I was speaking to Donna Shroeder at the Color Marketing Group conference in Seattle last month and she invited me to attend an event called “Historic colors pack a modern punch” that Pratt & Lambert was holding in Williamsburg and since I had planned on being in the area that day while my son was in Richmond at the state convention I jumped at the chance to attend.

Upon arrival I was greeted with true southern hospitality by Gail Burger and her associates from The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and I knew almost immediately that I was going to be glad I had been invited.

Colorful Gerber daisies, paint cans, brushes and fan guides decorated each table.

Gail Burger opened the program and with more than 25 years experience in the development and management of the Williamsburg lines of home furnishings Gail was a wealth of knowledge on historic color and style.

Next Cheryl Grieggs, Interior Designer responsible for the Colonial Williamsburg Hotel Properties talked to us about the art of creating interiors for five distinctly different guest environments so that each has historical appeal, is resilient enough for the hospitality environment and is aesthetically pleasing.

Cheryl Grieggs during the insider’s tour of the historic properties

Cheryl said that she most often uses the pieces right out of the product line that Gail oversees.  It seems Colonial Williamsburg might have been ahead of their time when it came to using a hotel room to showcase products that guest could purchase for their own homes.

We each received a copy of Williamsburg Decorating with Style and the book included examples of what both Gail and Cheryl had shown us. I have already enjoyed reading parts of this book and if you want your own copy you can find it here.  Go directly to page 28 to find a few color tidbits that might surprise you.

Next up was Peggy Van Allen, Color Marketing and Design Lead for Pratt & Lambert Paint.  Peggy did a nice job of connecting the historic paint colors to today’s home interiors.  Peggy gave us the evolution of these colors at-a-glance….

• 1699-1790 Williamsburg was the political, cultural, and educational center of what was then the largest, most populous, and most influential of the American colonies.
• 1730 Ready made paint becomes available.
• 1928 Philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr began a modest project to preserve a few of the more important buildings. Eventually, the work progressed and expanded to include a major portion of the colonial town, encompassing approximately 85 percent of the 18th-century capital’s original area.
• 1934 Colonial Williamsburg establishes their own architecture department.
• 1950-60 First paint analysis made possible by new technology in solvents is undertaken.
• 1965 Martin Senour begins manufacturing Williamsburg paint colors
• 1987 Advances in technology make modern scientific paint analysis possible.
• 2004 Pratt & Lambert adds the Williamsburg colors to their line and expands the color offering to 184 hues.
• Today:  Advance in technology have moved paint analysis to a new level and paint historians continue to discover color information…some of which has changed what we originally thought was true about the colors of the day.

My takeaways from Peggy’s presentation:

1.) The colors in the Pratt & Lambert Williamsburg palette have been formulated based on the technical analysis of actual paint scrapings and historic documentation.

2.) These tried and true colors work beautifully today in any style home from traditional to contemporary.

We were able to look at the colors in the fanguides, which I greatly appreciated since it is so difficult to show color accurately on screen.

During lunch we were treated to a presentation by Krissa Rossbund, Senior Design and Style Editor of Traditional Home magazine.

Krissa Rossbund, Senior Design and Style Editor, Traditional Home magazine

Krissa showed how trend meets tradition and gave us a sneak peak at some of the homes we’ll be seeing in the next few months featured in the magazine.

We then took an “insider’s tour” led by Edward Chappell, Director of Architectural and Archaeological Research.

Ed Chappell shares how new insights into the past have changed what have traditionally been though of as the colors and styles in Williamsburg.

Ed shared so many great details about the process of discovering the history of colors that it will take a couple of blog post to share it all.

Two things however that Ed said that I’m sure you’ll hear me repeating–

1. The phrase “colors with a technical pedigree”

A technical pedigree as Ed described are historic color that have been confirmed through scientific processes using the most advanced technology available to them today.

Advances in technology have made it possible for Ed and others in Williamsburg to discover that some of the buildings colors were different than originally thought.  Some of these have been repainted to reflect what is now know.  Of course making changes, especially to these highly visible and much loved buildings, sometimes rouses public comment (aka hate mail).

2. Praise for schlocky renovation

Schlocky renovation got a thumbs up from Ed.  Not for the Colonial Williamsburg initiated renovation projects mind you but for all of the renovations that were done by a building’s previous owners.  Those of us that demand careful and thorough renovation are the bane of Ed’s profession because we seem to want to remove all the clues that give insight into a building’s past.  In fact he said he is sure that there is a special level in Hell just for those of us that removed every last shred of wallpaper and stripped off all of the old layers of paint.  Oops!

I thought I was doing a good thing but I hear you, Ed and I promise in the future to leave all seventeen layers of paint and wallpaper intact somewhere if only behind the refrigerator or under the molding.

Go to Historic colors pack a modern punch: Part 2

Resources:

Learn more about Colonial Williamsburg

See the Williamsburg paint color palette from Pratt & Lambert

Visit Williamsburg Marketplace online

She used vibrant, “splashy” colors in never-before-seen combinations and one of her favorite combinations was “dull” white and “shiny” black.

The colors she used were considered quite outlandish by many and while the colors she used are bold they aren’t that unusual by today’s standards so you think?

See more about the colors and other elements that created her signature style…

A cook’s favorite spring green? Tarragon.

Its fresh green color and delicate leaves are the essence of spring. It conjures up tender young shoots pushing up through the earth. Since spring is a time of renewal, why not consider sprucing up your nest with a coat of green paint? Tarragon’s soft green is a great start for any color scheme.

Consider Benjamin Moore’s ‘Liberty Park’ or ‘Shades of Spring’. They are neutral back drops for every color on the wheel, from pastels to brights, as all of spring’s blossoms will attest.

The light licorice flavor has just enough bite to chase away winter’s last chill. Tarragon Chicken is a delicious way to use this herb:

Tarragon Chicken

Preparation – 10 minutes Marinate – 2 hours Cook – 20 minutes

1 tbsp. olive oil
½ sweet white onion
¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves (or 2 tsp. dried)
1 tsp. kosher salt
6 limes (or ½ cup bottled key lime juice)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Lightly grease a 9 x 12, oven-proof, baking dish with 1 tbsp. olive oil.

Coarsely chop ½ of a sweet white onion.

Cut fresh tarragon into slivers to loosely fill a ¼ cup.

Toss chopped onion and slivered tarragon leaves with 1 tsp. kosher salt, in greased baking dish.

Squeeze the juice from 6 limes into a separate bowl.

Pour lime juice over the onions and tarragon making sure to strain out any seeds.

Add 1 tbsp. olive oil and stir.

Submerge the 6 chicken breasts in the lime juice mixture.

Cover the dish and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Set the oven to 500 degrees.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator.

Let stand for 5 minutes while the oven warms up and the oven-proof dish comes up to room temperature.

Bake chicken, in marinade, for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes the chicken will be tender and the marinade will have thickened slightly to form a fragrant, flavorful sauce. I like to serve Tarragon Chicken on a bed of brown rice to absorb the tangy sauce spooned over the top. A crisp salad or steamed green vegetable rounds out this simple, yet elegant meal.

What dish signifies spring to you?

This reminded me to mention this valuable resource to you, just in case you aren’t already a subscriber.

If you find something in STIR that you find really inspiring, please share it will all of us by leaving a comment.

STIR: Where color and creativity converge…

You have probably discovered that the little 1 x 1 inch colored paper you received from the local hardware store can change in huge proportions once slathered onto your beloved walls.

The best way to really see how a color will look and compliment your décor is larger color sheets and samples painted from the actual paint you are investigating.

Whatever you do, be sure to know how to pick the perfect neutrals and punch colors before going crazy on the interior of your living space. This is easy to do, once you know what goes well with what and where to add in these punch colors along with colors of the future.

Read the article…

If you haven’t already downloaded a copy of “Sample Your Way to Paint Color Success: The Low Cost Way to Avoid Expensive Color Mistakes,”

CLICK HERE TO GET A COPY

Learn to pick the colors you can live with today, tomorrow and throughout the decade by bringing out the natural beauty of your home’s construction while highlighting your landscape.

Read the article…

I have always liked the smell of fresh paint. It signals that something is being transformed, refreshed, or made new again.

There is something genuinely satisfying to me in being able to put on a coat of paint and breathe new life into a home, a room, or an object. Even when its not my project or home, one whiff of the smell of fresh paint brings back those good feelings.

Since most paint manufacturers and homeowners alike have found creative ways to eliminate the odor associated with paint, I thought that I was one of just a few quirky folks that had positive associations with the smell.

You can imagine my surprise to find that Demeter actually makes a “pick me up cologne” that smells like – you guessed it – paint! It seems I am not alone in my feelings.

Wondering why Demeter bottled this fragrance? Sephora offers this explanation about what’s behind the brand:

A pioneer in the fragrance industry, Demeter was the first brand to recognize that scent is your memory’s best friend. From Sugar Cookie to Angel Food to Fuzzy Navel, Demeter’s creations are so dead-on, they truly transport you to a certain time and place. Scents like Dirt beckon childhood memories of playing in the backyard, while the sweet scent of Mojito reminds us of late-nights out with the girls.

Demeter’s unique approach to fragrance has landed them a cult following, and the recognition of the fragrance industry. The brand has won four FiFi Awards (the perfume equivalent of an Oscar®) from the Fragrance Foundation and their collection of top-selling scents is on display at the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York.

With a Fragrance Library filled with over 170 single-note scents, Demeter has secured its reputation as one of the most innovative and refreshing fragrance brands around. The company’s success can be attributed to unique formulations, first-rate technology, clean packaging, unsurpassed precision, and boundless imagination. The result, which Demeter fans have come to expect, is the unique journey and personalized experience that comes with each and every spritz.

If you want to find your “fresh paint fix in a bottle,” you will have to visit PerpetualKid. While Sephora offers several of Demeter fragrances, it does not sell “Paint.”

Of course, you could always just save yourself the $18.99 and get to work on that painting project you’ve been putting off.

Unlike some of their competitors that have created their own paint lines, Pottery Barn has selected colors from the Benjamin Moore line that coordinate with their line of furniture and home accessories.

I think this is simply brilliant for both of these brands and for customers looking to create Pottery Barn style in their own beautiful home.

From the Pottery Barn website:

“Color has the power to calm, comfort, energize and inspire. That’s why we’ve collaborated with Benjamin Moore to create complete room color palettes, each with four shades that coordinate beautifully.”

The New England Light palette is pictured above and you can see more combinations at Pottery Barn’s website.

The combination of black, white, and red is clean and contemporary, yet appeals to our desire for glamor. This color trend emerged in Europe in the last two years and this year, the trend has truly taken hold here.

Recently, House & Garden magazine featured Jade Jagger’s (daughter of Mick Jagger and wife Bianca) home in London with her comfortable white furniture that sports a red and black pillow set against a red carpet. Jade is quoted as saying it is “my favorite color combination.”

Their are many reds to choose from; all shades are a beautiful complement to black and white. So whether you favor a bright apple red, a deep claret, or a muted burgundy, the hue will work with black and white.

For the rich and sophisticated look shown in the picture above, try using Burnt Tile 150F-7 for the walls and White 1852 for the trim from Behr.

Best of all, this combination is available from many sources – from rustic wood-stained black cabinets to luxurious red upholstered chairs, so this sophisticated trio can fit any decorating style.

This is a free self-evaluation tool offered by Pittsburgh Paint that walks you through a quick series of questions to arrive at a paint color palette based on your personality traits and preferences for tastes, smells, touches, and sights.

It only takes a few minutes, and the results may be just the inspiration you need to try a new color.

Try it yourself…Pittsburgh Paint Color Sense Game