2015 ReCap

On the eve of New Years Eve it seems like a good time frame to reflect back over the past twelve months and share a few ways I was able to ~Make Color Personal~ for clients.  I look forward to helping more clients in 2016.

http://weseesearch.com

The calls for help with paint colors and placement were a (always welcomed) steady stream in 2015.  Sources continued to include direct contact at a local Benjamin Moore retailer, repeat and past client referrals, painter referrals and inquiries from Houzz  (click the link to visit my page).  

A fantastic commercial project was with a Condo Association that was looking to add sophisticated colors to the exteriors of  the units.  Based on the location near a golf course and a request for six color options, compared to two, I provided new colors that would meet the Board of Directors request as well as keeping the painters in mind by staying in the same color depth of the previous choices--no extreme color changes--.

'Green' -really a gray green- is subtle but stands out next to gray and tan neighboring units

Yellow without glowing

Taupe in the right hue is like a perfect river rock

Blue per a Board choice request. Used sparingly it adds a punch of color among the neutral tans and grays

Residential exteriors were also individualized for each home owner.  Based on requests for 'something that stands out from the lake view' to 'something that looks impressive/rich' homeowners had ~color made personal~ to help make a house into a home for curb appeal.

Stucco, trim and deck boards now work with stone and brick

Gray and cream stand out but work with the brick

Eye catching even from the lake

Interior consults were a full range of refreshing a room with a similar color, with less 'pink' or 'yellow' to new construction with primed walls, and some needing flooring and counter and cabinet color choices.

Saturated ('dark') gray to balance strong natural sunlight

Master Bath waiting for wall and floor choices

Navy Blue off sets the white Wainscoting and dark furniture

Consults can include details like making sure the trim work lines up with fixed items like windows

Change from gold to rich taupe

I look forward to moving on to 2016 and more opportunities to ~Make Color Personal~, maybe for you, maybe for a friend, neighbor, coworker or family member.  I bring a professional, unbiased view of color and decorating recommendations that won't break the budget.   In fact, a consulting appointment will out weigh the cost of time and samples that just aren't working.  Take a look at my website for more information to see if I am a good fit to ~Make Color Personal~ for you!

Until Next Year

Jill

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

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

Second Coat Required

Ever ask a sales person at your favorite paint store if the paint is darker on the wall than the color chip?

Did they answer what you expected?  

As a color consultant that helps customers a few days a week at Benjamin Moore retailer North Cromwell Paint I have been asked this question many times.  

'Take home' chips are usually 1x2" on a strip of eight colors up to 3x4" individual chips unless the store has some larger chips on hand, so in the store it can be difficult to decipher if a color is going to be dark enough or too dark for a certain room.  

Here's what you need to know:

• When you open the can of paint the paint will look lighter than the paint chip.  It could even look too 'something'...pink, yellow, blue....

• When you first paint the wall the paint will look lighter than the paint chip.

• Once you cut in [a nice wide & feathered cut in so you don't get a 'picture frame' effect] the paint will darken as it dries.  You may not notice it at first, but as you roll on the first coat of paint you will see how the two parts look different.

Cut in line dried to paint color; first coat wet

First coat of paint with old color poking through

• While you are covering up an old color, presuming you did not have to prime, the old color could make the new color look terrible to the point you'll wonder if you are putting the correct new color on the wall.

• So you'd like to get away with one coat eh? Best of luck because even the self primed paints cannot account for normal, typical walls that manage to avoid the roller releasing paint.  It's really just the old color putting up a good fight to stick around.  A second rolled coat should go on rather quickly as your cut in took care of the wall/ ceiling/ trim board meeting spots.

The answer to the question if the paint color looks darker on the wall than on the color chip is no.   

It may be surprising that even a deep color will look like the color chip when you hold it up to the wall, but overall the color will look a little lighter and brighter in the space because it is on a larger surface than 2x2" and has more light to reflect on it.  

Benjamin Moore's Surf Blue

Deep color: a little lighter and brighter

Hope this post sheds some light on the question of how the paint looks on the wall compared to the tiny color chip you can start with from the store.

Don't let the large paint color selection make you frustrated with your project.  Hire a #color consultant for their experience of how certain colors may or may not display your ideal color in your room.  Your lighting and room characteristics are not the same as a retail store. 

 ~Make Your Color Personal~ (click this link for more information about my consulting services)

Best,
Jill

The Neutral Trap

I've noticed it happening, variations of 'current', safe warm/stone grays are taking front stage when I'm analyzing color ideas for a client.  This past week I worked with two different clients that weren't afraid of color and I found myself having to turn off the neutral button in my brain. What a nice pick me up!

Gray is still the 'new beige' but you can fall into neutral land just as easily with this update and have one color staring back at you in every room.  The trick to update a space without ending up just shifting from all beige or 'builder white' walls to all taupe or gray takes a little faith to think outside the conservative box.

                

   

Won't the Color Look Darker on the Wall?

Benjamin Moore's Surf Blue

A re-occurring question I am asked as a Color Consultant is if the color will look darker on the wall than on the 2"x2" paint chip available at the local paint store. 

Petoskey Stone

Michigan's state stone is the Petoskey Stone.  As a kid my family vacationed at a family friend's cottage and we would walk miles along Lake Huron's sandy shores in search of these beautiful stones.  We would collect them and paint clear nail polish over the dry stone to bring out the fossil details.