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Using Artwork For Color Inspiration

Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

I have been working with a young couple who just moved into their first apartment. They already have an amazing collection of artwork for a couple so young:

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They took this photo above while they were on vacation in Greece. They loved it so much, they had it blown up and then separated into three separate pieces of art to hang over the sofa.

They asked for help choosing a wall color that would work well with their artwork and other furnishings. Another key player in selecting a color for the living room was this vibrant colorful rug:

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Which is bright and colorful (and happy!) and so we must work it with when selecting a color. Notice their sofa is neutral so it did not play much in the initial color selection process.

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So where did I begin to search for a color for the walls? I started with the artwork that will be up against the wall.

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What color comes to mind when you look at the photo? Blue water, right? But you do not want to pick a blue match for the walls because you do not want the picture to get lost and blend in with the walls. You want a color to be a background to the beautiful artwork which is the star of the room.

What color did I zero in on? The color that I suggested was a soft, blue gray. Gray is modern, clean and a great neutral. And it looks fabulous with all of her black picture frames:

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And then every gray I found that would work with the artwork, I would make sure it was also working with the rug:

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I love the colors in this rug, don’t you? Many of the colors are too bold for the wall (and to work with the art), but great for choosing an accent color in the room!

These are the Benjamin Moore shades of gray, listed in no particular order, that I think will work well in their room:

Gray Owl OC-52:

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Gray Timber Wolf 2126-50:

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Gentle Gray 1626:

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Stonington Gray HC-170:

Neutral colors to stage your home

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I love all of these shades of gray! They are all beautiful grays that will work in the room, they just have to choose which shade they love best. They are going to live with the samples a few days in their space until they make a decision. I will keep you updated!

Which would be your favorite color to use on the walls with their artwork?

If you need help selecting colors for your home, contact me today.

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Don’t Blame The Sofa

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013


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I am working on a design plan for a homeowner that had purchased a new sofa a year and a half ago and she still is not happy with the look of the room. She was kind enough to let me share her pictures and story.

When she brought the sofa home, she was disappointed that the khaki color in the sofa was not more prominent and the darker color just overwhelmed it. She wrote, “AND if that isn’t bad enough, it is casting a gold-ish, greenish hideous hue!” Not good.

Below is a photo of her living room. She had not chosen the wall color which is a light blue:

ruth sofa

I told her that I don’t think the furniture is the problem at all, it is the color on the wall. The sofa is really nice! The light blue has a very ‘cool’ undertone color, where the sofa has warm undertones (red) and that is making the ‘dark’ color of the sofa stand out more and look as if they are clashing. And that is what was bothering her most.

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She did specify that she wanted a warm color palette in the room. She had just purchased a beautiful rug that works really well with her sofa. I love how the two patterns work together:

ruth rug

There were a few different ways to go with paint color that would work, so I presented her with a few different options:

* To pull the khaki color out more in the sofa, try a sample of a soft light beige, such as BM Muslin 1037 (red undertones):

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* Another color you can use for a wall color is the green taken from the rug. For example, a deeper green such as Sherwood Green HC-118:

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* Another option to look at is a deep medium to dark blue (also in the rug). Benjamin Moore’s Water’s Edge 1635 is beautiful:

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* One more option- Benjamin Moore Stone Hearth 984:

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Then whichever color she chooses, she can buy pillows and accessories in the same color family to bring the room all together. “Don’t blame the sofa”, I told her. “The right paint color will totally change the look of your room and work well together with your furnishings.”

I think all four options would work well in her living room. She is picking up samples now to see which color palette she likes best. Which would you choose?

If you need help choosing the best color for your home, contact me today.

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Color Ideas For After Holiday Blues

Saturday, January 12th, 2013


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Do you feel your space is a little boring and blue since you took down all of your Christmas decorations?

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I finally got to taking down the tree and all the trimmings this week. Things have seemed just been a little off, since my mother in law passed away the other day. While looking at my (now) empty and decoration-less room, I thought of her and how much she loved flowers. Using that as inspiration and knowing how they used to make her smile, I decided to purchase a $10 bouquet to help cheer up the room.

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Flowers make any room instantly happier, don’t you agree?

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Another simple, inexpensive way to bring more life to any room is fresh new pillows:

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How about bringing in the color of the year?

Throw pillow cover emerald green and ivory 18" x 18"

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Look how pretty these pillows are from Target:

Mard Toss Pillow Collection

A trend I love that is becoming popular and is another inexpensive way to bring in color is painting interior doors:

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Aren’t they beautiful!? I always suggest using a gloss finish paint, not matte, and to be sure to test a sample of the paint color before committing to the whole door.

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I think painting an interior door will bring instant personality and color to any boring and gloomy space! Another project I have to try!

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Does anyone have other ideas to share that will bring some color indoors now?

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend my friends!

  Kelly

If you need help bringing color into your home, contact me today.

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Ideas For That Wall Behind The Sofa

Tuesday, January 8th, 2013

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Do you have trouble thinking of ideas on what to use in that large space behind and above the sofa?

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That prime decorating space is usually between six to eight feet wide. That is a huge area and should be treated as a huge area when thinking of accessories that will work. It other words, think big!

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One of the biggest mistakes I see is hanging something that’s too small and actually makes the wall look more awkward. Think gigantic!:

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Look closely at the above photo. See how they used wallpaper and then put painted white molding around it? What a great idea! I might have to try that.

Another idea I love that is gaining popularity is the gallery wall:

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Gallery walls are perfect for creating a focal point in any room and are a great way to incorporate creative ideas. My favorite thing about a gallery wall is that it can be interpreted in so many ways. To some, a gallery wall is a collage of various styles and sizes of frames. To others, a gallery wall is unified frames hung in a grid pattern:

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I love the idea of a collage on the wall! Best is that there are no rules! You can mix and match frames and artwork, vintage posters and photos and mirrors in an uneven display and it looks brilliant:

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Another creative way to fill in the space behind the sofa is with small ledges:

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See how the grouping is together with the sofa? Be sure to include the sofa as part of your arrangement and build off of that:

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Another great option is mirrors. By themselves or along with art:

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I think they always look fabulous and will never go out of style.

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One last idea that also looks great and is practical, is a console table behind the sofa:

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As I wrote about here, console tables are such a perfect addition to many spaces and behind the sofa is one of the countless ways you can use this exceptional table:

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Not only useful for holding your glass of wine, a table behind the sofa gives you a place to put a set of matching lamps, a pretty vase, a couple books and anything else you want. Another place to decorate and fill the wall at the same time:

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I hope I have given you some ideas and inspiration that you can use in your home. Be creative and have fun. It will make you smile every time you see it! Any other suggestions to work with that big wall?

If you need help decorating your home, contact me today.

Here is one example you can find on Pinterest for ideas and layouts of gallery walls:

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