What I like most about Ellen Kennon’s beautiful palettes of paint is that her colors are blended from the seven colors of natural sunlight. Without light-absorbing black or gray, her paints reflect a broader range of light.

By using several pigments, rather than the usual two or three, Ellen creates colors that seem to change in different light and space. [more...]

I’m looking for help with natural oak trim and wood floors. Pretty good light and great artisan wood side tables and hutch. Anything but yellow? Anything bolder? What about something in a green?

2nd question– I’m interested in some ideas for color for living room and dining room with beautiful natural oak trim and molding. There is no way we are going to paint this wood, but we would like ideas for a natural match. Help!!!! –Eileen

Kate suggests…

Green would be great choice with your oak floors and trim.

When I read your question I immediately thought of Edgewood Green from Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paint. This is a subtle green with brown undertones that would be perfect with oak trim and floors.

It also coordinates amazingly well with many other colors.

In this picture ‘Greige’ is in the foreground with ‘Edgewood Green’ in the middle room and ‘Peridot’ in room beyond. A similar scheme might work in your home and all of these colors would look nice with oak.

Here you see it with slate in the dining room. Gorgeous!

A complementary scheme with ‘Red Berry’

And another with ‘Shell Pink’

I think you are on the right track with green and I hope these images have given you some good ideas for colors you can use in the other rooms of your home.

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

Resources:

• Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paint
• 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 would like to paint an interior bathroom with no windows that is shared by my teenage son and daughter. Any suggestions for a color that would brighten up this small, dark room? –Denise

Kate suggests…

For small spaces without natural light I recommend a color or combinations of colors that refract light. This doesn’t mean that you must use white or pastels just don’t use colors that absorb light such as deep blue, burgundy, dark green or purple.

I would choose a full spectrum paint color because they have life even in low light.

Two colors that could work are lobster bisque or puppy fur from Citron Paint. Both of colors would work well in a bathroom, add a bit of warmth and aren’t too masculine or feminine.

Plus even teenagers might find it hard to resist a paint color called ‘puppy fur’

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

Resources:

• Learn more about Citron paint at citronpaint.com
• 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.

Ever since my signature color ‘H2 Ahh!’ was added to the Full Spectrum Paint designer palette I have received many questions about this line so I have updated my review page to include more information that answers the questions I was being asked.

You can view the page where I share my thoughts on my Sensational Color website in Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paint

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!’

My dining room is approx 17\’x15\’. It has a large archway into den (approx 17\’x15\’)which is all knotty pine (not paneling). The dining room is currently white & has been for years. I\’d like some color but am afraid of making the den/dining area seem like a cave because of the knotty pine. The ceiling is white plaster swirls. It has pine base boards and pine around archway.

Kate suggests…

If you fear a cave-like appearance in your home, it would be best to choose a color that is warm or has a warm undertone rather than a cool color or any shade that tend to go gray in dim light.

I most often suggest a full spectrum paint for any room that has low light beause there is a noticeable difference between full spectrum paint colors and many standard paint colors.

Many standard colors are blended using black pigment, which absorbs light. Full spectrum paints omit black pigment and use a broader range of pigments in formulating the colors.

They reflect a broader range of light and because of the absence of black and the perfect balance of a full spectrum of pigments, they don’t tend to turn muddy or lose their character in low light conditions.

I think that in your dining room a soft creamy yellow would brighten the spacce and work well with the knotty pine. It’s difficult to tell from the picture what color your carpet is but this type of color would go with just about any carpet color.

You could try a color from Ellen Kennon’s new designer palette. Two that I like are:

‘Morning Yellow’ selected by architect-interior designer Richard Morrison, is the color of pure sunshine, radiating warmth and cheer, much like Richard’s personality. Richard is a much sought after architect/designer in Menlo Park, California.

‘Classic Marc’ named after designer Marc Charbonnet of MECA Productions in Manhattan, is a very soft creamy yellow—a color so popular with his clients, it has been used at least somewhere in almost every project! You may have seen it in Michael J. Fox’s homes in Architectural Digest Magazine.

Resources:

• Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paint
  
• 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 have gold/yellow furniture with bronze/tangerine accents and a deep Victorian rose carpet with yellows and yellow/green flowers. There is dark wood around also in assorted antique furniture.

I have a panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay, fortunately, and am thinking of doing the walls in a water color….I love the water also. How would you describe this color? Can I find H2 Ahh! at CSI paints in San Francisco?

Then what to do with the ceiling which is now white? It is 8 foot tall only.

Thanks, Kate in Frisco

Ellen suggests…

We’d be delighted to send you samples of H2 Ahh! and a complimentary set of cuttings of our other colors if you’ll send us your mailing address. The ICI stores do not stock our samples, they just mix the paint up in their product once we fax them our special formulas.

H2 Ahh! Kate Smith’s Signature Paint Color

available through Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paint

There are several ICI Paints stores in your area that we can use. San Francisco is one of our biggest customer bases, so we use them often. H2 Ahh! Is a great “water” color that works well with most anything.

The color is sort of one of those “no color” colors in that it’s not quite blue, not quite green, not quite gray. . . I could see it working very well with your panoramic view of the bay. We also have “Gustavian Grey” and “Christine’s Cloud” which are lighter versions of this color and while many may use one of these on the ceiling, it depends on whether your room has crown molding or not.

A color that is close to H2 Ahh! but lighter is Gustavian Grey

Seen here in a room designed by color consultant Lori Sawaya

If it has crown molding, then I’d do one of the lighter colors. However, if there is no crown molding, I would paint both walls and ceiling the same color as it will visually raise the ceiling height. It also softens the space so that it’s not so geometrical and cloaks the room in color.

When I am working with clients who are either renovating and/or building new spaces, I always point out that if they are blowing their budget towards the end, they can always opt out of having crown molding in some rooms and paint the walls and ceilings the same color. The ceilings seem to disappear!

If you haven’t already visited our “Photo and Reviews” page, you may want to see some photos that clients sent of rooms finished in various colors. Hopefully, if you end up using “H2 Ahh!”, you’ll send us a photo of your finished product.

Resources:

• Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paint
  
• 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 created these new colors with some of the countries most talented designers, architects and color consultants. The Designer’s Palette includes colors representing 14 designers who use our full spectrum paints in a variety of applications and lighting conditions

“H2 Ahh!” is the color I created with Kate Smith

Here’s what Kate has to say about her signature color:

“I love the colors of water. All of the hues from the deepest, most mysterious sea blues to the soothing, subtle spa blues speak to me and “H2 Ahh!” captures all of what attracts me to these watery colors.

Inspired by the color water in a warm, relaxing bath, the complexity of “H2 Ahh!” gives it a sophistication that intrigues my mind and the perfect balance of this color has a meditative effect that captures my soul.

‘H2 Ahh!’ is a timeless hue that works beautifully with all other colors. When combined with rich tan, chocolate brown, antique gold, olive green, burnt oranges, or even navy blue, gray or rosy pink it gives the combination a sense of the unexpected making it more interesting to the eye.

Meet the other 15 designers and read what they have to say about their colors in this month’s newsletter…
Resources:

• The Designer’s Palette and all of the Full Spectrum Paint Colors are available at www.ellenkennon.com

**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.

“How do you spell desperate? That is ME! I am a mess.

I have just recently remodeled my master bath using carerra marble for countertops and bath deck with earthy shower tiles and beadboard 4 feet up the wall. All is fine! I KEPT the ocean blue ceramic floor and this is giving me heartache.

Any Benjamin Moore paint I sample in grey leans towards lilac with the shift of light – beiges are going peach and I just dont’ know where to turn.

I came across the Ellen Kennon line and while limited looks pretty yet unsure of WHAT color – I liked slate and adobe but what do I know after this fiasco!

Do you color consult via email? Any hope for me? Thank you! MC

Kate suggest…

MC it sounds like most of the choices you made for bathroom remodeling project were on target so don’t give up when it comes to getting the perfect paint color.

Ellen Kennon’s Full Spectrum Paint could be a good choice but do keep in mind that with any full spectrum paint the wall color will change depending on the lighting and adjacent colors.

I personally love that the color changes character at different times of day in response to the quality of the light and in lower light situations full spectrum paints don’t lose the underlying character of their color.

Slate or Adobe might work but the best way to know for certain is to get a set of EK’s hand painted samples if you don’t already have then so that you can see the actual color and not a computer rendition.

Order a sample pot of each color you like and paint a paint test board or two so that you can view the color vertically in the room at different times of day so that you know you love the color before applying it to your walls.

Also Ellen Kennon offers a free color consultation via telephone after you purchase a set of Full Spectrum Paint Samples. You can find the details about how to arrange the consultation at their website.