HONEST DECORATING - KNOW YOURSELF

 It is important in creating a lasting beautiful design to clear your mind of the trends of the day

and meditate a little on the things that really make you happy and the colors that you find comforting.
Don't get caught up in a passing fancy that you grow tired of a few months down the road.

I am still surprised to find that many of my clients don't recognize they have a style all their own.

Your home carries your spirit and your personality

and so its essential that you know what delights and inspires you.

Centsational Girl

If you love a bright color, don't be afraid to say so.  

We should live with the colors we love.

You may not want it on your walls, but you can live with it in accents throughout your room

or perhaps, if it is possible, a grayed down version on your walls.

Because graying down a color makes neutral, soothing and extremely livable.

Like these gray greens by Benjamin Moore

Walls, after all, should be backdrops to the lovely furnishings of your home.

Walls should be quiet friends, applauding in the background 

they should support your design, not detract 

So, I always feel walls should be subtle

Soft

Beautiful

Here are some beautiful subtle colors by Benjamin Moore to try:

they are all neutrals and will be lovely backgrounds to your more vibrant pops of color

Wall colors don't necessarily have to be light ...

they can be dark and dreamy

as long as they are a grayed down tone,

they will be a beautiful background

So if you love turquoise, or aqua, or lemon yellow, or hot pink...

Live with it - but be smart about it...

Don't let it shout in your house - subdue it a little

let it pop out in accents....

and be soft and subtle on your walls.

QUESTION FROM A READER:

Hi Claudine,

I came across your blog and love it! (and all of your suggestions/tips!)

I bought a house last year and have been avoiding painting my kitchen cabinets because of all of the work that goes into it...but as you can see from the picture the dark wood cabinets have got to go!

I painted the kitchen walls Benjamin Moore's Cape Hatteras Sand and am looking for a kitchen cabinet color.

Cape Hatteras Sand - wall color

Benjamin Moore

Since my floors are white, I wanted to do a pop of color, green I was thinking. But, not sure what color!? Do I stay in the same gray/green color or go with more of a light pop of green?

Thanks so much, and looking forward to hearing back from you! Erin Marx

Hi Erin,
For something as permanent as a cabinet color - I would recommend the longer lived, more livable and neutral grayed down color.  However, that being said, I completely love the kitchen above, with the fabulous green and white palette in bolder, deeper colors. (It is still a slightly grayed down version of teal - so maybe that is why).   Generally, I recommend keeping your pops of color to your accessories, fabrics and other accents.  That comes from my own desire to not have to repeat the whole cabinet painting experience every 10 years or so...  So, be realistic.  If you crave color - go for it.  If you want a pop of color - think neutral.  You need to go by what you are willing to do - and not let the magazine photographs seduce you...

Cabinets take a lot of work to paint.  Sanding and painting, repeated several times.   You may not want to redo that process, or the cost involved if you have it done professionally, when your color becomes outdated a few years down the road.  Which is why I recommend going with a neutral for cabinets.

If you still want a little more color - consider painting the island a fun pop of color

Otherwise, fresh green can be added to a neutral kitchen to make it pop in accessories and possibly a colorful backsplash.

Here are some examples.  Good luck!

BEYOND THE ORDINARY - BATHROOMS

Bathrooms are hard places to design..

and by hard, I mean lots of hard surfaces

tile

stone

glass
porcelain

wood

mirrors....

not a lot of softness in a bathroom

which is why a lot of thought should go into one

for although bathrooms are mainly utilitarian

and surfaces need to be cleanable and practical

they can also be very, very beautiful...

who says the shower needs to go in a corner?  Love this example from Metropolitan Home

of this wide open bath where nothing is ordinary

including the clam shell that hides the drain...

framing out a basin and mirror with a wall of stone or tile

makes washing your face a thing of beauty

mixing elements keeps things interesting...

like the marble and chrome vanity with exposed plumbing and the gilded candlestick lamp

unexpected..

backsplash doesn't mean 6 inches above the vanity in this beautiful bathroom

it encompasses the entire wall

and while you are contemplating faucets - 

they don't all have to sit on the vanity...

I keep thinking how much easier to clean these wall faucets would be...

Brooke Gianetti and her husband create beautiful homes...

and I particularly like their creative ideas with bathrooms

so clever to create a pony wall that is the perfect spot for a bench

and the opportunity to add a little softness and a little color...

When in doubt, trim it out....

The paneled walls, cabinet, paneled tub, subtly veined marble 

deep crown molding and soft creamy color

all combine to create this inviting space

whenever possible - add fabric

fabric does wonders to soften hard surfaces, draw the eye, add texture and color

and if you are a 'soak in the tub' sort of person - make a statement

Sometimes the logical place for a shower is the corner...

but trimming it out with panels and molding will make it more of a statement

I love the simple floor design - completely elegant

I like all the elements in this bathroom...

visible towel storage creates some of that softness we are looking for...

Try sconces, instead of vanity lights

to put the light right on your face where it belongs

the wall color makes this room

the soft gray blue complements the wood tones...

but the real beauty of a bathroom are the materials we use

the woods

the tile or stone

the details...

QUESTION FROM A READER:

Hello,

Stumbled across your blog today, absolutely right time, right topic and so much information. Actually, I think it was providential that I saw it.

My husband and I are near the conclusion of a kitchen redo. We changed a
few things but basically used the cabinet structure of our old cabinets
and changed the doors and painted them. They were the old ugly orangey oak cabinets of yesteryear, my apologies to anyone still in love with them.  

Anyway, down to business. I have always been an individual drawn to deep
tones and colors. Any actual color that I gravitated to whether a green,
always Emerald, blue, Sapphire, red, ruby...you get the idea. So I decided that I would change it up a bit with this kitchen/family room adjoined space. Our appliances are all white, which I actually like and they are recent purchases so I wasn't going to change that. The cabinets have been transformed with these two colors SW 7668 March Wind and SW 7669 Summit Gray.

SW Summit Gray

All my wood trim in the house is white. I chose the color SW Rain for the walls. When I got home yesterday, I wanted to cry because my cabinets are reading blue.  

SW Rain

Please help me because I cannot have the cabinets taken out and repainted again. I know that I am going to have to change the wall and ceiling color. 

Oh, the other finishes in the kitchen will be Cambria quartz counters -- new Rococo, resembles Carrera marble with classic white subway tiles for the backsplash as well as up to the ceiling. 

I chose an antiqued bronze hardware from rejuvenation for the pulls and knobs. Also I have two school house pendants over the island that are also antiqued bronze. Also, my floors throughout the entire downstairs is 3/4 inch hardwood oak stained really dark. 

I want to really love the space but this is really throwing me for a loop.
Please help. 

Grateful,
Jorja Price

Jorja,

One of the things that will affect wall color (or cabinet color) is reflected color from walls, etc.  SW Rain is not a shrinking violet color - it has strength and a lot of pigment.  It has at least the same amount of strength as the grays you painted your cabinets - and so they will definitely influence one another.

If you look at kitchens with medium to dark gray cabinets, you will find the walls in those kitchens are generally very light in color, a light taupe or beige or simply white. Color - especially the bright hues and jewel tones you so enjoy - can be brought in with accents and accessories.   They will be the pops of color that bring interest to the room, but not the wall color.  

So my recommendation is to go with a nice creamy white, a gray beige or light taupe for walls and ceiling, or a color that is nearly a white.

That may seem a little neutral to you, but your cabinets will read the grays you intended.  Here are a few examples of what I am suggesting...

Ashwood BM

Manchester Tan BM