Autumn Colors for your Home

If you have a hankering to do some permanent redecorating this time of year, consider some toastier autumn colors for your walls. As a color expert I suggest brown, plum, mustard, taupe and burnt orange to conjure up feelings of coziness, perfect for the colder months. We all know switching out a summer wardrobe for a winter one is as easy as taking our sweaters out of storage and packing the sandals away. The white pants get a final cleaning then move to the rear of the closet and our deep dark tones come to the forefront. It’s a little more complicated with home decor but that doesn’t mean you can’t accessorize differently for the colder months.… Continue reading...

Fifty Shades of Gray in your Home

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...

Lime wash Paint

I LOVE the look of Lime wash. Not a fan of glossy surfaces, the super matte,chalky, mottled surface lime wash creates is right up my alley. It makes me think of white wash homes on Greek Islands,  Ancient Italian walls and French Villas. Beautifully described on one of my fav go-to design websites, remodelista, “whitewash is environmentally friendly and used for centuries. It is one of the original house paints. An ancient house staple dating back to Roman times, limewash is made from limestone that’s been crushed, burned, and mixed with water to make a lime putty. The putty is aged and then thinned with water and colored with natural pigments.… Continue reading...

Colorful Barn Exteriors

Living in the country it’s impossible to ignore the variety of colorful barn exteriors around. But I’m often zipping by at speeds way too fast to stop and take a photo. Who doesn’t love the iconic red barn with its endless variations of that red hue. The origin story for that comes from many angles. It’s hard to know which is the true cause. In the Great Plains and Mid West Scandinavian immigrants with a history of painting “Falun Red” buildings back in Sweden brought this tradition with them. In the earlier days of US history it was discovered that iron oxide mixed with Linseed oil created a sealant for the barn exterior that helped preserved it.… Continue reading...