Archive for the ‘Color Decisions’ Category

The EPA estimates that 10 percent of the house paint purchased each year ends up discarded.

We all know the problem of having too little paint. You’re halfway through completing a room and mid-stroke you realize there is not enough to cover all four walls. You go back to the store and try to have a batch made the matches it perfectly. It takes time out of your day and adds hassle to the process, which is why most of us err on the side of caution and over-purchase the gallons of paint needed for our project. But what do you do with that leftover paint? Here are some green and sustainable ways to add some extra life to that paint bucket without needing to dispose of  perfectly good paint. Read the rest of this entry »

Paint burnishing is a common problem with paint, and is caused by a number of circumstances. No matter what the cause, there is an unwanted sheen from constant traffic of some kind.

Paint burnishing occurs when the gloss or sheen of paint film increases when subjected to rubbing or brushing. This common problem is a nuisance, but don’t despair, it can be fixed. There are numerous causes of this undesirable effect, but the end result is the same: unwanted sheen from constant traffic.
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Why don’t my printer colors match my monitor? Why doesn’t my TV have a yellow adjustment? Welcome to the confusing world of what makes color what it is. I was taught that the primary colors were red, yellow and blue and that black is the absence of color and white is the presence of all colors, were you? When I became an adult and entered the enlightened age I found out it was all lies, well maybe not lies, but at least misconceptions.  As it turns out the red, yellow and blue thing was true for most of the applications that I use, such as paint, but in that theory, also known as subtractive color theory, white is the lack of color, not the presence of all color. Subtractive color is the theory that applies to paint, plastic and die and most opaque finishes.

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We all have a favorite color, that shade of green or blue or purple that just makes us feel good. But if you’re looking for Tiffany blue or Coca-Cola red for your next project, sometimes there just isn’t that perfect match in the countless options of paint chips available at the paint store.

That’s where color matching comes in handy. Experts can now take just about any item – a piece of jewelry, a blouse, even a pillow or door and copy it in paint. Consider it couture color at no extra cost.

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Raise your hand if you made a New Year’s resolution this year!

All month long we’ll be bringing your tips and advice to help stick to your home improvement resolutions. We’ll be covering topics such as adding getting your home organized and picking the best “green” products for your home. This week we’re tackling the subject of adding color to your home.

Adding a bold color to your home may seem a but scary and a little too permanent for some people. The trick to stepping outside of your color comfort zone is to incorporate colors that work with your existing color scheme vs doing a complete overhaul.

Create an accent wall
An accent wall can define a space, add interest to a room and even highlight an architectural feature of your home. Here is some advice when considering an accent wall:

• Not all walls are suitable accent walls. There needs to be a reason for an accent wall and it needs to make sense in the overall design plan. A fireplace wall, a headboard wall or a window wall all make good accent wall candidates.
• Accent walls don’t always have to be paint – Wallpaper works great for accent walls.
• Accent walls allow you to incorporate bold colors into your home without committing all four walls– try dark charcoal, or dark chocolate color.

You don’t need to put paint on the walls
Adding color to your home doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to put paint brush to wall. Welove this idea of painting ceiling medallions in a bold color and then displaying them on a wall. Choosing a large object, such as these medallions, makes a big impact in a space with very little commitment.

Casa Sugar

Give your colors some punch
Sometimes adding a bold punch of color to an otherwise neutral space can have more impact than adding lots of color all over. Just take a look at these rooms featured on Apartment Therapy. In the top photo, all it took was a beautiful plant and a throw blanket to give the room some life. And the turquoise throw pillows in the bottom photo look so sharp next to the white sofa.

Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy

I am sure you have seen various stories about the color of the year from many sources and for the most part they do not agree. From a pale yellow to a bright green with a blue in between the favorite colors are all over the spectrum.  It does not stop with the just a favorite hue it varies in value from light to dark and in intensity from bright to muted, but that is all part of the mystique.  Color trends are based on their end use so a color palette for an interior color can be 180 degrees away from an exterior selection.

The automotive industry has their forecast of the standard neutrals from white to black, bright primaries and twists and tweaks on current best sellers. Colors trends are different for sports cars than they are for trucks, small from large and pricey versus economical.

Fashion gurus predict colors from diaphanous tints to earthy tones, with no single hue standing out. They take some of their cues from Hollywood and the entertainment industry and the high couture houses. Color is very dependent on price point, style and end use.

Home furnishing colors are all over the board with a small palette for wood tones and a huge palette for paint. Long term colors like those found in carpet and tile lines are small selections that have neutrals as their best sellers and area rugs and pillows have brighter ranges.

When you take into consideration there are dozens of industries with even more color trends and possibilities it can be overwhelming and perhaps the answer is in naming one color as color of the year but that can be a disservice the all of the other colors that will emerge as important in 2013. With that in mind the resolution is in picking one strong color from each color family to feature as a strong frontrunner.

As we look ahead we also look back at childhood memories for comfort as expressed in Keepsakes. Copper is an earthy tone that is seen as both an interior and exterior favorite.

Comp Hues are based on computer generated design and new technology. Of all the colors you see in print, on the web or on the tube, bright blue stands out as the most commonly used hue.

Subhued. These soft, easy on the eye colors are perfect for any space in the home as they take us out of the maddening crowd into a haven of peace and a cloud of softness. Soft grays have emerged as strong contenders against the beige overload in today’s styles.

Out of Bounds are colors that express excitement, imagination and a look of surprise. We constantly look for the “new” in everything and finding what is the next big thing, color and design can provide that. Bright greens have come to light as everyday occurrences, no longer just a spark in the palette but a strong leader in some products.

Elemental describes a group of colors used to express our connection with nature and mother earth. This mango hue may not look like an earthtone when first viewed but think of a sunset and how it is nature’s curtain call on the day.

No Rules. Just when we think we have seen it all we find that to be totally untrue. Fashion is famous for breaking the rules and in fact breaking the rules is the sometimes the only way we can call something “new”.  Pink is a shining star in the fashion palette that has moved over into home furnishings schemes.

There may not be a single color for 2013 but look at this pared down palette of six stunning hues, each a star in its own right.

How important is it that Colors Flow from Room to Room?

I am often asked about the necessity of making colors flow from room to room in a home and if it is necessary. Sometimes the need to coordinate or blend with a neighboring room is an absolute, for example if the rooms do not have doors between them or no existing wall to separate them. If this is the case then the use of a color that makes it flow should be considered. But what is “flow”? A color that makes an easy transition would be one that is a hue in the same color family as the original room. For example, if a room has deep orange on its walls then the adjoining room could have a lighter orange or peach in it, or a muted version of the original orange would also work.

When adjoining rooms have a door to separate them the necessity of a color that flows is not necessary. Some people carry a theme throughout their homes and in this case perhaps all the rooms should flow, but most common today is a variety of themes, if any, and different styles in different rooms, therefore different colors.

With the popularity of great rooms in today’s homes the use of color flow is common. You will see kitchens and adjoining family rooms in colors that work together because essentially they are the same room. If there is a textile pattern in a room like this then they can use one color from the pattern in the kitchen and another color in the pattern for the family room, making this textile the accent and the “glue” that holds this color scheme together.

Here is an example of using a textile (the pillows) as the basis for the color in both rooms; they all have gray, yellow, black and white in the scheme. Note the yellow backsplash in the kitchen.

In this room red is the unifying color, it appears on the pillows and in the rug color in the living space and on the walls in the kitchen. Yellow is a second unifying color, it appears on the stools in the kitchen on the walls in the hallway to the right. A third color used is green, seen in the rug, on the kitchen stools and on the upper wall next to the refrigerator.

How is it that scuffs, chips and nicks can stay hidden, completely invisible to the naked eye, until you decide to have guests over? As soon as the RSVP’s start showing up so do all of those imperfections; the scratch on the coffee table, the nick in the banister, all of those scuffs on the kitchen floor. If you’re looking to take care of these tiny little eyesores before holiday guests arrive, here are some quick fixes that will leave your home scuff, chip and nick free!

Cleaning scuffs off of linoleum floors
Wash away scuff marks by rubbing them with a sponge or soft brush (nothing abrasive) and a solution of dishwashing detergent and water. You can also rub a pencil eraser over scuff marks to make them disappear.

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The front door of your home is like the cover on a book, the wrapping on a present, or the icing on a cake – it’s a preview of what’s to come. Your front door assures you that you’ve arrived safely home. It warmly greets your guests and welcomes them in. With so much of your home’s reputation resting on your front door, we wanted to share some tips and inspiration to help you make your front door a true representation of the family and home that resides within.

Color
When focusing on exterior colors for your home, most experts will recommend going by the “70-25-5” rule:

Body color (70%)
Trim color (fascia, windows, overhangs) 25%
Accent color (doors and/or shutters) 5%

Since the paint color you select for your door will only be used on about 5% of the exterior of your home, it’s a great place to experiment and go bold!

Lighting
A well-lit front entrance not only looks lovely, it’s also practical. Wall lanterns on each side of the door will give your home a warm, welcoming look, while assuring the safety of those who enter.

Low-level path lights will brighten your walkway while highlighting nearby flower beds, shrubs and ground cover. Low-level path lights can also be used to define the boundaries of long driveways. Convert decks, porches, and patios into romantic retreats by concealing mini-lights under steps, railing or benches.

Accessories
Plants, light fixtures, house numbers, door handles, mailboxes and door-knockers can all help enhance the look of your front door. These front door accessories are usually pretty low-cost, and therefore, low-commitment pieces so have fun with them and switch them out often.

Now, let’s indulge in some front door decadence!

Shelterness.com

Fresh Home

House of Turquoise

Elemental Architecture

House Beautiful

Furnishing a home can be a major investment. You have the necessities – a table, bed, dinnerware, and a place to sit. Then you have the “nice to haves” – wall art, fancy lighting, a glam rug, and accessories to tie the space together. When you’re excited about decorating, and anxious to get started, the line can easily become blurry between the two categories. Which is why we love Apartment Therapy’s post on when to splurge and when to save when furnishing your home.

Here are some of their tips:

Splurge where your health is concerned.
This means mattresses, office chairs and work surfaces at the proper height for the job at hand. If you’re lucky you may find these items at a bargain price, but generally I’d suggest budgeting more for items which directly affect your health and comfort.

We would also add that along with furniture that affects your health, products that affect your health. Consider going with a low or no VOC paint to cut down on odor.

Splurge on statement pieces.
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