7th August: Today's Tips
Kate on Color:
On the main floor of most homes it works best to have the colors in all rooms work together. This doesn't mean that all rooms have to be painted the same color. You can use your fabrics, accessories, and furnishings to tie the colors together. Read On »
More tips from Kate »
Meet the Color Mavens
Kate Smith
"As a professional color expert, trend forecaster, engaging speaker and founder of the Sensational Color network, I work with both corporations and individual clients on using color to create interest "
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Bonnie Krims
"Bonnie Krims, a nationally recognized architectural paint color consultant, is adept at developing paint color schemes that not only reflect the needs of the client, but also highlight the important design features of their home. "
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Ellen Kennon
"With colors from her signature collection of Full Spectrum Paints and over 25 years of experience as an interior design Ellen creates environments that are often described as magical or healing while "
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Jaima Brown
"“Surround yourself with beauty” is Jaima Browns mantra and her eye for color and design is beautifully reflected in her signature line Jaima Brown Home
Her design expertise combined wit"
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Denise Turner
"As an American Society of Interior Design national spokesperson, Denise regularly appears in the media and you may even recognize her as a winning designer on HGTV Designer’s Challenge. However "
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Barbara Jacobs
"Barbara is a gifted designer with a keen understanding of using color in a functional as well as aesthetic way, which is essential for creating supportive spaces. A designer, consultant and specialist"
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A Sensational Color blog
Today’s decorating dilemma:
My walls are a bit textured but I’m REALLY wanting to try this pearl finish. Someone suggested I use a grout trowel or dense sponge to move the glaze around instead of the specified trowel as I don’t think that will pick up the paint in the textured grooves.
Am I just setting myself up for a disaster or could this be worth a try???–Heather
Bethany suggests:
Pearl finish sounds beautiful!! There has been some discussion on previous blogs with sucesses on both smooth and rough wall surfaces. The pearl effect is in essence a swirl or cloud-like effect made possible by the timing, thickness of paint application, and interaction of the tacky paint.
There has been conversation involving different methods of using the floating” trowel that Valspar recommends with the faux finishing kit. So how you swirl the trowel, either in a semi-circular or X pattern determines the effectiveness for the particular texture of your wall. A stroke of confidence (even of a novice!) looks better than going over and over a spot trying to perfect it, especially with a medium that is timing based, like this is.
At any rate, the sheen of the pearl finish is integral to this paint, so if anything, it will add an iridescent quality to your walls, and will accentuate any space beautifully.
I encourage you to go and try it!! Are there any walls in your home of lesser consequence that you could practice on? Try it on a more private wall space, such as a well lit closet, or lesser hallway before you move to a public guest space.
It will be a nice touch that is all your own that has all the promise of a professional look!
See Kate’s original post here…
A few more pictures of Valspar’s Brushed Pearl here…
Read some tips from Valspar…
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10th Jul. '08 ·
Fabric & Wallpaper
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Authored by Jaima Brown
Metallic finishes are the new bling this year, whether its silver patented strappy shoes from Manolo Blahnik, bronzy shiny totes from Yves Saint Laurent or retro inspired mirrored glass dressers, shine has resurfaced with a vengeance back into our closets and home fashion.
Gold conveys the symbolism of wealth, many of the world’s finest sculptures are derived from bronze, and silver outshining them all, emanates a sleek and modern appearance.
Metallic is majestic in all facets of our every day surroundings.
The glitz and glamour of the silver screen era is depicted in our art deco inspired Camden striped wallpaper, the latest development in dimensional wallcovering from Jaima Brown Home. This subtle shimmering wallcovering adds luxury and panache to any room.
BE-DAZZLED!
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One reader shared pictures of the Brushed Pearl on a rough surface and you can see his pictures below.
I think this looks great on the rough wall surface.
I think it looks great and I asked him how he achieved the look and this is what he shared…
“I really don’t know if this is the way the finished job should look like on a non-smooth wall so your instructions were great and that is what we followed except for very rough parts of the wall. We forgot about the half circle movement and just worked the paint in with the trowel in a different manner by using just the very edge of it then the end of it going in a circular motion. I hope you can understand what I mean and sure you can use the pics if you can. Thank you again for your support from your web site.” –SRF
You can see my original post about this product here…
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Today’s decorating dilemma:
Your advice is wonderful, and I’m hoping my home can be helped as well. Here’s why: Built in the 80’s, my country style home has 4 brick colors: a few tan, mostly orange, very few charcoal brown, and some a light orange. Currently, trim (over garage and all around, is slate blue. Shutters are blue with white trim. also have a country railing (white) around front porch. (all windows are those 80’s brown) My husband won’t repaint until I choose a different color, and we must paint extremely soon. I hate orange and brown…
Can you help? ~Donna
Bethany*suggests:
Yes!! To start off with, notice all the different colors in the brick. There must be a color in there that you can embellish, such as the tan. The tan/beige colors also will look very well with the slate blue. Also, slightly changing the existing brown color will make more of a difference than you might think.
A color of past decades is repeated years later altered slightly gives it the updated look. A slight change makes all the difference!!
Another idea would be to take out the slate blue color altogether and replace it with the dark charcoal brown, 6076 Turkish Coffee, you have mentioned for the trim. This color will look fabulous when coupled with a lighter color (pulled out of the brick conglomeration) such as Sherwin Williams Tatami Tan 6116 for the shutters. Instead of just plain white for the rails, you can choose a white version of Tatami Tan: 7124 Crescent Moon- this slight change will give the home a cozy glow.
*Not just Any Beth
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25th Jun. '08 ·
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Authored by Bethany Good
Today’s decorating dilemma:
I have oak floors (much lighter than the pictures above) and have oak trim at a low chair rail height and around the window and doors. I would like to put chocolate brown on the walls, but I don’t know if I should just do below the chair and something lighter on top like a golden color or beige? I have a golden color for the curtains and my accent color.
Any ideas? –Wendy
Bethany suggests:
Yes, I recommend having a darker color, such as Ralph Lauren’s VM24 Strudel, under the chair rail, and a lighter color above such as Spectra-tone collections 7772W Roman Chamomile color. Having light colors on top and darker colors on the bottom is appropriate because darker colors have more visual weight than light colors. Also, darker colors hide scuffs the usually ding up the lower part of the wall first.
You could spice up the buttery color on the wall, since you already have golden colored curtains and accents, with a metallic faux finish.
If you want to room to have a more formal flavor, stick to the golds and browns more exclusively. Here is a gold frame when added to the room will give it a selective, sophisticated look.
If you are looking for a more casual look, I would incorporate more than just warm colors. The gold theme will really shine when it isn’t overpowering the room. Balance can be acheived by including hints of the “other side”.
Some cooler, complimentary colored accents in the room, such as a deep eggplant purple table cloth will give some visual balance.
You can draw some inspiration out of nature. Start out with a bowl full of colorfully beaded fruit with grapes, plums, or artichokes would help to bring the temperature down!
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