Use Gray as An Elegant Backdrop To Your Space

One of the bigger color trends this decade is moving away from brown and closer to gray. But before you jump to the conclusion that gray is dark and depressing, know that there are both warm and cool grays which will make anyone’s stuff look great – as long as you get the color right.  And Sherwin Williams has really given us some great tools to do this.  But first, more about the color Gray.

Designers like using gray because it’s a perfect neutral to use as a background color.  Gray also says “refined”, is “sleek”, considered dignified and as conservative as a Brooks Brother’s suit (which carries the same authority when used in a room).

The warm gray neutrals really help the color of the other furnishings pop.

Check out the grays used in  this Livable Lux Collection.  All the colors work together creating a very refined feeling that works for most any decorating style.

So if you are considering changing any of your rooms to gray,  check out the palette below.  Here’s what you do. Look at the dominant color in your room – it could be your sofa or a piece of artwork. Do you see any of these colors in them?  If so, then you might want to use one of the grays shown below.  Oh yeah — one more thing; if you drive a gray or silver car you most likely love futuristic looks and elegant surroundings.  Am I right?

Look at the the colors in this palette that will stand out against Gray.

How To Paint Wood Chairs and Update Your Dining Room

Painting wood chairs breathes new life into your dining room. These are from Pottery Barn, but you can DIY and get a similar look. Here's How.

I’m often asked how to paint stuff — like wooden chairs and kitchen cabinets.  This question is from  Judi Risser – Thanks, Judy!

Hi Jan,

I am curious what you would do with a situation I find myself in. I purchased 6 dining chairs, dated 1968. They are stained a dark brown color however, I was interested in painting them white, but giving them a lacquered look, a durable shiny finish.  I’ve used Rustproof high gloss white on my outside porch (furniture) and thought it might be the best choice.  Very durable but was questioning whether I should purchase spray cans or paint it on using a brush. That was before I saw that Sherwin’s has a high gloss paint as well.  Buying cans of paint will be quite costly but I want a professional look.  Then I thought perhaps I should contact the upholstery company I’ve previously dealt with and see if they can do it for a reasonable cost.  What are your thoughts on this? Thank you!

Hi Judy,

When painting the chairs (or any other kind of wood) you need to know what finish you’re going over.  The rest is in the surface preparation.  You wrote that they were made in ’68,  so I suspect that finish is oil-based.  If that’s the case, then you ‘ll want to use a paint-on product such as Pro-Classic in a gloss finish.  The cool thing about this paint is that it’s self-leveling. So once you paint it on, the brush strokes level out as long as you don’t put the paint on too thick.  Pro-Classic dries extra hard and is easy to clean and is also available in quarts (a quart covers about 150 square feet), so depending on how much wood you’re painting, a quart might do it (and won’t be too expensive).

Use this for a hard, glossy finish.

Here’s what you do to prep the chairs — you’ll find everything you need at your local Sherwin Williams store:

  1. Clean the wood surface using TSP. This is a granular product that dissolves in water, removes greasy finger prints, and preps the surface for sanding.
  2. Thoroughly sand the chairs with a medium fine sanding paper or sanding sponge so there are no shiny spots. I like the sponge because it has both medium and fine grit on one product.
  3. Using a tack cloth (gauze that is coated with sticky-note glue that grabs onto dust particles and saw dust), tack off all the loose dust so the surface is smooth.
  4. Prime the wood with the Sherwin Williams 0-VOC Multi-Purpose Primer.

    Priming makes the paint stick to the wood on the chair.

  5. Paint the chairs and remember that more thin coats are better than fewer thick coats of either type of paint.  NOTE: For the water-based finish — spray-paint the chairs with a high gloss white spray paint.  For the oil-based finish, brush-on paint the chairs with Sherwin Williams Pro-Classic Gloss finish.

Voila done!

Jan

 

Want to know about choosing color? Take my Color for Selling and Dwelling Course sponsored by the CSP International Training Academy. Whether you just dabble in color or want to know more, this webinar shows you how science takes the guesswork out of selecting color for just about everything.

Jan Saunders Maresh is the Author of 17 books. Her most recent titles are Home Staging for Dummies (co-authored with Christine Rae) and Sewing For Dummies, 3rd Edition (Wiley Publishing).

Blistering Paint – Here’s What To Do

The summer is winding down and it’s still warm enough to do some painting (and less humid so the job isn’t as miserable as it would have been a couple of weeks ago). Why bring this up?  If you have some interior or exterior surfaces that look like this, then you might want to take care of the blistering while the weather is hangin’ in there.

Got blistering? Scrape, sand, prime then paint again.

The Cause:  Paint can’t stick to the underlying surface because:

  • painting was done on a sunny, too-warm surface creating heat blistering;
  • water or moisture has pushed through a surface which then pushes the paint off the wall or ceiling;
  • oil-based paint was painted over a wet surface;
  • of improper prepping or priming the wall before painting;
  • poor ventilation and insufficient dry time which causes moisture to penetrate the wet paint (like taking a shower in the bathroom or boiling spaghetti in the kitchen before the paint is dry).

The Fix:

  1. Scrape off all the loose paint either to the previously painted surface or to the bare surface.
  2. Sand the surface to smooth out any rough edges. If it is glossy, sand enough so the surface and the area where you will paint looks dull and is completely dry.
  3. Prime with the appropriate primer such as Sherwin Williams Muti-Purpose Primer and allow for enough drying time before painting on the top coat.
  4. Paint over the repaired area with a high-quality Interior or Exterior paint such as the Low-VOC Emerald from Sherwin Williams.

Hope this helps!

 

Want to know about choosing color? Take my Color for Selling and Dwelling Course sponsored by the CSP International Training Academy. Whether you just dabble in color or want to know more, this webinar shows you how science takes the guesswork out of selecting color for just about everything.

Jan Saunders Maresh is the Author of 17 books. Her most recent titles are Home Staging for Dummies (co-authored with Christine Rae) and Sewing For Dummies, 3rd Edition (Wiley Publishing).

 

 

Painting With Red

Red is a fabulous color for a dining room because it stimulates the appetite.  But have you ever painted a deep rich red on a wall? Could you see the drywall through the paint –  even after two, three or more thick coats?  Here’s the issue.

For really rich wall color in fewer coats, paint over a gray-tinted primer.

Many of the most vivid colors (like red,  burgundy, gold, deep yellows, turqs and some greens) reach their true color in fewer coats when they are applied over a gray-tinted primer.

Look for the "P" on the back of the swatch.

How do you know when you need one of these primers?  If you have a Sherwin Williams fan deck turn over a swatch (i.e. Swatch 45) and look for a little “P” on the back.  And when you choose a color that needs the gray primer, the color-tinting computer at the store will tell you which of the five “P’s” works best with your color choice!  Who knew?

Now you do!

Want to know about choosing color? Take my Color for Selling and Dwelling Course sponsored by the CSP International Training Academy. Whether you just dabble in color or want to know more, this webinar shows you how science takes the guesswork out of selecting color for just about everything.

Jan Saunders Maresh is the Author of 17 books. Her most recent titles are Home Staging for Dummies (co-authored with Christine Rae) and Sewing For Dummies, 3rd Edition (Wiley Publishing).

Odd Furniture Pieces? Check Out My Atomic Chairs

We had three very different chairs that needed to be in the den.  One came from a tag sale, another was  saved from the Longmeadow dump, and then there was my IKEA my desk chair that either had to go or be redone – I chose the later. I love the way it looks and works.

 

Unify odd pieces of furniture with the same fabric.

So what better way to connect three seemingly disconnected pieces?  With the fabric, of course. And the coolest part was that I used the wrong/back side of the fabric to make the contrasting piping.  What do you think? Here they are in place:

 

Showing off the Tokyo Motor Show poster.

 

 

The music corner

At my desk.

Want to know about choosing color? Take my Color for Selling and Dwelling Course sponsored by the CSP International Training Academy. Whether you just dabble in color or want to know more, this webinar shows you how science takes the guesswork out of selecting color for just about everything.
Jan Saunders Maresh is the Author of 17 books. Her most recent titles are Home Staging for Dummies (co-authored with Christine Rae) and Sewing For Dummies, 3rd Edition (Wiley Publishing).  As a life-long Do-It-Yourselfer, avid Writer, Speaker, Mompreneur, Jan has done it all.  From sewing for herself, her home and her family then writing and teaching others her favorite techniques and industry’s best practices; to decorating, redesigning rooms, and staging homes for sale.

 

 

What People are Saying …

Thank you, Everybody!

Readers,

It is my greatest honor to share what I know about color with everyone who has a curiosity about it. I am humbled (and thrilled) by the feedback I’ve had on the course.  If you are considering taking my  Color for Selling and Dwelling course you might want to read what others have had to say about it.  So let’s spend some time together – I’d love to share everything I know with you.  For more on my course, click here.

Jan

Hi Jan,

Just to let you know I thoroughly enjoyed the sessions. Even though I missed one of the live classes, I learned so much listening to the recorded version.  I like the timely manner in which you presented the information and even though I was not in a room with you, it felt like I was.  You made sure everyone understood what you were saying.  I am really excited to build on the knowledge you have given me.  I look forward to meeting you sometime and also to having more sessions with you. It was a pleasure getting to know you.  Have a great evening.

Pamela Mavour-Allen

Hi Jan,

Thanks for the quick reply and for giving feedback on my questions . It was very interesting to learn the science behind colour. I’m a quilter and am picky with my fabric combinations…but now have understanding as to why certain colour combinations and tones work or don’t work together.

Thanks again,
Tess Daglish

Jan,

Well I have to tell you this has been one of the most wonderful educational endeavours I have ever undertaken.   Again, this was really fabulous Jan and the time just flew.  But it was such “value added” I didn’t notice! Thanks so much.  I’m sorta looking forward to the exam…

Just fabulous!
Jill Ackerman

Jan,

I have always had a love of color, but didn’t know how to use it effectively.   I have often been overwhelmed when going to the paint store not knowing where to start and disappointed when the colors I have chose didn’t work and I didn’t know why! I was soooo excited to learn there is a science to color that tells you which colors work together and why!  What a relief!  You did a great job of explaining how to use color in a selling application and in dwelling using both science and inspiration pieces.  The webinar was very “hands on,” we looked at a ton of examples to see what different color schemes looked like and how to use the fan deck to create this look.  I really liked how you walked us through the business side of color consulting and how you do Color Consultations with your clients.  This course has given me so much confidence and is such a great addition to my staging business!  I highly recommend this course to anyone in staging, redesign or someone who simply loves color!

Thanks,
Carlie Bloomer

How To Mix Fabric Prints (Like Ya’ Know What Your Doin’)

Mix large-, mid- and small-scale prints in the same color scheme for a winning combination.

Remember Mom telling you not to mix a print with a plaid, not to put polka dots with stripes? If you’ve been following this rule, STOP. Pick up any decorating magazine and see how many beautifully decorated rooms break this rule. Here are some guidelines for picking perfect print patterns and putting them together:

Stare Down Your Prints: When mixing patterns, stand back and squint. Depending on where you’re standing, small-scale prints look almost like solid-color fabrics, which can affect the overall color scheme in the room.  For example, a small red and white checked fabric can look like a lighter shade of the red in the pattern, or it may even look pink when you stand back eight feet. And, although the red of the small check exactly matches the larger red tulip in another fabric, the colors may not look like they match when checking them out from across the room.

Mix Up The Scale: When mixing patterns, don’t use designs that have the same scale. For example, imagine two fabrics with the same color scheme, both printed with 3-inch flowers. From across the room, you can’t really tell them apart because the fabrics have the flowers are the same scale.

Instead, combine a small-scale 1-inch print (like the animal print), and a 3-inch graphic (like the circles), with a 6-inch floral print (above). What ties everything together?  The color scheme.  Easy Peasy!

“Can I Paint Wood Paneling?” Yes You Can!

Does your house have cheap wood paneling?  You know, the stuff that has grooves in it and pushes in when you lean against it? Do you like it?  If not, I know what you’ve been thinking!

  • Can we fill in the grooves with joint compound, then sand, prime and paint?
  • Can we just paint the paneling and be done with it?
  • Or should we get rid of it altogether and paint the wall behind the paneling?

Look what we found behind the wood paneling -- plywood scraps!

A Cautionary Tale from Jan and Ted’s Longmeadow Remodeling Journal: The dark paneling was installed in our 1959 ranch’s back hallway so the small, dark hallway felt even smaller and darker (what were they thinking?).

We removed the paneling figuring that there was either drywall or plaster behind it.  WRONG — what we found was scrap plywood nailed to the 2×4′s!  So the only option was to drywall over the plywood, then mud the seams, sand, prime, and paint.  The lesson? “Small” projects take three times longer than you think they will.

Drywall and paint lightened and brightened the previously paneled hallway.

So, if you don’t want (or have) to install drywall like we did,  I asked my go-to painter, Will McCarthy from Paint Perfect, what he suggests.  His answer? Paint it of course.  (But if this sounds like too much work, then call Will and he can do it for you!)

  1. Wash the paneling with TSP – a granulated powder that dissolves in water, cuts through the grease, and prepares a surface for priming. This excellent and inexpensive product makes enough cleaner to wash down most of the walls in your home if they ever need it.

    TSP cuts the grease.

  2. Prime the paneling with a Multi-purpose Primer.  This puts a “tooth” on the surface, so the paint sticks.
  3. Paint the paneling with two coats of top quality paint – we used Sherwin Williams Duration Home in the matte finish.

A Little Something for My … Homies Part II

Enjoy this photo montage and know that I am still sore from all the movin'; of rock, stones, pebbles and gravel - and the plantin' of all the ...well...plants! The Japanese Maple is the centerpiece of this bed. I really need to do something about those lounge chair covers!

Installing the stairs was a feat of strength!  Ted and Todd muscled the 600 pound steps and laid them in place by hand.  Glad I was taking pictures!

This is a top-down view of the steps.

Take a look at how we were able to keep the hill from caving in.

It took a couple of years to get the sedum to take hold of the edge of the hill - pretty cool huh?

Then there was the retaining wall…crumbling and water soaked. After digging out the soil behind the wall and replacing it with gravel and plumbing it so the water drains out the bottom, we can finally fix it so it stays fixed!

The retaining wall before....

And check out the Air Conditioner surround. So there you have it.  We are just about done – outdoor lighting is next.

New wall and new plants ... much better!

 

What Blue Says About You

The Blue Room in The White House

Since blue is the most popular color, let’s take a look at where you might want to use it when dwelling in a space.

  • If you have a room with a large, south-west facing window and you want to visually “cool down” the space, consider using blue.
  • Blue also calms and sedates, so it’s a great color for bedrooms and bathrooms.
  • And if you’re looking for a color that aids in your intuition, consider using blue (possibly in your son or daughter’s room or wherever they do their homework or your home office).

More fun Facts about Blue:

  • If you drive a dark blue car it says you are credible, confident, dependable and you probably drive too much because you’re always stuck driving for the carpool.
  • President Martin VanBuren is credited with introducing blue into the decorating color scheme of the White House in 1937.  Since then, there has always been a “blue room” in the White House.

Why is the Sky and Ocean blue?

In the Visible Light Spectrum, blue has a very short wavelength.  So when sunlight passes through the atmosphere, the blue wavelengths are widely scattered by the oxygen and nitrogen molecules and we see more blue. This effect is called the “Rayleigh Scattering” affect named for Lord Rayleigh (the British physicist who discovered it) and was confirmed by Albert Einstein in 1911.

 

Blue Isn’t for Selling … Why Not?

Azurite is ground to a powder to create blue dye.

If you or a client of yours is getting ready to move and wants to re-paint, avoid the color blue.  Why?  Because statistically, blue houses take longer to sell.  Why?  We (in the real estate and staging biz) don’t really know but let’s take a look at what we do know about blue and see if we can figure it out.

  • Blue has equal appeal for both men and women so it is the least “gender specific” color in the spectrum.
  • The Sherwin Williams fan deck has 13 swatches devoted to blue, blue-green and blue-violet, where the reds and yellows each have nine.
  • Blue pigments are more prone to fading in sunlight – interior and exterior house paint, and fabric dyes that affect wear and tear on carpet, upholstery and draperies.

I have two theories:

Theory One: because there are more blues to choose from and have equal appeal to both men and women, the color blue becomes more personal and less neutral which we all know is a no-no for selling.

Theory Two: because the blue pigments are less stable in sunlight, an exterior painted blue will fade faster and need to be painted more often. If blue is in the house, the blue carpet will show fading where the sunlight comes through the window – again two more no-no’s  for using blue when selling.

So what about using blues for dwelling.  I’ll enlighten you about that next time! Until then here are some Fun Facts about blue:

  • Owls are the only bird that can see the color blue.
  • Mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue (so don’t wear blue to a summer picnic)!
  • Blue came much later than reds, blacks, browns, and  yellow-browns (ocher) in art, decorating and fashion because of the difficulty in making good blue dyes and pigments.
  • In Asia and Africa, the earliest known blue dyes were made from plants, wood and minerals such as Lapis lazuli which has been mined in Afghanistan for over 3000 years.

Master Bedroom Color for Dwelling – Can You Say Spaaaaa?

Why is it that the master bedroom is the last room in the house that is finished?  Maybe you’re using it as a multipurpose room – you know, your home office, the gym, and folding center for last week’s laundry?  If this sounds familiar, may I suggest, Dear Reader,  to shift your thinking. Wouldn’t it be nice if the master was a calming retreat way from the hustle and bustle of life and work?  If this sounds like the feeling you want to create in your master bedroom, then I have some suggestions.

Looking for that Spaaaaa Feeling, paint the walls a soft blue-green.

  • First, choose bedding you L O V E — you love the way it looks and you love the way it feels.
  • Then, and only after choosing your bedding do you look for paint color using the bedding for color inspiration.
  • Think of three adjectives as to the way you want the room to feel when it is done.  Got ‘em?  Great!

If your adjectives are relaxing, warm, spa-like, then the wall color you might consider (if it works with your bedding) could be in the blues, greens, or blue-greens.  My favorites in blue-green by Sherwin Williams are either Comfort Gray SW 6205 or Conservative Gray SW 6183.  Looking for a Green?  Try Ancient Marble SW 6162.

Looking for a little more color, then go richer with colors like such as Waterscape SW 6470, Tidewater SW 6477, or Silvermist SW7621.

Sherry and John Petersik from Young House Love (one of my favorite blogs) used a paler version of the bedding for their wall color.
Want to know about choosing color? Take my Color for Selling and Dwelling Course sponsored by the CSP International Training Academy. Whether you just dabble in color or want to know more, this webinar shows you how science takes the guesswork out of selecting color for just about everything.

 

 

Colorphobic?

I teach a certified color course for the CSPI Training Academy and have the pleasure of working with folks that are hooked on color like I am.  One of my students, MJ Getkate from www.arteffects.ca, asked if she could use my definitions of Colorphobia in some of her marketing materials.  I said, “absolutely” then, it  got me to thinkin’.  This is a word I made up to describe a lot of my color client’s decorating dilemmas and…

  • is it in another dictionary somewhere?
  • is it in Wikipedia – the often-disputed-but-much-referenced authority of everything in the world?
  • it’s not (yay)… but should be… and I’m going to do something about it.

Which I did.

But because of the backlog at WIKI, I won’t know whether my definition will be accepted until 74 days from now.   So as I wait for the forthcoming thumbs up (or down) which you’ll see here, I define Colorphobia this way:

Colorphobia (noun)

Do you have an uncomfortable f e a r of Color?

1. A paralyzing malady that leads people to live in a bland, colorless environment of “contractor cream” or “builder beige”;

Whoa...just LOOK at that color!

2. The fear of choosing the wrong color…or one that’s too dark;

Boy that would cost a lot to change!

3. The fear of making a big mistake for all the world to see.

If any of this rings true with you or someone you know, I can help.

  • If you live in Western Massachusetts or Northern Connecticut,  call 860-754-3262 and book your appointment with the Sherwin Williams in Enfield, CT  for a personal, in-home color consultation. Yes, there is a catch – all you have to do is buy your paint from the Enfield Sherwin Williams store.
  • If you love color and want to know more about the science of choosing color, register here to take my Color for Selling and Dwelling course.
  • If you have a Color Conundrum and need some help, email at jan@lifes-hub.com.  Your question may just be answered in this very blog and then shared with all the other Colorphobics out there.

 

Color FAQ’s: Accent Wall …. or Not

Want an accent wall that is a stand out -- but not too much? Use a wall covering from the Sherwin Williams HGTV line. The wall color is Cardboard SW 6124 - the background color of the coordinating wallpaper. Cool Huh?

Just about everyone I help with color has a room where they want to do an accent wall and ask me what to do. Does this resonate with you?

This is a question from one of my Color for Selling and Dwelling students.

Q: “When choosing a color for a large accent wall in a living room, do you have to stay in the same lane (like staying with the third color down on coordinating paint swatches) when selecting the other color on the wall?  I want the accent wall to “pop” a color, so I feel it would look best to have that color a shade darker, but worried about the flow.”  Tracy A.

Hey There, Tracy …  as far as accent walls, I really don’t recommend clients do this unless they are painting a bowling alley room – one that is very long and narrow — an accent wall visually shortens the space.  That said, I have done just what you have suggested, by accenting a focal wall with a lightly darker or lighter color on the same swatch as the rest of the walls.  And this week one of my clients decided to paint her living room Functional Gray SW 7024 and then use one of the coordinating HGTV wall papers on the fireplace wall — very modern and urban chic.

What do you think of this color?  Would you use an accent wall paper in your space.  If so leave your comment below or follow me on Facebook.

Use Yellow for Selling – Same Color Three Rooms

Jersey Cream wall color is neutral and cheerful enough that it can be used for selling and for dwelling.

When we lived in Camas, WA( just outside Portland, OR)  I just had to do something to perk up our house during those gray, rainy days in the Pacific Northwest.  Turns out the color I chose for dwelling worked just as well for selling.

The magical color I painted our bedrooms was Sherwin Williams 6379 Jersey Cream. This yellow-orange was cheerful enough to perk up anyone one our many gray, rainy days — but neutral enough that when we were transferred, I didn’t have to repaint!

How did I choose this color? North- and east-facing rooms cast a gray/green natural light, so my aim was to brighten up the space by going warm. Based on our furniture and bedding, I color-matched the paint swatch to the bedspread, then moved up the color swatch to the second color from the top to create a lighter background for our furnishings and artwork.

So if you’re going to be selling your house or know someone who is, consider using Jersey Cream as a color that will lighten and brighten, but is neutral enough to work with most any decor.

Small dark room? Brighten it with Jersey Cream (could have used an iron on the duvet cover, too)!.

Want to know about choosing color? Take my Color for Selling and Dwelling Course sponsored by the CSP International Training Academy. Whether you just dabble in color and want to know more, or are a color fanatic, this webinar shows you how science takes the guesswork out of selecting color for just about everything.

What do you think of this color?  Would you use it in your space.  If so leave your comment below and follow me on Facebook.

Another light and bright bedroom.

Using Yellow for Dwelling? Ask The Right Question!

Yellows and golds create a "cheerful" space even when you're in the basement!

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting a family that wanted help in choosing color for their family room.  The room in question has a north-east facing picture window, an overhang, and a large canopy of oak and maple trees.   The room was a very deep Navy Blue – a very dark room.

One of the questions I ask my clients is to give me three adjectives for the way they want the room to feel once the painting is done.  Their words? Warm. Welcoming. Cheerful.  Those three words told me volumes and where I needed to go with color to narrow down the choices.

Since there was a lot of red and blue in their furnishings and area rug, science tells me to complete the triadic color scheme (three colors that are equidistant from each other on the color wheel) and go to yellow.

Yellow has a lot going for it when using it in family common areas.  It encourages communication (always good when kids hit the teenage years), it activates the memory (when Mom or Dad need a memory boost), it stimulates mental processes (good for reading and homework), and it stimulates the nervous system (so no one should fall asleep)!

So what we decided to do was to paint the walls Sherwin Williams 7681 Tea Light – a very high light reflective  color that is sure to bring that cheerful feeling into their family room.

You might also want to check out what designer Jane Lockhart did with a version of yellow to brighten up a basement space, above! It appears that the only natural light is coming in from the window in the upper left corner of the room.

Have you used yellow in one of your spaces?  If so, I’d love to see what you’ve done, so post your work on my Facebook page @ LifesHub.

 

 

Using Orange for Dwelling

Use a fabric in your room for the color scheme inspiration.

This time, let’s  focus on the color orange and how it affects your space (and mine)! Orange adopts a few of the physical attributes from the primaries red and yellow.

  • Orange stimulates activities,
  • Orange stimulates appetite,
  • Orange encourages socialization – great color to use in areas where family and friends gather, don’t you think?

orange home office e1286471045697 How to Use Orange to Warm your DecorSo what does this color look like in a room?  Let’s take a look.

Orange adds warmth to an otherwise neutral family room.

If you have a Sherwin Williams fan deck handy check out Swatches 10 and 50. Wall color is Reticence SW6064 and the sofas on either side of the fireplace is Reynard SW6348.

Here are some other fun facts about orange which is why it makes great sense for family spaces:

  • American Indians associate the color orange with kinship.
  • In China and Japan, orange is used to symbolize happiness and love.
  • “Orange is the happiest color.” — Frank Sinatra

What do you think about the color orange?  Have you used it in a room?  If so tell us how by commenting below!

How Red Ridinghood Got Her Red “Just Right”

Little Red Riding Hood’s favorite color was…well…. red.  But like “Red” when using it in your home, it can’t be too hot, or too cold — it needs to be just right.

If your favorite color is red, chances are you’ve used it in your decorating projects or want to, right? But using it all over the place can be a little jarring.  So check out some strategies for using red that makes decorating sense, and  that gives you the desired color flow you’re looking for.

A primary color scheme can be jarring or calming...like this one.

Take a look at this group of fabrics and the color scheme.  What do you see? Red, blue and yellow — a subtle version of the slap-in-your-face primaries we all used in kindergarten (who knew they could be so elegant?). When the room is all put together, red stands out as the accent color and directs your eye to gently move around the room.

Take the warm red from the chair and cross pollinate it into the adjouning dining room.

Cross-pollinate the red from the chair by carrying the warm red into the dining room paint color.

And if it’s color flow you’re looking for … here’s the secret (shhhhhh, don’t tell anyone). Find a color scheme you like and repeat it throughout the house. (Yes, you really are allowed to do this!) Here’s an example – so if you have a Sherwin Williams fan deck handy, follow along.

  • Taking the color cues from the fabrics, use a neutral such as Interactive Cream (SW6113) as the wall color in the family room and notice how that red chair stands out as the accent color there.
  • Next, cross-pollinate red such as Red Bay (SW6321) into the adjoining dining room by making it the dominate color and so Interactive Cream becomes the accent color.
  • Finally, use a blue such as Georgian Bay (SW6509) as the dominate color in the powder room, with Interactive Cream trim/doors, and cabinet color, then use Red Bay in the towels art to keep the scheme going.

Fun Fact about Red: Did you know that brown is a very grayed-down version of red.  Take a look at Sherwin Williams Arresting Auburn (SW6034) or Otter (SW6041) – yup, both tones of red.

Are you using red in your home or your business?  If so, tell me how by swinging over to my Facebook or Twitter page and posting a picture, then comment below and let me know how your project is coming along!

What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

Quick…What’s your favorite color and what do you really know about it? Do you walk into a room and check out the colors – rather, do you feel the energy in the room…or not?

The way a room feels, the mood you want to create in the space, has everything to do with the way you want to live, and color is the central part of creating this feeling. So I thought it would be fun to take a little closer look at each color and the way it makes us feel. In subsequent posts I will translate the emotion of color into paint and décor colors both for selling and dwelling.  Sound like fun?  Great then let’s take a closer look at what your favorite color says about you.

Red: the signature color of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Bodacious Woman, Mary Foley

Red:

  • “Of all the hues, reds have the most potency. If there is one electric blue, a dozen reds are so charged. Use them to punctuate white, burn into bronzes, or dynamite black.” — Jack Lenor Larsen
  • Stimulates energy, respiration, heart and pulse rate and increases blood pressure (message to self…don’t wear red when going for the annual check-up).
  • Red as a signature color: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Bodacious Woman, Mary Foley

 

 

Orange stimulates appetite and encourages socialization.

Orange:

  • “Orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow.” — Wassily Kandinsky
  • Stimulates appetite, activity and encourages socialization.
  • Orange flowers visually advance in the landscape, helping to make a large garden feel cozier.

Yellow Stimulates the memory and nervous system.

Yellow:

  • Encourages communication, stimulates the mental process, activates memory and stimulates the nervous system.
  • Oh yes! He loved yellow, did good Vincent…When the two of us were together in Arles, both of us insane, and constantly at war over beautiful colors, I adored red; where could I find a perfect vermilion?” — Paul Gauguin
  • Lemon Peel: A very strong, fresh lemon scent. Great for summer, very refreshing. Aromatherapy benefits: Uplifting, refreshing, cheering, stimulating, rejuvenating. -Scent It.com

Green is Kermit's signature color.

Green:

  • Offers a sense of harmony, renewal and self-control
  • “Absolute green is the most restful color, lacking any undertone of joy, grief, or passion. On exhausted men this restfulness has a beneficial effect, but after a time it becomes tedious.” — Wassily Kandinsky
  • The message you send by driving a vehicle that is Dark Green: Traditional, trustworthy, well-balanced.

Blue is the signature of The Blue Man Group.

Blue:

  • Blue is the overwhelming “favorite color.”
  • Blue is seen as trustworthy, dependable, and committed.
  • Owls are the only birds that can see the color blue.

 

Violet calms the mind and encourages creativity.

Violet:

  • Offers a sense of spirituality, calms the mind and nerves and encourages creativity.
  • Purple was the color of the first dye made by man. It was called “Mauveine” and was made out of coal tar. The recipe was discovered by William Henry Perkin in 1856.
  • “Violet has the shortest wavelength of the spectrum. Behind it, the invisible ultraviolet. Roses are Red, Violets are Blue. Poor violet, violated for a rhyme.” — Derek Jarman

What’s your favorite Color and have you used it in your decorating projects?  If so, then tell me how by jumping over to my Facebook Page and let me know!

Getting Around Odd Color Schemes

Have you ever walked into a room and said (to yourself or out loud) Wow…look at that color!  And maybe not in a good way.  As a decorator for Sherwin Williams, I am in houses every week and am often challenged when working around an existing color that will not change – or is not changing any time soon.  What to do?  Read on for some color strategies that help get around this all-too-common color conundrum.

How to get around an avocado counter top.

Color Match It, First – Then Ask Science
The best way to start solving this puzzle is to discover what color this fixed element really is.  For example, a staging colleague is working with a client that has a dark avocado counter top that is not changing (he’s spent most of his budget taking down eight rooms of wall paper, repainting and refinishing floors, etc.).  The kitchen also faces north east (not a lot of natural light), has dark laminate cabinets that will be refreshed with a lighter paint color, and has natural pine floors.  Please follow along as I show you how easy this is, okay?

  • Get out your Sherwin Williams Fan Deck and a color wheel –(you need to see this to see the color scheme unfold, really).
  • Next, find a paint color in the fan deck that most closely resembles the Dark Avocado – let’s say it’s closest to Relentless Olive SW 6425 (a yellow-green).
  • Do the same with the floor color.  In this example, Baguette SW 6123 (a yellow) looks really close.
    On the same color swatch as Baguette, find the lightest color at the top of the swatch and paint the laminate cabinets Antique White (SW 6119).
  • Now take a look at your color wheel and see what science says (that’s right, Sir Isaac Newton invented the color wheel in 1666). Yellow-green and yellow are next to each other on the color wheel, so for an analogous color scheme (three colors next to each other on the same side of the color wheel) I could either go green or yellow-orange.
  • This is a dark space so to brighten it up, I choose yellow-orange and I want one with a high Light Reflective Value (LRV), so the wall color is Jersey Cream (SW6379).

    Love THIS Avocado!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to know about the science of color selection then join me at the Color for Selling and Dwelling webinar sponsored by the Certified Staging Professionals this week.  Too short of notice, I teach it again June 13th and 20th.  Love to see you there!

How To Hang Window Treatments for Dwelling

Prevent draftsby hanging panels that overlap the window frame.

Window fashion has become as high-tech as everything else in our lives.  So if you have window toppers from 10 years ago or drapes that look like flood pants on your kids, it’s time for an update.

Since most warm or cool air is lost through our windows, let’s take a look at the “hard” window treatment first – you know, those that go inside the window frame like blinds, shutters, and light-filtering/blocking shades. If you aren’t planning on replacing your old, non-energy efficient windows, there are some affordable options that will make a world of difference in the way the space feels and in your energy bill at the end of the season.  Check out the Levolor Double-Cell Accordia Shades.  When mounted inside the window frame the double cell traps air inside the honeycomb-like cells, insulating the window against drafts and energy loss.

Once the shades are in place, let’s talk soft treatments – those that add color, softness and personality to the room.  The simplest, most readily available and affordable soft treatments are straight panels – those that hang straight and on either side of the window.  To seal out even more draft and heat loss, hang side panels so they cover the small gap between the shade and the window frame.  And while you’re hanging those panels, buy them long enough to hang them high enough on the wall.  This makes the room look taller and when the “stack” is wide enough, it can even make the window took bigger.

Do your drapes look like flood pants on your kids?

Curb Appeal for Dwelling – Love this Trick!

Clean up those raggedy walkways and flower beds with a hand edger.

Now that the birds are crowing and the grass is growing — over the walks, driveway and the flower beds — it’s time to straighten up those rough edges.  And the easiest way to tackle this yard-beautifying job is not by waiting, but by doing it now. Here’s how to get that perfect edge in the spring and in the fall, so the rest of the growing season is just maintenance with the weed whacker.

The best tools I’ve found for really straight edging is a hand edger and a little elbow grease.

This hand edger cuts through grass, soil and roots for a clean edge.

  • Be sure the cutting edge of this tool is sharp, or you’ll get more of a workout than you really need. There is a lip edge on the top of the blade that, when stomped on, stops at the surface of the yard or walk so the tool isn’t buried into the soil and so you cut down to a uniform depth.
  • Hold the tool by the handle and at a 90 degree angle to the walkway or flower bed.
  • Place your foot on the lip edge and cut straight down through the grass until the lip stops at the surface of the walkway or flower bed. (By cutting through roots it will take the grass time to throw out new roots).
  • Lift out the raggedy grass and compost.

Voila! Now you have a really straight edge so the mulch won’t spread all over the lawn and beautifully edged lawn your neighbors will envy.

Do You Feel Like You’re in Prison?

See the difference a light bulb makes? CFL (cool) light at the top; warm light at the bottom. Which one makes you feel better?

The Problem:
Have you ever walked into a room …after sundown…turned on the light and the room has felt heavy and depressing, almost like being in a prison camp? Chances are the artificial light is clashing with what’s in the rest of the room. When putting a space together the goal is to use warm-based colors in a room that has warm fixed elements (picture a sandstone fireplace and oak plank flooring — both warm). So if you want the energy-saving, environmentally correct light bulbs, and have replaced the standard warm incandescent bulbs with the standard compact florescent version (CFL) the cool light cast by the CFLs (who knew) clashes with the warm surrounding.  What to do?

The Solution:
Spend some time in the light bulb section of your local hardware or home improvement store. Then notice the displays that show you the color each bulb casts in a space.  If your space is warm, then look for bulbs that say “Warm Light” on the package. If you are in a cool space where the fixed elements are cool such as back marble fireplace surround and light maple flooring, then choose bulbs that say “Daylight.” Daylight bulbs cast a cool white light. Simple, right?

And here’s one last word on lighting — be consistent (well, I guess that’s two words, but you get the picture). When replacing light bulbs, choose the same color lighting throughout the house. Do this and you’ll love turning on the lights at night.

Colors for Dwelling – Warm and Cool Neutrals Are the Foundation of Your Color Choices

Unlike choosing color when selling where everything needs to be neutralized, wall color for dwelling can be a lot more fun and personal. But there are some guidelines that are the same. Just like choosing color for selling, you first need to determine if the space is warm or cool, if your fabrics and artwork for the space are warm or cool, and then you know where to go in the fan deck to choose wall color.

Choose your color scheme using an inspiration piece.

Warm or Cool, that IS the Question
Just like selling, to determine whether the fixed elements (those that will not change such as the hardwood flooring, carpeting color, and brick or natural stone color) a warm neutral or a cool neutral color.

  • The space is a warm neutral if it has oak kitchen cabinets and flooring, natural or off-white woodwork, beige or tan carpeting and a brick red fireplace surround.
  • Fabrics and art are warm if the background is a warm white (like the fabrics that may have come out of your grandmother’s trunk).
  • The space is a cool neutral if the rooms have maple floors, bright white woodwork and trim, black kitchen appliances, and a grey river stone fireplace surround.
  • Fabrics and art are cool if the background is a cool, crisp white (like sails blowing in the wind).

Next, I look at the fabrics and artwork to see if there is a color scheme that could be used for color inspiration. If the space and inspiration pieces are warms, I choose wall color from large Sherwin Williams fan deck.Swatches 1-80 are all warm paint colors. Swatches 81 – 139 are all cool paint colors. Cool huh?

 

Stopping and Starting Another Color – Part Two

What NOT to do!

Last time I showed you how to change color at a corner by choosing wall color from the same paint swatch.  Another strategy is to choose the same intensity or color strength.  If you have a Sherwin Williams Fan Deck I’ll wait a minute while you go get it….okay…..ready?

So let’s say the family room is painted Macadamia (SW 6143) which is the third color down on Swatch #21. You want a different color in the adjoining kitchen that has a green counter top.  So, in the same section of color swatches, find a green that compliments the counter top – in this case, I chose Swatch 24, counted down to the third color on the swatch – Voila – a beautiful combo with Grassland SW#6163.  Get it?  The third color down on one swatch works with the third color down on the second swatch.  I call this “staying in the lane” because when you fan the swatches like a deck of cards and run your finger over the colors from left to right you are in “the lane” that is third down from the top.

Now let’s take it one room farther. This time you choose a calming blue-green for the master bedroom. Take a look at Swatch 31, third color down is Quietude SW#6212 – third swatch, third color down … stunning and the color flows beautifully from one space to the next.

If you have a question that comes up in your decorating, design, or do-it-yourself projects, let me know.  Chances are other folks have the same one too and this is the perfect place to share cool info with each other. And if you like this, let us know by forwarding it to your friends, and LIKE us on Face Book.  We love your feedback.

Recycling and Re-covering Breathes New Life into this Classic Chair

Cool chair needing new fabric.

I love living in Longmeadow, MA — we have a mix of several styles of architecture and this is New England, after all. But when you think of New England, mid-century modern usually isn’t on the radar screen. That said, we live in this cool little pocket of mid-century modern homes and have a lot of fun finding furnishings that enhance its mid-century splendor. So when I found this chair at a Tag Sale, I couldn’t wait to update it with fabric slated for the Den.

I found a George Jetson-esque satellite print and had enough left over from another chair (recovered from the dump), that all it took was an afternoon, some pins, a staple gun and Viola.  A new, very cool addition to the Den.

Now a music chair.

 

If you’ve rescued a treasure and restored it please tell me about it by commenting below. I love to see pictures.

Unify the room using the same fabric on two chairs. Next project is my desk chair covered in the same fabric as these two.

Color As the Mood-Setter

I have the best job in the world as the decorator and color specialist for Sherwin Williams — I meet home owners who really care about their homes the way I care about ours.  My approach is that the “right”  color should fit their personality, work with what they have in the room, while reading the natural light so the space is not too light…not too dark…but juuuust right –  so when someone walks into the space they say ‘Wow, I love how the room feels!” not “Wow….look at the color!”

I thought you might like to see a room in action.  The home owner just purchased a neutral sofa and love seat with great-looking pillows — most of the time this is not the case, but the pillows here were the bomb! First, we looked at the color in adjoining spaces (I wanted the room to look integrated with the wall paper currently in the kitchen until the kitchen re-do).  Next, color choices were narrowed down using the pillow colors as a guide.  Finally, the intensity of the color was decided upon and the painting began.

We Love the way the room feels!

Voila – a family room perfect for entertaining and for cozy nights of movie watching.

If you need some help with your interior paint color or want to know more about choosing color for your clients, call and make an appointment at the store 860-745-2459 or take my color class through the Certified Staging Professionals.

 

Sewing a 1-Piece Envelope Pillow

If you are going to sew, you need some basic tools – what I call your Sewing Survival Kit. These are tools I work with everytime I sew and you will, too.  For more information on these tools and everything sewing read Sewing for Dummies, Third Edition (Wiley, 2010).

  • 5-inch trimming scissors
  • 8-inch Dressmaking Shears
  • Glass head pins
  • Wrist pin cushion
  • Water-erasable marker
  • Measuring tape
  • Seam Ripper
  • Sewing Machine
  • Iron and ironing board

 

 

Sewing a One-Piece Fringed Envelope Pillow

Make this really easy pillow using a fabric that complements your decor and a sensational decorator trim called bullion fringe.  Think 2 to 3-inch fringe that is attached to a braid (see Figure 15-10 below).   After making this easy pillow, you may amaze even yourself with your new found creativity and sewing skills.

 

To make this project, you need the following materials in addition to your Sewing Survival Kit (See Chapter 1 for a kit rundown):

  • One 18-inch pillow form
  • 1/2 yard of 48-or-54-inch-wide home decor fabric
  • Thread that matches the fabric
  • 1-yard bullion fringe to coordinate with the fabric

 

Follow these steps to create the pillow:

1. Cut the fabric 18 x 46 inches, as shown in Figure 15-9.

2.  Finish the short ends of the pillow cover. See Chapter 6 for more information on edge finishing.

3.  Press and stitch a 1/2-inch hem on both short ends of the fabric.

4.  Cut the bullion fringe in half and place the two 18-inch lengths on the pillow cover as shown in Figure 15-10.  See information in Chapter 13 on how to safely cut the fringe so that it doesn’t unravel unexpectedly.

5.  Place the trim on the right side of the fabric, centering it on the sides of the fabric strip so that the lip edge of the fringe is even with the raw edges.

6.  Fold the short ends toward the center, right sides together, so that the pillow cover measures 18 inches square, as shown in Figure 15-11.  The short ends overlap each other about 4 1/2 inches and sandwich the bullion fringe in the seam line.

7.  Set your machine like this:

  • Stitch: Straight
  • Length: 3 to 4 mm/6 to 9 spi
  • Width: 0
  • Foot: All-purpose

8.  Sew a 1/2-inch seam on both sides of the pillow cover, back stitching at both ends of each seam.

9.  Press the seams flat and together.

10.  Turn the pillow cover right side out and pop the pillow form into the cover through the opening in the back.

Figure 15-9: Cut your fringed envelope pillow fabric 18 x 46 inches.

Figure 15-10: Hem both short ends, then center the two lengths of fringe on the pillow cover fabric.

Figure 15-11: Fold and overlap the short ends toward the center so that your pillow cover measures 18 inches square.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Office Affair

Office Affair: Let’s Give’Em Something To Talk About

The home office is a must these days for both buyers and sellers. This tiny office was used by everyone in the household.  We were hired to redesign this eight square foot room just to see what we could do with it.  Our other challenges?  There was a closet in the corner that the owners’ needed full access to, a large picture window on one wall, and the entry door that was on an angle  – not  a lot of wall space for furniture placement.

Home Office Before

 

So we turned this rather utilitarian space into one the whole family could use and Mom and Dad could also monitor the kids’ computer use! When this family was ready to move, all they did was remove the personal pictures from the desk and the office was staged to sell.

 

Home Office After

 

To learn more about staging your property for sale or using what you have to redesign you space, visit www.nakedroomsolutions.tv. Just give us your name and email address we will send you our free Home Staging for Dummies Home Staging Resource Guide