Our blog offers a fresh voice on the design scene, with ideas, inspiration and paint color advice focused on color for the built world. Updated regularly, discover current paint color trends and tried and true proven approaches to color design for your home, your business or your brand. It's all about the human response to color. Learn how to choose and apply color in a way that supports well-being and adds beauty and function to any environment. Whether interior or exterior, residential or commercial, smart color design makes the difference between a space that's hardly noticeable and one that makes you feel alive!
As an interior color specialist I recommend that if you are looking to create a soothing, peaceful space there are a number of ways to go about it. You can choose all muted tones, ones which are “knocked down” by the addition of black or grey. You can use pale pastels, which are desaturated by the addition of white. Or you can choose analogous colors from the cool side of the color wheel. See the photo above. These hues sit right next to one another on the cool side of color wheel. They include blue, green and violet and those colors in between.… Continue reading...
There is no doubt that the all white kitchen is the standard in home design today. Whether housed in a country home or part of a sleek urban apartment, the all white kitchen is endlessly versatile and seemingly universally appealing. It works with every color palette, is always bright and projects its clean persona.
While the ultra modern, minimalist version sometimes runs the risk of chilliness with its surfeit of reflective surfaces, the all white country kitchen is more often very warm in temperament. Bright white walls and cabinets, Cararra marble or similar stone and the use of white subway tile is everywhere, albeit with variations.… Continue reading...
Paint sheen trips up lots of people. Click bait shots of glossy walls appeal to some but beware.
A steadfast devotee of chalky, matte paint, my idea of a beautiful wall runs more towards plaster and lime wash rather than anything with a lick of shine. For practical reasons only, I advise my clients and readers to use an eggshell finish solely for its durability in high traffic areas like bathrooms, kitchens, kid’s rooms and occasionally stairwells. Trim of course, is a different story and eggshell, satin, semi gloss or high gloss are fine for that use. Higher paint sheen adds reflectivity to walls and in doing so sometimes adds the appearance of a milky white film to the surface, the amount of which wanes and waxes based on the amount and direction of light in the room and your angle of incidence viewing the walls.… Continue reading...
It seems hardly a year goes by when we don’t see jewel tones in one incarnation or another when we consider women’s fashion. In particular they seem to make their way into evening wear. The colors are deep and rich and flatter most complexions. They speak of high-end luxury, wealth and nobility harkening back to the purple robes of the monarchs and the tones of their jewels. Likewise, each paint company includes jewel tones when they create their trend palettes and color inspiration for the year. Certainly there’s been lots of commentary on Pantone’s Color of the Year, Marsala, a muddy, brown maroon.… Continue reading...
Let’s begin with the spelling. Both gray and grey are correct. I find myself in the minority, using the “e” all the time. After (easily) 5 years, it’s still the “new” hands down favorite for a neutral home. Gray has nudged beige, cream and off-white aside, only lagging behind white as the “go – to” neutral for residential interiors. Depending on who you are; your taste, your sensibility, the style of your decor, you either love it or hate it. Gray is deemed cold and blah by some, but it is considered a very sophisticated choice by others. It will create a calm and neutral palette for your home.… Continue reading...
It’s not JUST a way to transport you from story to story. You can create a perfectly lovely traditional staircase with a runner over bare wood. But, it’s an architectural feature that can be transformed into a major design element with the inventive application of paint, stain or wallpaper creating a new striking design feature which elevates it beyond its mere functionality. Think color, out of the box!
Especially for the property owner who is timid about adding color to the home, the staircase is an excellent place to dip your color-phobic toe into the paint bucket and create a bold statement in a very contained place.… Continue reading...
This color combination of pink and orange conjures up associations with the exoticism of the East. For some this may mean Morocco, for others India. Either way, it’s an unusual palette in the American home, but sensational, nevertheless. Admittedly, it’s not for everyone. Pink has gotten a bum rap, being tied to all things “little girl” since WW2 in the States. Previously and in some cultures still, it is considered gender neutral or even masculine due to its derivation from red, an aggressive, active, powerful color. Orange has virtually no negative cultural connotations. It’s considered joyful and happy. Together they create a vibrant, warm space. This… Continue reading...
Interested in current exterior house color trends? Read about them in InPaint Magazine. They tapped exterior house paint consultant, Amy Krane Color, to hear what’s happening in the NorthEast and around the U.S. Click here.
In general, Northern locales choose cooler, more muted colors while the South chooses warmer, bolder tones. The home’s architectural style, local materials, the landscape and the cultural background of the inhabitants all influence exterior home color choices around the U.S.
In the Northeast, many colors are influenced by the proximity to the coast. Classic combinations for historical homes inform the choice for many homes from the Federal, Georgian, Colonial and Victorian styles, to name a few.… Continue reading...
