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/color-for-living-room-with-cathedral-ceiling/ http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/color-for-living-room-with-cathedral-ceiling/#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:59:37 +0000 Kate Smith http://www.sensationalcolor.com/colorforyourhome/?p=979 Today’s question in the makeover gallery is from a woman who say she likes reds and browns for her living room.  I want to make it modern and warm but I was afraid with the cathedral ceiling it will be overwhelming if I don’t pick the right color.  My rug is tan and the couch (which is gonna go soon is also tan). Thank you.

Here’s a picture of the room now followed by my advice.

Red is a wonderful color but I agree it could be a bit overwhelming if you don’t chose just the right color.  If you really want to go with red I would choose a color that is more of an earthy red such as EB 38-1 Cabin Red.  This color is part of the Eddie Bauer collection from Valspar and is available at Lowes.

Here is a picture I grabbed off the Valspar website to show you how this color looks.  As you can see it is not a bright, stop sign red but rather a red that looks like it has aged or weathered.

Still red covering the large wall space you have could seem a bit too much even it you like the color.  As an alternate I would suggest a natural soft green for the walls and then you could bring the red in as accents and accessories.

Here’s an example from the Martha Stewart collection. This collection is also made by Valspar and is available at Lowes.  I like MS266 Anjou Pear and as you can see in this picture it works very nicely with the red cushions, black trim and dark brown table.

This close up shows the colors in the fabrics a bit better.  The print may not be as contemporary as you might like but you could bring other accent colors in accessories that suit your style.  I just wanted to get you thinking about color options.

Another wall color that would work beautifully with the brown and red is MS285 Fountain.  This works well with dark brown and would make a nice background for red.

I’ll look forward to seeing a picture of your completed project.

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

My walls are a bit textured but I’m REALLY wanting to try this pearl finish.  Someone suggested I use a grout trowel or dense sponge to move the glaze around instead of the specified trowel as I don’t think that will pick up the paint in the textured grooves.

Am I just setting myself up for a disaster or could this be worth a try???–Heather

Bethany suggests:

Pearl finish sounds beautiful!!  There has been some discussion on previous blogs with sucesses on both smooth and rough wall surfaces.  The pearl effect is in essence a swirl or cloud-like effect made possible by the timing, thickness of paint application, and interaction of the tacky paint.

There has been conversation involving different methods of using the floating” trowel that Valspar recommends with the faux finishing kit.  So how you swirl the trowel, either in a semi-circular or X pattern determines the effectiveness for the particular texture of your wall.  A stroke of confidence (even of a novice!) looks better than going over and over a spot trying to perfect it, especially with a medium that is timing based, like this is.

At any rate, the sheen of the pearl finish is integral to this paint, so if anything, it will add an iridescent quality to your walls, and will accentuate any space beautifully.

I encourage you to go and try it!!  Are there any walls in your home of lesser consequence that you could practice on?  Try it on a more private wall space, such as a well lit closet, or lesser hallway before you move to a public guest space.

It will be a nice touch that is all your own that has all the promise of a professional look!

See Kate’s original post here…

A few more pictures of Valspar’s Brushed Pearl here…

Read some tips from Valspar…

I think this looks great on the rough wall surface.

I think it looks great and I asked him how he achieved the look and this is what he shared…

“I really don’t know if this is the way the finished job should look like on a non-smooth wall so your instructions were great and that is what we followed except for very rough parts of the wall.  We forgot about the half circle movement and just worked the paint in with the trowel in a different manner by using just the very edge of it then the end of it going in a circular motion.  I hope you can understand what I mean and sure you can use the pics if you can.  Thank you again for your support from your web site.” –SRF

You can see my original post about this product here…

Today’s decorating dilemma: I need a little guidance, I am renovating a Katrina damaged home,. It is taking a long time and I want everything perfect, or as much as it can be.

I have a town home, living room, and kitchen run together, maple cabinets with a mocha stain, so the cabinets are basically almond with a little color, I am using teak, hand scraped floors throughout, not much light, just a large set of french doors leading to patio, and a small garden window in kitchen, I was thinking black galaxy granite, little spec of bronze, its beautiful, and oil rubbed chandeliers and faucets. Soooo, what color do I paint, or should I change something? please help! –Sharon

Bethany’s suggests:

It sounds like what you have is generally dark so I am envisioning a scheme with lots of contrast. Something light and airy, since you don’t have much natural light coming in.

Since you indicate you are going with some deeper, dramatic shades of wood and incorporating black (which makes a strong statement) I would suggest a light tan/beige color for the walls, such as Sherwin Williams 6092 Lightweight Beige.

Really study the nuances of the colors that you already have…what direction are they going in?  More towards yellow or warmer tones or more towards blue and cooler tones?

It is the consistency with the undertones of the colors in your room that will give you a unified look.

Illustrious Bronze #40013 from Valspar,  can be used as a reference color or to splash on an accent wall in one of the adjoining rooms to carry out the bronze theme.

Because this palette is neutral you may want to incorporate one other bold, fun accent color you are drawn to such as a Rose, or Lime Green to add interest.

Embellish the bronze in the granite by repeating it with canisters, salt & pepper shakers, or some other dazzling, decorative centerpiece for the dining room table.

Resources:  The tile sample was found at www.stonetilesupply.com

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.

Martha Stewart remains a decorating favorite because she instructs us on how to make everything in our home more beautiful.

She has taken the same approach with her paint line. Unlike most paint sample cards that include a single color or several shades or tints of the same color, Martha’s color swatches include stripes of two coordinating paint colors that would work well with the main color.

Continue reading Kate’s thoughts on Martha Stewart Colors…

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!’

I just painted my family room with Lush Sage by Valspar with yellowish/goldish curtains and roman shades from Pottery Barn. Now my living room looks so unfinished but picking a colour to work well beside the family room seems rather tough. The only colour in the living room is the brown furniture. I don’t even have curtains up it this room. Any help would be so appreciated. Thanks.

Kate suggests…

We only get a glimpse of your lovely living room but from what little we see you can tell how well the Valspar Lush Sage and the Pottery Barn window treatments work in this room. I’d continue your scheme into the living room.

Since you’re pleased with Valspar I would recommend their Earthen Sienna. It works well with Lush Sage and picks up on the color scheme from the family room so that schemes in both rooms would flow well from one to the other.

You don’t mention what accent colors you have used in the family room but using the same or similar accent colors in the living room will also help to tie the rooms together visually.

Resources:

• Valspar paint is available at Lowe’s. Type in your zip code to find your local Lowe’s
• 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.