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. …
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 …
Traditional Dining Room by Nashville Designer AB HOME Interiors 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 …
Have you run your hand over an exterior wall and found a powdery chalk residue come off on your hand? Some degree of “chalking” is normal but if you have a lot of it, you might want to repaint. What happens is that the Ultra Violet light breaks down the binders in the paint and …
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 …
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 …
Ted and I spent the weekend in a quaint New England Inn. On the way to our room I noticed that the almost-brand-new paint on the stairway walls was streaked with shiny swipes and grease spots (I know it’s an occupational hazard:-). The contractor used flat paint in this high traffic area and in very …
Join Me — Monday, April 2013 from 7 – 8 pm (EST) Do you have a Sherwin Williams Professional Color File Box? Know what’s in it? Know how to use it? If not, you are missing out on a fabulous color tool that will help selecting colors for your clients faster and easier. Learn what’s …
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 …
Have you been looking for just the right color for the master bedroom to entice the next qualified buyers into making the right offer? This was the master bedroom in a house that was on the market for months. The problem? Besides the color, this house was in Vancouver, WA and most folks up there …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Looking for a pop of color to guide buyers through your home? Consider using orange — but not too much. Walls, ceilings and trim colors are all grayed down tones of orange from Sherwin Williams and are all on the same color swatch in the fan deck. Easy and dramatic! The print in the chairs …
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? So …
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 …
Why do we see red? Red draws attention because it has the longest wavelength in the visible light spectrum – think STOP sign or someone dressed in red within a sea of dark suits. Red is stimulating and a symbol of courage, love and sacrifice. But the most important thing to remember about red when …
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 …
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 …
CSP International Business Training Academy April 15, 29, & May 6, @ 7 p.m. (EST) Webinar Title: Color for Selling and for Dwelling Colorphobic? Have you always wanted to know more about the inner-workings of color as it relates to choosing interior and exterior colors for your home or office? Maybe you’re really good with …
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 …
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 …
There’s a lot more to choosing color than meets the eye — all you have to do is to stand at the paint display at your local Home Depot and watch the customer’s faces (and open mouths). Of the 10,000-plus color choices, which one will work the best for the girls’ room … the kitchen… …
When you stand at the front door of just about any home in North America, you are able to see from three to five spaces at once – even if it’s not an open floor plan. So whether you are selling your house or dwelling in your home, this presents a challenge when painting. Where …
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 …
Last weekend Ted and I painted the den ceiling. As a Decorator for Sherwin Williams, clients often ask me about their ceilings — should they paint them at all or… are they “allowed” to paint the ceiling another color than white. I say, “Don’t ask permission … just do it!” How to pick the color? …
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 …
SEWING FOR DUMMIES (978-0-470-62320-6) was featured on ABC Nightly News last night in a story about a father who used the book to make his daughter’s wedding dress. Please click here to watch the video.
Cures for Colorphobia (a webinar given by Jan via CSP) Certified Staging Professional Designation (Training that Jan be doing at STCC) Certified Eco-Professional (Webinar with Lynelle) Home Staging for Dummies Workshop (Workshop at STCC by Jan)
Get that Back-To-School Feeling With New Color Color Consultation, Coloring Your Home, Home Staging, Home Staging Tips, Interior Decorating, Interior Redesign, Staging Your Home To me, this time of year feels like a new year – you know, the feeling we get when the kid’s head back to school? In my old neighborhood, we mom’s …
