Category Archives: Design

The Best Paint Colors for Bedrooms and Bathrooms

blue green stairwell hallway
Not surprising that Benjamin Moore chose Breath of Fresh Air (806) as its color of the year in 2014. Close to a sky blue on a sunny day, the color is an up lifting light blue, pale but not quite pastel, calm and reassuring. It’s one of the best paint colors for bedrooms and bathrooms. One can’t help but feel a sense of relaxation settle in around it. Painting with blue and green works well because both are soothing and refreshing colors. Blue is associated with trust while green, with its tie to nature, relates to the essence of life. Together they remind us of cool water and the elements.… Continue reading...

Fireplaces and Color

black fireplace wallAerin Lauder's Aspen Fireplace
My new home has a fireplace. I’ve wanted one forever. I’ve given a lot of thought as to what makes a stand-out fireplace. In terms of intricate, carved, period fireplace surrounds, they can be wood, marble or plaster, for instance. They grace homes of every imaginable style. The mantle is a prized location to add an ever changing array of bibelot to match your season or your mood. But three styles really inspire me in a fireplace. First- modern, almost austere in their simplicity and clean lines, I like low fireplaces on plaster walls which have no surrounds or mantles. Using the ancient Moroccan technique called tadelakt creates a surface with subtle texture and color and a slight sheen from the beeswax used in the tadelakt.… Continue reading...