Bring Summer into your Home with These Lively Colors

Summer Colors for the home

Summer is in full gear and that means bright, organic colors that remind us of the outdoors. I am personally a fan of rich color tones blended with soft neutrals and this summer my color picks are inspired by fashion, tropical foliage, and the different shades of a sunset.

SW 6626 Sunset is a beautiful, bright orange with a slight peach undertone. This warm color pairs nicely with a soft off-white neutral yet can contrast with a deep green such as SW 6432 Garden Spot.

SW 6432 Garden Spot is a fresh, organic green-leaf color that is sure to blend with any color palette this summer. Add this cool color to contrast against the warm SW 6626 Sunset or SW 6671 Curry tones. If you prefer a neutral color palette use this rich green as an accent color against your crisp, clean white decor.

SW 6671 Curry is a warm punch of color that will spice up any room or space this summer. This golden, yellow color contrasts perfectly with SW 6432 Garden Spot or a rich teal color.

Pull inspiration this summer from what’s around you to get started. Some great inspiration sources are nature, your wardrobe, artwork, magazines and Pinterest of course.

If selecting colors for your home that reflect your style sounds overwhelming, exhausting or even impossible try my online Paint Color Suggestion service. For a flat rate I will select a complete color palette that will have your guests saying “Wow!”.

À la prochaine,

Fall Colors to Enhance your Home

The change of seasons always brings new color palettes, textures and designs. I love the fall season because it adds a sense of warmth and comfort to our homes.

It’s time to add some fall accents and one way of doing that is with incorporating fall colors into your overall color palette. The beauty of creating a color palette is the versatility it has. Here are some of my favorite colors this fall.

Plum Brown has a dramatic depth to it. Use this rich eggplant color on your walls with white trim work or wainscoting in a dining room, powder room or bedroom. This color pairs well with Rookwood Amber for a beautiful contrast.

Rookwood Amber is a great warm color to add to your palette this fall. It’s an earth tone color that can be incorporated in a pillow design, window treatments, plants (like mums), artwork or even a fall tabletop accessory (like a pumpkin).

Forestwood brings the fall outdoor colors indoors. This color is inspired by colors found in nature. This deep, rich green is a perfect choice to use in your pillow decor, accent throw or fall bedding.

Santorini Blue can be considered an unexpected fall color tone but this teal base color contrasts beautifully with Rookwood Amber and Plum Brown. It’s the perfect color to add chic and style to a space.

What I love most about these colors for fall are the rich tones in each color. Whether you decide to use these colors together in a palette or separately as an accent to your existing colors they are sure to enhance the overall decor of your home.

What are some colors you are using in your home this fall and what do you love about them? Share in the comments below.

À la prochaine,

Color. How to Use it Properly when decorating your home.

Color! Some people are terrified of it and others LOVE it! Where do you fall? As an interior designer my clients require guidance on how to apply the appropriate color palette for their home. In most cases, it is common for people to feel overwhelmed when selecting colors on their own to decorate a space.  Color affects your mood and your perception of a space or object.

"Let's embrace your comfort level with color and learn how to incorporate it into your home." 

using color correctly.  PAINT: SW 6379 JERSEY CREAM

Develop a Palette. Every space needs a color palette. A color palette is an index of all the main colors that are selected for the room.  When developing a color palette first decide on which color will be the primary color in the space. I suggest compiling three to five different colors for your space. Let’s create a scenario using a color palette that consist of teal and rust. A great color to add to the palette would be a neutral color, a latte or a butter yellow to balance the two main colors. 

Choosing your Colors.  Ever go to a paint store to find a color to paint your room and feel lost? The good news is that you will only need 3 or 5 colors for your palette. A good exercise when deciding on colors is to find out what colors inspire you and use them in layers. A trade secret that professionals use often is selecting a primary color for the main walls, a secondary color for an accent wall, and a third color for details such as ceiling paint options.

If you are having a hard time finding inspiration flip through some decorating magazines, browse online or take a trip to a furniture showroom to get some ideas on color combinations that they use and make sure to talk to your interior designer to get a professional opinion on colors you selected for your space. If your inspiration piece has more than 5 colors, choose 3 to 5 of those colors to incorporate in your room.

Using Layers of Color. Once you have determined your color palette, you need to make sure that you have light, medium, and dark colors throughout your palette. Your colors can come from your paint, flooring, furniture, or accessories. You might have a color palette that has 5 different colors that compliment each other and has a hint of warm or cool, but if all 5 colors are the same tone or shade this creates a flat, uninteresting color palette. Even if your room were to consist of one color in order for everything in the room to not camouflage you will need to create a palette with light, medium, and dark tones.

"Making sure your palette has light, medium, and dark tones creates dimension and interest to any room."

I used a mixture of light, medium and dark colors to create a well balanced color palette. Paint: SW 6379 Jersey Cream

In this townhouse living room, I used the lighter tones on the walls, ceiling, ottoman and the area rug.  The medium color tones were used in the sofa, pillows and window treatments, and I used the darkest tones in the leather recliner and the wood floors.

Color is an essential piece to decorating and designing any room. It will affect how you see and feel in a room. Using the proper amount of colors creates layers of interest in a space.

USE YOUR COLOR PALETTE.

Are you still feeling stuck with what colors to use on your walls? Are you worried about making a mistake? Choose my Paint Color Suggestions service today and get hand picked color options perfect for your space. Don't forget to leave your comments below.

Here's to decorating with color!

3 Dramatic Paint Colors for your Powder Room that will Impress Guests

As a designer I always guide my clients when it comes to selecting paint colors. It’s a big decision! Picking the wrong color can ruin the design of a room. There’s usually one room in the house that will allow you to be bolder than usual…the Powder Room! A powder room is a small room for guests to freshen up privately. 

Even if you have an open concept home, your powder room can have a slight edge to the overall design of your home because it’s a room of its own. These are some dramatic paint colors that will have your holiday dinner guests saying “Wow, that’s nice! What is that paint color?”

1. Moody Blue by Sherwin Williams

If you are looking for a deep yet relaxing color for your powder room than Moody Blue is a great option. It's a cool tone that pairs well with a mixture of finishes. In this powder room we drew the paint color from the accented blue in the chocolate towels. That allowed us to add some bronze and gold from the accessories to balance the Moody Blue walls.

Sherwin Williams SW6221 Moody Blue

2. Dovetail by Sherwin Williams

Dovetail is a great paint color option if you are looking to achieve an urban or transitional style powder room. It's a rich gray that pairs nicely with lighter tones and bright accents. In this powder room we complimented the gray with orange orchids, rust colored towels, and a white/ivory mother of pearl mirror.

Sherwin Williams SW7018 Dovetail

3. Expressive Plum by Sherwin Williams

Expressive Plum is a deep violet with a hue of gray, a cool blue, and a small hint of red. It is a great option in a traditional or transitional style powder room. It pairs nicely with white fixtures and chrome hardware to add a classic look. This color pairs well with warm grays, blues, rustic orange, or fiery red accents.  

sherwin williams sw6271 expressive plum

With these options you are sure to impress your guests! 

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