One of the “traditions” I’m most known for is that I will completely out-do myself with my holiday tabletop designs, at least that’s what I’m told. Family and friends expect to be surprised, because they know the table won’t look anything like it did the year before.  This is fun for many reasons, but my favorite is (no doubt) the requirement and responsibility that comes attached to this custom…purchasing new dinnerware! Oh, the overflowing excitement of planning the perfect place setting, like this one below. A Bountifully Beautiful Dining Space!

Traditional Harvest Holiday Table (yes, we also did a tree) designed and decorated by Holly Adler, seasonal decor product designer and myself (Kiki Titterud) for the Celebration, FL Holiday Home Tour 2007.

Although we love the classic look from above, this year I’m inviting you to start a new tabletop tradition. Isn’t it time to toss the quintessential turkey aside and bring in a new bird? How about saying no thanks to harvest gold, pumpkin spice orange, and olive green and putting a twist on fall colors with new combinations?

That said; I’ve created this recipe for setting this year’s hottest harvest table.

B + B + R  (Birds + Blue + Red)

Combine at least two of these three elements for something uniquely familiar.

Follow this fresh take on fall color combinations…

Then place them on your holiday table…

A special thanks to two fabulous ladies with loads of potential (who also helped pull some of these images) Laura Giles and Susanna Foster, Interior Architecture students at Auburn University in Auburn, AL. It was super fun spending yesterday with both of you for ASID’s National Real World Design Week Shadow a Designer Day. Watch out designers, we’ve got some rising stars here!

If you enjoy reading our blog…

…you might want to subscribe to the Color for Your Home newsletter by entering you name and email below then click on the button labeled submit.  It’s as easy as that:

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.

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.

My color inspiration today came straight from the Thanksgiving table. I brought the many hues of red found in fresh cranberries into this palette of reds.  You can see my entire post about this palette in my color journal.

When I lived in Westwood outside of Boston, MA my dining room was a soft cranberry color like the one shown in the dining above that I created using 6601 Tanager with the Sherwin-Williams color visualizer.

I added another Thanksgiving inspired color 0044 Hubbard Squash in the living room.  I like the way these two colors work together and also look great with the wood floors and wide white trim.  What a yummy combination!

Today I added a bit of gourmet color to my online color inspiration journal.  See the entry at Sensational Color Pro…

Complementary color schemes — red/green, blue/orange, violet/yellow — when in balance can really please our eye and can add real punch when used in accents in a room decorated in neutrals.

We live in a two story open floor design.  We have a light beige carpet throughout most of the house, except for the foyer and kitchen area that divide the middle of the house which has wood flooring. Depending on the time of day the carpet has a slight pink hue.

We are having trouble finding the right wall color everything we see seems to clash, perhaps we are choosing the wrong hue?  I am looking for a nice neutral color that can be used in several rooms (ie, two story great room, living room and adjoining dining rooms etc.) that won’t clash with the carpet.  Any suggestions?  Warm Regards, Cindy

Kate suggests:

Cindy, you are not alone when it comes to feeling frustrated when trying to find a wall color that matches beige carpet.  The main reason people have difficulty is that they cannot determine the undertone of the carpet or the paint or both.

If you have a carpet with yellow undertones and a wall color with red undertones they are not going to go as well together as two colors with the same undertones.  It sounds like your carpet has red undertones (since you mention it can look slightly pinkish at times) so my suggestion is to look for beiges with red undertones.

So I’m imagining your next questions is how to know if a beige has red undertones and that would be a very good question.  Of course your paint dealer should be able to answer that questions for you but to get an immediate idea I suggest you look at the Behr paint website.

I noticed when I was in Home Depot that Behr has tried to take the guess work out of the undertone issue for their customers by arranging the paint swatches not only by color family but also by undertone.  When you view the display looking up and down you see the color family and going across the bands are by undertone.  For example if you look at the section of green swatches in the upper section the swatches are the ones with blue undertones, the ones in the middle have yellow undertones and towards the bottom red undertones [Not sure if that is the exact order but you get my point].

The same is true on their website although not as clearly spelled out for all color families for the neutrals they give you the choice of yellow based, red based or blue based.  A look at the color swatches listed for each can start to give you an idea of the differences and set you in the right direction for finding a color that matches your carpet.

Here are screen shots of their red based and yellow based neutrals to give you an idea.

RED-BASED NEUTRALS

YELLOW-BASED NEUTRALS

Are your current paint swatches more yellow or blue based than red? If so this could be the reason that they are “clashing” with your carpet.

In honor of TJ I’ve created some autumn-inspired color schemes that remind me of him.
While fall colors are often very brilliant the more muted hues are the ones TJ likes best.  The earthy browns, and oranges are colors he often chooses to wear and for his bedroom he picked a luscious latte brown.  This photo of fallen leaves captures his colors.

The photo with the acorn is a combination of hues that I would also call TJ Colors.  This scheme is similar to the one above but includes a blue tone that remind me of his favorite sailing shirt, our well-worn leather sofa (his favorite place to relax) and a pair of comfy blue jeans.  The blue tone complements the warm orange and brown hues.

On the Valspar site there is a section of nature inspired paint color schemes so I looked there to see what color schemes they had come up with.  The one above is from Shimmering Pond Colors and the one below from Autumn Leaves Colors.

The color palette directly below the photograph was generated using the online tool Pic2Color.  The color combination below that shows Valspar’s recommendation for a paint color scheme a la the golden shimmering pond.  These two color schemes are similar but not exactly the same.

So let’s look at how this works and how you might use a picture you love to inspire an interior color scheme If you want to use a photograph of nature as your inspiration.  You can use Pic2Color or a similar tool to help you to pull out the color palette but keep in mind that it will include a range of colors and values.

This is a good place to begin but don’t simply use the hues the tool gives you and try to match them to paint chips.  What you are going to want to do is look to these for inspiration and then chose values of the color that will work as interior paint.

As you can see from the photograph of the golden leaves reflected on the water that the folks at Valspar used the picture as a reference but the colors they recommend are more likely to work in a home environment.  This is the same approach you will want to take if you use a photo of your own.

Also there may be colors you want to eliminate completely.  Look at another photo from Valspar, the palette generated by Pic2Color and the color scheme that they recommend.  In this case they have eliminated the blue altogether and gone with more muted shades of each hue.

Can you begin to see how this translates from photograph to color scheme and finally to colors for your room?

Have you ever used a nature photograph as a starting point for a color project?  Did you adjust the colors or just feel limited to ones that matched those in the photo?  Did I explain this in a way that gave you a new idea or way of approaching this?

Reference:

Valspar Paint Colors shown:
Vivid Orange 2011-3
Golden Butter 3002-1C
Red Ochre 2001-4
Creme Brulee 2008-6C

Pineapple Mousse 3008-3C
Crafted White 3007-6C
Summer Moon  3008-2C
Burnt Carmel 2010-6

Valspar paint is available at Lowe’s and through independent dealers.  To find a store near you visit visit the Valspar site and enter your zip code…

First two photos found on Flickr from baldwinm16’s

We have a rather large bedroom which includes a fireplace with standard, red/pinkish brick surrounded by a medium cherry/maple color mantle. There is also a bay window, also surrounded by cherry/maple trim. We have medium cherry stained furniture, dresser and panel bed, from Restoration Hardware more of an arts and crafts style.

The walls are currently a mauve color, probably to pick up the color in the brick. There is also a master bath (very small) off the bedroom, also in the mauve/pink paint. We plan to completely re-do the bathroom, but have not tackled that project yet.. Please suggest a paint color scheme for both the bath and bedroom, as I am stuck! Thanks,
Monique

Barbara suggests…

I understand your dilemma, and the desire to arrive at a decision for a color scheme for your bedroom and master bathroom.

Your description indicates a dominance of red-based colors, from the fireplace to the mantel, to the furniture. My thought is that rather than “pick up the color in the brick,” I’d recommend that you use colors that complement the brick and not try to replicate its color.

You didn’t describe the light conditions in either room, therefore I’ll recommend a middle-tone color—not pastel, and not too saturated. Your room is “large” so perhaps you would consider an accent wall color, maybe behind the bed—and that color can also bring out colors from your window treatments and bed coverings.

Incandescent lighting will make any color you use have a yellow cast, which in the bathroom will probably be a bit intensified if there are not windows to add the daylight element during the day time. A gold-based color is something you might want to avoid for the bathroom.

You also did not include any information about the floors in either – so, it’s hard to assume correctly what they might be–carpet? wood? tile?– and what color and material? In any case what covers the floor is an important ingredient when considering wall colors, which are not in any way isolated from all the other qualities of your space.

Ultimately, when you re-do the bathroom you will also want to consider the type and color of the hardware and fixtures you use.

Rather than give you specific colors—which may or may not be what you like—I’d just like to direct you to some basic things to consider when you are looking at paint colors:

• the kinds of colors you like, that resonate with you
• lighting in the room: natural and electric
• floor color and material
• decorating elements: fabrics and art work
• size of the room
• the feeling you want to create: intimate, lively, fresh, historic, etc.

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 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.