yellow houses on the lake. The house on my other side is white with lt. blue trim. Can you please show your color chip selections I just love that! — Criztina

Kate suggests…

I’m imagining that your mauve tends towards red if it goes well with your brick and if you are happy with that color than certainly tweaking it a bit is an option but it seems that you might be ready for a change.

Yellow and creamy tan are colors often used on homes that have red brick combined with stucco but with two other homes close by already using yellow I don’t think it would be best to have your home in this range of colors.

I like the idea of going with a blue but something that will give you a different look than the periwinkle main color or blue trim of either of your neighbor’s homes.

A blue gray could work well especially if your bricks have a gray cast and your roof has cool undertones. An example of this scheme would be Sherwin-Williams Portal Blue for the main color and Scottish Loch as the accent color.

Since you are in Florida I might use a color that has more blue than gray. Shown here are Benjamin Moore Blue Bay Marina for the body of the house and Lakeside Cabin for the trim.

If your brick and roof tend to have a warmer cast than you could use a blue green hue. I’m showing three colors here not because I’m recommending three but to show you how you can think about your color scheme once you have decided on the color in general.

For example with these three colors from Valspar you could consider a few options. You could use the Aquatic Edge for the main color and either Lake Country or Belle Grove Spruce for the trim.

Going with a darker accent color will focus more attention on the trim while going with the mid-value will highlight the trim but integrate it more with the main color.

Another option would be to paint the body in the mid or darker value and the trim in the lightest value. It really depends on the look you prefer.

As general rule for painting architectural elements I usually first consider the deepest colors for accenting recesses and lighter colors for highlighting details that stand out from the structure but since most stucco homes have traditionally been painted with the trim in a darker color this may seem like the most natural way to place the colors.

When selecting the actual colors keep in mind that colors will look darker if your home is in the shade and lighter if it gets full sun. Also the rougher the surface, the darker the color will appear.

I hope that helps.

***Readers if you have other ideas or suggestions I welcome you to add them in the comments. I’m sure Criztina would love to hear your thoughts too!***

Resources:

• Type in your zip code for a list of Sherwin-Williams dealers near you.
• Type in your zip code for a list of Valspar dealers near you.
• Type in your zip code for a list of Benjamin Moore dealers near you.
• Do you have a color dilemma? Post it in the Makeover Gallery at RoomVues.com and you could be the next reader to have your color question answered on the Color For Your Home blog.

**Please note: Due to individual computer monitor limitations, colors seen here may not accurately reflect the paint colors. Please refer to an actual sample of the paint for an accurate rendition of the color.

Picture of lake from artist Linda Blenheim’s blog. Check out her art and items for sale.

What color do I paint the walls? –Azsa

Kate suggests…

I would pick out the light color from the background of your sofa and go with that or a step darker. This would allow the sofa to visually blend into the space. I would use the same color on the walls and ceiling, which would help to expand the feeling of the room. If you want to add a bit more color I would do that by adding artwork or and area rug.

From the picture it looks like this may be close to what you have although the walls look like they are a bit more yellow than the sofa so it may just be a matter of finding the right hue and depth of color you want.

This may not be different enough from what you have already so if you are looking for a more noticeable change you could go in a completely different direction and select a color not currently in the room. Since I don’t know what you have in the surrounding rooms it’s difficult to say what color would work in your home.

An example of what I’m thinking would be Benjamin Moore Covington Blue HC-138. This is one of their historic colors and it works beautifully with reds and tans. Or maybe Sherwin-Williams SW2395 Rainy Day.

You can see how nicely this type of color works with beige in this Glidden palette, which includes their color Still Waters. Add in the red from your chair and you’ll have a beautiful color scheme to work with.

Resources:

• Type in your zip code for a list of Sherwin-Williams dealers near you.
• Type in your zip code for a list of Glidden dealers near you.
• Type in your zip code for a list of Benjamin Moore dealers near you.
• Do you have a color dilemma? Post it in the Makeover Gallery at RoomVues.com and you could be the next reader to have your color question answered on the Color For Your Home blog.

**Please note: Due to individual computer monitor limitations, colors seen here may not accurately reflect the paint colors. Please refer to an actual sample of the paint for an accurate rendition of the color.

I don’t know what color to paint my living room. The tapestry and ikea mirrors are no longer on the wall. I’m painting the room in a few days and need some ideas. I was thinking possibly painting it a “honey or amber” shade. Also I was thinking of changing the pillows to a orangey red as in the candles. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Kate suggests…

I like the idea of warm golden color. I would look for a golden honey rather than one with too much orange.I immediately thought about Benjamin Moore HC-8 Dorset Gold or any of the colors in that range.

Changing the color of you pillows to a bright orangey red as you suggest I think would be a nice pop of color.

Resources:

• Type in your zip code for a list of Benjamin Moore dealers near you.
• Do you have a color dilemma? Post it in the Makeover Gallery at RoomVues.com and you could be the next reader to have your color question answered on the Color For Your Home blog.

**Please note: Due to individual computer monitor limitations, colors seen here may not accurately reflect the paint colors. Please refer to an actual sample of the paint for an accurate rendition of the color.

I’d like to use gray. Can you make a suggestion.

Kate suggests…

When I saw your question and style I instantly thought of one of the Benjamin Moore inspiration rooms called ‘Modern Tranquility’.

I love this color scheme because it has warmth with an air of sophistication perfect for creating an inviting space with contemporary flair.

Resources:

• Type in your zip code for a list of Benjamin Moore dealers near you.
• Do you have a color dilemma? Post it in the Makeover Gallery at RoomVues.com and you could be the next reader to have your color question answered on the Color For Your Home blog.

**Please note: Due to individual computer monitor limitations, colors seen here may not accurately reflect the paint colors. Please refer to an actual sample of the paint for an accurate rendition of the color.

Love the BM Aura paint! The Coral Gables I tried is too harsh in this powder. There is a black console with white ceramic sink. I’m looking for paint color suggestions, please.

Kate suggests…

You initial choice tells me that you aren’t afraid of color and I think that you are on the right track with the hue but would be more pleased with the color if you take the intensity down a couple of notches.

In a small, enclosed space the color can appear more intense than how it appears on the paint chip. I think that Benjamin Moore’s Creamy Peach will give you the color you are after without being overwhelming plus in a powder room colors that complement the skin tones are especially flattering.

Resources:

• Type in your zip code for a list of Benjamin Moore dealers near you.
• Do you have a color dilemma? Post it in the Makeover Gallery at RoomVues.com and you could be the next reader to have your color question answered on the Color For Your Home blog.

**Please note: Due to individual computer monitor limitations, colors seen here may not accurately reflect the paint colors. Please refer to an actual sample of the paint for an accurate rendition of the color.

Note the number of blues in this seasons collection. The popularity of this color continues as we make our way into fall.

More color at Pottery Barn