How Will 'Color of the Year' Choices Effect Your Design?

Now that late Fall is here most of the 'Color of the Year' announcements are out. Some have created more hoopla conversation than needed, really.  Not every color of the year is perfect or 'new'.  You may never even come close to using any of the trend colors in your own space, and that is okay because color is personal; and timeless color is .....timeless.  

That being said, it doesn't hurt to know what's on trend so if you choose you CAN make an update here or there.  Instead of concentrating on one color, I recommend using the trending colors you like as a starting point and tweak them to work into your space.  Use one color in layers--lighter and darker tints and shades of the same hue--create a flow for each room having a unique color.

Have you seen these? 

Pintrest

 Benjamin Moore: Guildford Green HC-116

This green is a soft green that isn't sage nor yellow, just nicely in-between.  It can be a great transitional color in a main area like a foyer, or can be that bit of color to a room surrounded by the gray/greige/beige or off white neutrals in many homes.

Pintrest

Pittsburgh Paints: Blue Paisley PPG 1238-6

This is a rich blue, more toward a blue berry. It is fresh and makes a statement.  In most cases it will work best as an accent or in small doses.

Pintrest

Sherwin William: Coral Reef SW6606

This is a fresh coral, true to its name. It is not as brown as a terra cotta, but not necessarily juvenile, as this picture shows.   

Pintrest

Akzo Nobel: Copper Orange

This is an interesting choice in my opinion. It can be worked in as a solid color, similar to a terra cotta, perhaps in a higher sheen like satin or semi gloss; or a metallic glaze or paint could be used for a truer copper shine.  

Click here for a great article about this color from fellow color expert Isabel de Yzaguirre

Pintrest

Pantone: Marsala 18-1438

Most definitely the most conversation stirring pick among fellow color consultants this past week.  Pantone colors are not paint manufacture standard colors you can find in color wheel or color deck. They are geared toward the advertising and apparel industries. This year's color relates to a brick tone, burgundy-brown red.

Hopefully you can find a 'color of the year' that resonates with you for adding an update to a room or two.  If not, don't sweat it.  Make color personal to you!  

If you feel stuck on choosing a color, set up an appointment with your local color consultant. It will save you time and stress of finding the color(s) to give your space an updated look.  You can find more about Color ReDesign here.  

Best,

Jill

Sky Blue--Good Paint Color?

Fall in Michigan can be absolutely beautiful!  It's the kind of day you have to soak up the sunshine and light breeze because they are fewer and farther between as November approaches.  It's the kind of day that 55 degrees feels warm (in the sun).  Shorts and a sweatshirt....I think its a Michigan thing, where as most people would have on long pants if temps called for a sweatshirt.  

Mostly Sunny For Today

I am soaking up the afternoon outside, even dealing with the glare on the screen so I can be outside as long as possible.  And it got me thinking as I stared at the crisp, bright blue sky.  

Mid October Sunny Sky in Michigan

At one point there wasn't a cloud as far as the eye can see.  When I finally took a snapshot a few high wispy ones were making their way in.  I analyzed the sky and thought it resembled some clean, bright Benjamin Moore colors.

Yosemite Blue 2059-40, Utah Sky 2065-40, Big Country Blue 2066-30, Blue Lapis 2067-40.

Question is, how do these colors look in a room as paint on the wall?  Strong, bright, intense, fun.  That could translate to 'too much' for some spaces.  It may be better in smaller doses, in a niche area, or reserved for art work or art pieces.    

Still want a blue room with less intensity but not nursery tones?  Choose a blue that has a gray look, possibly more gray than blue especially in a store's florescent lighting.  How do you determine what THAT is? Pick some blues and some grays on color chips. Grays like to lean toward blue or green or purple.  Now put them along side a more gray that reads gray, like Stonington Gray HC-170.  You most likely will see the undertone; the blue, green or purple, coming through.  Trust your gut to narrow down the color selection.  If you still haven't found one you like, wet samples are always a great way to test a color before you invest in a gallon (or two or five).  A portable sample on a poster board or paint sample product will let you test the color though out the room without committing to painting right away.  If you do paint on the wall, make sure you use a roller so you do not create a smooth brushed surface that will show smoother than the rest of the walls under the new final paint color.

Of course a color consultant can always help you with a professional, unbiased opinion about the colors and find that mix of a 'perfect' blue or other color for your space.  Click here for my contact information.  I look forward to ~making color personal~ for you.

Best,
Jill

Trending--Is It Worth Keeping Up

Do you consider yourself trendy? Do you wish you could find a timeless look so you didn't have to worry about having a 'dated' look?  Painting your walls is still the quickest and less expensive way to transform a room.  Some decor changes help you update and still use what you otherwise have.

September is only a day away and fall items are starting to pop up in stores including color trends for 2015.  No 'color of the year' announcements from specific companies in this blog, but that's okay because I want to concentrate on the non-trendy part of paint colors to help transition any updates you try to incorporate into your space.

Over the past few years #gray was considered the new #beige.  I have had friends and clients overhaul their homes to meet this paint color change.  Not everyone can use a classic gray in their space.  I've personally tried to find ways to incorporate gray into my home and it's too cold or gloomy for my liking.  (Michigan doesn't have countless sunny days). Instead I've changed out some paint colors with a warm, green-gray.  

Benjamin Moore Cosmopolitan

Benjamin Moore Seattle Mist

There are some beige paint colors that help balance all of that gray as well.  I have found the khaki beige colors help as neutrals without looking pink or 'builder' beige.  They help the green-grays or brown-grays look more gray than the undertone of brown/green. So when you see green in a beige it's usually helping the color from looking pink. If you see green in a gray its usually helping it from looking blue. 

   

Painting a room in taupe colors that lean gray instead of pink can help give an adjoining gray room some unique definition too, with some warmth.    

  

The best way I've learn to describe combining gray, taupe and beige paint colors is it's like using river rocks.  

Pintrest

They come in a varying range but all work together.  Plus you can add some variation to the rooms' colors but keep a flow or smooth transition from and to rooms.  The single tip to make the rooms work together, without having to paint them all the same color: relate something to each room.  If you use gray on the walls in one room, use the same shade of gray as a decor piece or accent in the next room.  

If you find yourself stuck in changing some colors in your room, call me for a color consultation! 

Best~
Jill
Color Redesign

Inspired yet?

Inspiration for painting a room.....

Does it come easily to you?

Where does yours come from?

Sometimes you inherit or buy an item that lets you build a room around its colors.

Multiple Color Pallet

Sometimes you inherit a previous owner's paint color you know you don't want.

Lot o' Orange

Nature can make color combinations make a lot of sense.

Winter Sunset

Pastels don't have to only be pink or blue.  Light taupe, gray, purple, or buttery yellow can add soft color to a room.

Summer Sky

Crisp, clear colors can add life to a room.  Sometimes muted or grayed colors just look dull or muddy.  Lighting plays a key role.

Double Rainbow

After a rain storm Mother Nature shows off a classic collection of hues.

The tricky part of mixing colors can be combining the right tones of colors so the result is pleasing, not clashing.  

The 60-30-10 rule of main color, second color and accent helps keep a room or combined spaces from looking like a box of crayons exploded.

If the whole process is still overwhelming bring in a professional color consultant.  We can help you decipher and explain what colors will work together in your space based on your inspiration piece or envisioned look.


Best~
Jill

I Saw It In a Magazine

You've read about it before, 

'Colors are approximate. Printed and monitor calibrations vary.'

Meaning the images your find in a printed book or magazine and images you find on Pintrist, Houzz, BHG or HGTV web pages may look like the perfect color, but even if a paint color name is provided, keep in mind printing, lighting and computer calibration factors may make the color look different from the actual manufacturer's paint chip or paint test sample you get.

I ran into a perfect example today.  I found a picture in a printed color catalog of a room that I liked so I thought I would match up the colors I thought were used before I looked up the names provided. (Color consultant games we play)


Here's what I got:

PPG Colors

Here's what was used:

PPG Colors

Similar but not the same. The Edelweiss chip looks grayer in this post to me compared to the paint chip from the store and Soft Cream looks more peachy cream on the paint chip compared to the picture here.

Yellows and blues can be more tricky to get that 'perfect' color because they can go brighter than you expect on the wall. Taupe can give a pink or purple cast, Tans can go too yellow and Grays run the gamut of too blue, too purple, too green.... 

If you find yourself in this predicament, call me for a color consulting appointment for a professional, unbiased meeting of ~making color personal~ to You!  

Best~
Jill

Blue-Little Boy, Slate, or Gray?

Are you a 'blue' person?  What kind of blue do you like?  Better yet what kind of blue do you avoid?  

Pale Blue Sky

Lake Superior

I have helped many color consulting clients with finding the 'perfect' blue paint color for their space.  There are fine tuning questions that pin point what makes a blue perfect for the space they are trying to personalize.

Sometimes is it soft and airy, like Benjamin Moore's 2014 Color of the Year, Breath of Fresh Air.

Benjamin Moore Breath of Fresh Air #806

Most times it needs to have a gray tone to it to keep it looking soft but grown up.

Great Lakes Inspired

A robin's egg blue is widely appealing.

Robin's Egg Blue Guest Room

Often the more depth it has the richer and cozier it feels in a space.

Slate Blue Office

Blue Gray Living Room

Navy is a consistent strong blue

Navy Exterior

Navy Accent

Do you have a favorite blue?