Mise en Scène

Black

2015-11-27T09:29:00.001-08:00

Katherine Yaphe, as seen in Canadian House and Home

I apologize for the brief hiatus last week. Health issues took precedence over, well everything! But enough about my surgery woes, let's get on with some great design!

Black can take a room places no other color can. Used on a ceiling, it gives the illusion of a night sky, raising the ceiling without raising a hammer.

Black Painted Basement Ceiling,
BraySamLane

See how elegant black paint can make an unfinished basement ceiling?

Black brings instant sophistication to a door. I have a pretty standard builder grade door which was painted a pretty standard builder grade white. Painting it black instantly increased the sophistication of the foyer.

With no other changes, painting the doors black improved the look of the foyer dramatically.

Hope you are having a Happy Thanksgiving!

Ready Mixed Whites: China White

2015-11-14T13:28:00.002-08:00

Benjamin Moore's China White is one of Tom Filicia's go to neutrals. It is a pale shade of yellow but just barely, having nearly equal proportions of red, yellow and blue. It has just enough yellow to make this color warm.

Lasley Brahaney Architecture+Construction

Traditional Kitchen by Princeton Design-Build Firms Lasley Brahaney Architecture + Construction

The soapstone countertops, farm sink, bead board backsplash and bridge faucet all combine to create a classic country style kitchen. Don't you just love the honed soapstone? Notice that the front of the dishwasher panel matches the cabinets, providing a seamless look to the cabinets. White kitchen cabinets show no signs of dropping out of the top five preferred kitchen styles!

Traditional Kitchen by Princeton Design-Build Firms Lasley Brahaney Architecture + Construction

Another view of this kitchen shows the stainless steel range top to the immediate right of the dishwasher. Paneling the dishwasher allowed these two appliances to be so close to each other without creating an overly industrial look.

China White Walls, White Dove Cabinets
Duffy Design Group

Contemporary Kitchen by Boston Interior Designers Decorators Duffy Design Group

You can see from the photo above that China White is a bit deeper intensity and pairs well with White Dove, another Benjamin Moore classic white.

Does China White have a place in your home?

Is Black the New Black?

2015-11-07T17:31:00.001-08:00

Traditional Kitchen by Seattle Architects & Building Designers Paul Moon Design

For a very long time, stainless steel has been the standard for kitchens. It is the appliance color of choice for selling a home quickly.

Kitchen Aid Black Stainless Sponsored Post on Dwell

Now, a few manufacturers, KitchenAid, LG, and Samsung, are introducing black stainless steel. The claim is that it mixes with stainless and is poised to knock stainless steel of the throne.

I am not so sure that a mix of appliance colors will make a kitchen work.

Avocado, Black and Almond Appliances,
Pre-renovation kitchen Knife and Fork blog

At all. Will using black stainless make a kitchen with mixed appliances look more cohesive?

Carbonated TV

Or will it just look more like when your blacks don't match?

What do you think? Is black the new black? Or, more precisely, is black the new stainless?

The Bathroom Floors

2015-10-31T12:08:00.001-07:00

Small & Chic

Freckles Chick blog

Last post, I discussed the gray cabinet paint colors. While that decision is ongoing, I am working on a floor tile.

Originally, this marble tile was on the table, so to speak. Though our children are older and this floor works well for them, it isn't likely to be make a family with young children happy. That is, should we sell, though I have been here for quite a while and expect to be here even longer, I am always sweatin' the resale. Also, at $10 a foot for a bathroom tile, it makes sense to look for alternatives.

Home Depot Montagna Dapple Gray

This tile is the right size, but, a bit more pattern than I wanted.

Crossville Co, Lead

The Crossville Lead, used in the top picture, has the right amount of subtle pattern and is the dimension that I want. But, from Freckles Chic website, it still at least $10 a foot. Not to mention that Great Indoors has gone away, :-( and, though the maker shows it on their site, it is not showing up on the local Crossville Co distributors site.

Tone on Tone, Basement

Back to looking for alternatives, I wanted to like the faux travertine tiles at Home Depot, which Tone on Tone used in their basement, above. It just didn't work for me, at least not those in the store.

Travisano Trevi, Home Depot

Metro Gris, Home Depot

Bottom line, the Metro Gris is still the front runner.

Gray Cabinets

2015-10-24T13:48:00.001-07:00

Fieldstone Sally Wheat' s Kitchen via Cote de Texas

The main bath of our house is in need of an update. When we bought the house, we planned to replace certain things which we could not spec with the builder. So, in went the basic cabinets, because glazed cabinets were not available as an "optional upgrade."

Vapor Trails Casa Verde Design

Those are my two least favorite words in the vernacular of regional builders.

Contemporary Bathroom by Toronto Interior Designers & Decorators AM Dolce Vita

The bathroom upstairs was decked out in a neutral colored vinyl. It gave the appearance of tile, similar to this. But with that all important forgiving nature that vinyl has when young hands drop, well anything!

Now that those young hands have matured, it is time for an "upgrade".

One of the first things to go was the shower curtain, while not all the way to Disney, was still a bit too juvenile. We chose the Striped Shower Curtain in Dusty Navy.

After making this choice, the paint could be chosen, based on what coordinated best with the white in the shower curtain. We auditioned quite a few colors, and settled on...

AF 15 Steam

AF-15, Steam. We are now in the process of choosing a tile, the marble mosaic tile made the room a bit too white, we felt as though we'd gone snow blind. The tile below is the current favorite. The look is similar to the tile in the second picture above.

Metro Gris

We are planning on painting the vanity. Pigeon Gray, Fieldstone Gray and Vapor Trails are current favorites.

Segreto Finishes

Have to admit that a glazed finish keeps giving me a siren call.

Ready Mixed Whites: Atrium White

2015-10-17T16:12:00.002-07:00

Massucco Warner Miller via Decorpad

One of my very first forays into the world of the Ready Mixed whites was Atrium White. I planned a custom paint, armed with my color choice, I walked into my Benjamin Moore paint dealer, who luckily recognized it as a ready mixed paint. This meant that I paid a bit less.

At the time, it was a jarring transition from dark beige whites which were in the home I was redoing. Much of the trim paint was Berber White, 955, the difference was remarkable.

Atrium White is on the far right of the Benjamin Moore Whites color gallery.

It has some slight pink undertones, which worked well with the wallpaper I planned to use above it. It is super crisp!

Mamaroneck Kitchen & Bath Designers
Traditional Kitchen Studio Dearborn

Edgecomb Gray & Atrium White
Scavullo Design

Though it has pink undertones, it is not a pinky-beige paint and will not have all the problems that entails. It is stunning with Edgecomb Gray as in this bath.

However, it does pair well with some more pink cast off white colors, such as Pratt and Lambert's Soapstone from their old fan deck. I tried to find an image of this paint, but no luck!

Benjamin Moore Chocolate Candy Brown, 2107-10

Atrium white works for walls and trim. For those who crave something moodier, another great pairing is with Chocolate Candy Brown, 2107-10.

Phoebe Howard
Trim is Atrium White
Mrs Howard Personal Shopper

Tom Scheerer
via
The Peak of Chic

Chocolate browns also have a significant red base. So it really is an inspired combination.

What do you think? Is there a place for Atrium White in your home?

Simply White

2015-10-10T14:04:00.002-07:00

Benjamin Moore has announced their color of the year for 2016. It is OC-117 Simply White.

Huestis Tucker Architects, LLC, Woodland Park House

The color of the year is often selected by what is seen on the runway.

Red Feathers, Design Inspiration

For example, Merlot was selected by Pantone for this reason.

OC-117

Benjamin Moore takes a similar tack, drawing on many shows to determine what, in their opinion, will be the color of the year.

OC-117

White has certainly been the color of the year for kitchens for quite a few years now.

Graystone Custom Builders, Oceanfront

The Real House Life

Simply White falls somewhere between White Dove and Snowfall White.


White Dove OC-17	Simply White OC-117	Snowfall White OC-118

It is warmer than Snowfall, and a bit lighter than White Dove, the latter an architects and designer favorite.

What do you think? Is Simply White going to be your new go to white?

I want that hall!

2015-09-30T07:02:00.002-07:00

Sweet Dreams Wallpaper Blackish ABC

I am seriously in love with the ABC comedy Blackish. Not only do I love the series and the cast and the characters they play, I love the house. Production Designer Maxine Shepard has done a super job of creating this house. The house is truly another character in the show and a big part of visually defining the Johnson family as a hip, upper middle class family. Though Bow and Dre probably make a good amount of money, they are raising four children. Therefore the decor is not super high end, but still classic and refined with a contemporary slant.

Blackish ABC

One of my biggest favorites spaces is the upstairs hall. Yup, the hall. There are so many aspects to this hallway to love, not the least of which is the expansive space!

Blackish ABC

Seriously, does anyone else have a hallway wide enough for two people to walk side by side? With space between them, no less? If we tried that in my house, somebodies dyin' from falling down the stairs! Of course, I rarely have camera crews in my hall.

Though space is definitely part of design, my focus is on the decorative surfaces. Mainly because there is nothing I can do to widen the hallway without throwing a lot of money at it. Blow it up, start it over again, amount of money! And I. Want. This. Hallway. Or at least something close to it!

This space strikes a balance between contemporary and traditional. Everything in the space, the damask wallpaper, the subdued lighting, the chair rail, the beautiful wood flooring, the base molding and the neutral color are all traditional. Yet, each has a modern spin.

Sweet Dreams Candice Olson, York Wallcoverings

For example, the wallpaper used here has a contemporary look. This is Sweet Dreams by Candice Olson produced by York Wallcoverings. It took me the better part of a day to find this pattern! I am blaming it on my search terms, which were not so successful to begin with. I am still not entirely sure which colorway was used.

Sweet Dreams Candice Olson York Wallcoverings

Jeld-Wen Doors HomeDepot

The bedroom doors are paneled and an upgrade from a plain slab door. The number and the shape of the panels creates a more contemporary appearance. They are square, rather than round and there are only two, not six. Either of the two doors on the left and right, above, would work, but the square panels lend a more contemporary vibe to the space. Fascinatingly, all of these doors are the same price yet the two left and right doors above look so much more luxe.

The door handles are a blunt rectangular lever style with a square backplate, repeating the square elements of the door panels. They look similar to the Kwikset Vedani, to me. I believe they used a passage door knob, rather a privacy knob, as nobody needs privacy on an actual set bedroom and the privacy knob / lever has a rather sizable hole for the 'key.'

The niche with the seat, reminiscent of a window seat, is a charming and homey touch. Another feature which is not practical for a redo in my house, again, unless my daughter gives up her closet, not happening!

Anundria, Lamps Plus

The lights, again, repeat the squares. These fixtures are similar. The one above is a plug in, the one below is hard wired.

Possini Euro Design Wall Sconce, Lamps Plus

The mouldings are likely compound, that is multiple mouldings combined to create the strong architectural statement that this moulding gives. For a smaller space than this hall, a moulding with a lower profile is appropriate.

I found a similar moulding at architecturaldepot.com

House of Fara Molding, Home Depot

and another at Home Depot. The set has what looks like a beveled quarter or half round atop the moulding, again, a compound creation.

Moulding Home Depot

The baseboard looks like it is a compound moulding, as well. Highly likely that the space between the top and bottom of the moulding is the wall. The top may be as simple as the moulding above, then wall space, and what looks like another chair rail at the bottom, it has a higher profile than most base mouldings, with a quarter round to finish it. Notice that the mouldings are all painted, that is, there is no cherry stained shoe moulding where the flooring meets the wall. This makes the wall look taller rather than making the floor look wider.

Cherry Stained Maple flooring, York Supplies

The floors may be a black walnut or cherry stained maple or oak. These hardwoods have a more uniform appearance than actual Cherry. Every board has a consistent color, no board being significantly darker or lighter than another.

Cherry wood floors, notice the variation in color, Houzz

Cherry wood has variations in color, which can be very distracting.

Black Oak Laminate Flooring, York Supplies

Of course, this is the ~~smoke and mirrors~~ magic of television, and laminate could be used which would take the traffic of cameras and equipment over the floors.

The wallpaper samples are on their way, out for delivery as I post! After they arrive, the paint choices are next.

Here we go again!

2015-09-26T19:44:00.002-07:00

Well now, this was awesome.

As I was writing my post today, Pepco lost power again. Big Surprise, not.Turns out there was a brush fire near a substation. Big Surprise, not!

Though the fire didn't reach the proportions of 2011, it certainly caused concern. The power blip took down the internet, meaning much of the necessary research for today's post had to be delayed. I really miss my linksys modem which stayed up when these things happened!

Smoke from Pepco fire in 2011

Not to mention the fear of needing to bug out in case the situation warranted.

**Le Sigh**

No damage, no panicked bug out, not even smokey skies, just two ladder trucks and a helicopter patrolling the park.
No smoke in the skies, but Thundercloud Gray is coming!

Tomorrow is another day!

Benjamin Moore Thundercloud Gray 2124-40

Back to Black

2015-09-19T15:54:00.002-07:00

Lisa Mendes Design
High Point, North Carolina, 2015 Designer Showhouse
Traditional Home

I go through at least five or six design obsessions weekly. I am currently obsessing on cabinet color. In my creative area are yellow oak cabinets which need painting!

I have gone from black cabinets with white counters, to white cabinets with black counters...

Wm F. Holland, Architect
website

To all white cabinets and counters ...

Traditional Kitchen by Minneapolis Interior Designers & Decorators; Interiors By Holly

Nagwa Seif Interior Design

Elizabeth Metcalfe Design Studio
website

Lisa Mendes Design
High Point, North Carolina, 2015 Designer Showhouse
Traditional Home

Now I am back to black again.

**Le Sigh**

Danke Schoen

2015-09-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

It has been a Long, Long, Long, Stressful couple of weeks.
Thanks House and Home for this fabulous feature.

BRB...

Guggenheim

2015-09-04T14:04:00.001-07:00

via Homebunch

I was searching the web for photos of cabinets painted with the no longer a secret combination of 50% linen white and 50% decorators white. The above picture is not it, it is linen white only. I know that once in Traditional Home, this charmingly awesome 50-50 was used and actually named as such. So often when a mix is listed in the Resources, it is just listed as Custom, grrrr!

Admittedly I have made some spectacular beige / off white paint colors by mixing all the left over paints together. Yup even some intense colors, mixed together with a bit of white will make beige. And, no, I couldn't come up with a better name than "custom" either. How do you say, about a quart of a gallon of some perfectly awful green that just never quite worked, about 1/2 gallon of brown that the previous owners left behind, 2 quarts of some sort of red, trial colors for the accent walls, a gallon of atrium white which was over the top stark, and a half a gallon of soapstone which a pinkish off white for the ceiling in the room with the Schumacher wallpaper.

Edgecomb Gray Decorpad

While wandering I found an article on the New York Times site dating from 1989, with a discussion about whites, including the newly introduced Atrium White! Benjamin Moore's Off-White, with the number #76, which was really a gray, was only being kept in the line because of the name, off-white. I wonder how close that gray was to Edgecomb? I'm sure it was close to the stunning ET-69 or was it ET-71, which we used in our first house. I remember those colors being very close to Revere Pewter and Edgecomb Gray. I am pretty sure that #76 was in fact an ET, which stood for earth tone, color.

Atrium White Cabinets via Decorpad

Atrium was one of the most stark whites I'd used to date.

Pottery Barn, Benjamin Moore Spring in Aspen #954 on the walls OC-117 Simply White Trim

Benjamin Moore Spring in Aspen #954 with White Dove OC-17

Benjamin Moore Spring in Aspen #954 with Brandon Beige # 977
via Pinterest

From the article, it seems that the Guggenheim was painted OW-8, which was renamed #954, or, by its name, Spring in Aspen. To me, the Spring in Aspen works better with a brighter white for trim, such as the OC-117 in the top picture or the Brandon Beige in the bottom picture. White Dove, which I love is too near the same tone. If a monochromatic look is desired, just use the same paint in a different gloss, say satin, for the wood work.

Pottery Barn,
Benjamin Moore Berber White, 955

Benjamin Moore's Berber White, its neighbor on the fandeck, was very popular when it was part of the Pottery Barn color selections.

I'll keep looking for that elusive 50%-50% Linen / Decorators white photo, in the meantime, I have some plans up my sleeve for that boring builder bathroom!

Ready Mixed Whites: Linen White

2015-08-29T13:58:00.002-07:00

10 Relaxing Bedrooms, Huffington Post, Designer: Laura Burkhardt

Another classic color on the ready mix fan deck strip is Linen White.

Miles Redd, Veranda
Photography by Melanie Acevedo

While Decorators white tends to green, Linen white is a pale tint of yellow, yet not as dark as Navajo White or Ceylon Ivory by Pratt and Lambert.

Traditional Entry by Cabin John Design-Build Firms Anthony Wilder Design/Build, Inc.

It is light yet still warm. Not only is it on the Ready Mix paint strip, it is also 912 on the Classic Colors fandeck.

The best thing about Linen White may be when it is mixed with Decorators White!

Ready Mixed Whites: Decorators White

2015-08-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

Deocorator's White via Homebunch

Confused about white? Try some of the ready mixed Benjamin Moore whites.

Benjamin Moore has quite a few shades of Ready Mixed Whites, Decorators White being a very popular part of this collection.

Decorators White via Decorpad

Because they sell a lot of them.

Cardea Building Co via Pinterest

Because we want them.

Darryl Carter, Huntington White
via One King's Lane: Finding the Perfect White

Jeff Andrews Dash

Designers spec them.

Custom Classic Kitchen Cabinets, Toronto

On cabinets.

Marie Burgos Design, via Decorpad
Photography by Francis Augustine

On walls.

Benjamin Moore Decorators white is cooler than Linen White and slightly bluer /cooler than White Dove.

It is more subdued than Atrium White, which can be very, very stark (and a little pinkish).

Design Classics: Porcelain Garden Seats

2015-08-15T14:10:00.003-07:00

I love love love Porcelain Garden Seats!

Via TartanScot Scott Meacham Wood

Mary McDonald guest house, photographed by Miguel Flores-Vianna for Domino, via Apartment Therapy

There are so many different styles, there's one for nearly every style of room.

Joni Webb, Cote de Texas

J. Randall Powers via Cote de Texas

Suitable for indoors as well as out in the actual garden!

Julio Muao Beaux Mondes Designs

The blue and white plays well in combination with the striped awning and the taupe stucco. Love those awnings!

Garden stools are a stunning and practical addition to every space!

Tomorrow is the last day!

2015-08-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

Though it involves a lot of work, move out is always a "designer party." We collaborate, commiserate and celebrate a job well done! Designers are a fantastic group of people and I am always in awe of their creativity. The camaraderie and conviviality is truly inspiring. That being said, I'm looking to tomorrow's move out and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

The Living Room

2015-08-01T08:39:00.002-07:00

The living room is done! This was a very quick turn around for a "show house." Typically, when I participated in the Tulsa Designer Showcase, or the Parade of Homes we toured or had the floorplans for the home several months before the Showcase was to open. We had many weeks to work on the home. In this case, we only had a few short weeks to select a room, make a plan and pull it all together.

The finishing touches are complete and the home is ready to tour. The color scheme I chose is a classic blue & white with personalized touches for the DC area.

As a reminder...

Here is a before picture, the room has beautiful features, but it was a cavernous space!

Be sure to check out the other Metamorphosis Monday posts!

The Plan

2015-07-21T07:48:00.001-07:00

The plan for the space is a monochromatic, blue and white plan. The fabric, below, provides a refreshing bit of punctuation in the room.

3 Park Tribal Suzani

I visualize this space as a place for cocktails and conversation before dinner or after the theater.

It is traditional with some modern touches.

Danda, John Robshaw

Chairs covered in a John Robshaw fabric anchor one side of the space.

More to come, later!

Home of Distinction

2015-07-16T13:36:00.001-07:00

Pardon my poor photography, but I am so excited I couldn't wait to get the great pictures!

I am very pleased to be participating in this tour benefiting the Tourette Association! I am staging the living room. My space is the living room, a very spacious room with beautiful architectural details and finishes. The photo only hints at the beauty of this space.

Next post: the plan!

Paint Colors, Your Mileage May Vary, Part the Middle, sort of

2015-07-09T13:38:00.001-07:00

First, some apologies are in order. These pictures are terrible. The good news is that I do have a reason for not getting better ones.

We did get the painting done and the drapes are up.

The desk got a bit of a clearing, too.

We started with a faux Tuscan plaster finish on the walls. It was great, in its day. But the 90's are over, way over,and it had to change.The cabinets are cherry with a chocolate glaze and the countertops are Dakota Mahogany granite. As an aside, the cabinet finish choice was a ~~tug of war battle of the sexes~~ compromise, hubs wanted stained wood. I wanted painted cabinets with a glaze finish and giallo granite. Le *sigh* at least I got the glaze! We compromised on a stained wood with a glaze. Someday, soon, I will tell you all about the kitchen remodel.

I am thinking that this compromise was a little lopsided!

As you can see there is a lot of red happening here.

Which is why the OC-140 which looked like a soft grey with some green undertones, in online pictures, and especially next to the tiles looked like so much pistachio green on the walls. So it was back to the paint deck. We tried out three additional colors, Grant Beige, HC-83, Beacon Gray and November Skies.

Beacon Gray

The Beacon Gray was a bit pale and cool for the look I wanted.

November Skies

The November Skies was the right intensity, but bluer than I wanted.

Grant Beige

Grant Beige had enough green undertone to work with the warm enough and neutral enough to work with the cabinets and countertops.

I have an awesome project coming up for next post !

Paint Colors – Your mileage May Vary

2015-06-27T19:17:00.002-07:00

Seattle House via Home Bunch

One of the reasons designers are reluctant to name the paint colors in their space is that it will look different in yours. Your space is different. Your accessories are different. Your fabric is different. Your site is different. Your light is different. The colors and plans for each project are developed as part of a contiguous whole.

Before anything is even put to paper consideration is given to how the space is used. Do you gather around the island to eat? Do you need access to cooking.nytimes.com for recipes? Do you have young children? Teenagers? No children? Empty nesters who host large family gatherings? Do you entertain casually or formally? Many, many questions are asked so that the space can work for you.

After all this, the design plan is developed. After the roughouts, aka the bubble drawings, are done, the plan is put to paper or computer, today. After the design is finalized, the floorplan layout is drawn, the reflective ceiling plan is drawn, etc. etc., the color scheme is developed. The big ticket items, usually the floors, are decided first. These are coordinated with the cabinets or other case goods.

So you see, there are many variables. Even if you are changing only colors, with no other planned changes, the process is more complex than repeating a gorgeous color from a space you've seen.

Let's say you have cherry cabinets and have seen a gorgeous space with white cabinets and Benjamin Moore OC-140, Morning Dew on the walls. Which gives the look of one of the trendy new grays you have seen.

You are in love.

But,...

You have a member of the family, ahem husbands you know who you are, who insists the cabinets are stained.

Trust me on this one, pairing OC-140 with Cherry Cabinets will look like so much Pistachio green ice cream thrown up on the walls, especially in strong sunlight. Unless you plan on a complete redo, that is, change the back splash, change the granite, paint or replace the cabinets, and change the flooring, it will not match your vision of that picture.

Add in the complications of your space’s lighting, both artificial and natural, which is determined in part by the orientation of your house, i. e., darker northern light or full bake west sun, and you can have a serious headache. All this when all you wanted was to update your paint to the newest trendy grays!

Rachel Reider via Houzz
Traditional Staircase by Boston Interior Designers Decorators Rachel Reider Interiors

What do I recommend? A neutral such as Benjamin Moore Greenbrier Beige, HC-83. This is a neutral which softens the edges of the super cherry cabinets, yet gives an updated look.
How do I know? Well, trust me, I know. Thing is, we know what to do to correct the error before the day is done. Next week, we may have some pictures of the story.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Benjamin Moore Whites

2015-06-20T12:11:00.001-07:00

Benjamin Moore White Chocolate Trim
from Homebunch

I've never been a huge fan of white. Most times I need a deeper hue to feel at home in a room, something like the Pashmina, AF-100, on the ceiling. Lately I have been searching for whites that have some warmth, but are not too yellow, brown or green or thin feeling. The builder white which was used in this house has a thin feeling to it. Benjamin Moore's White Chocolate, what a great name!, is a bit too green for my tastes. Love it in pics, not a fan of it on the chip.

Home of Lindsey Bierman
Southern Living
Phoebe Howard Designer

I have used Benjamin Moore Ivory White, 925, before. Though I used it largely for trim. It is very white, though not as stark as Atrium white.

Lynda Reeves,
Canadian House and Home
Benjamin Moore White Down

Philip Mitchell Design
from TheWriterandResidence
White Down, 970

Dream House Studios
from Homebunch
Benjamin Moore White Sand 964

White Sand and its paint strip companion Maritime White are two other beautiful warm whites.

Maritime White
Benjamin Moore 963
Old Country House

Lee Pruitt
Memphis Magazine
Maritime White, 963, Walls
Bennington Gray, HC-82, Cabinets

Benjamin Moore Temporal Spirit, 965 on the walls
Monmouth Beach House
Ivee Fromkin

Another paint strip companion, Temporal Spirit, 965 is also stunning. In fact, that entire paint strip has just the right colors. Though Seapearl, 961, may be just a bit too green.

Ami McKay
Dove Wing, 960, via Decorpad

Duffy Design Group
Benjamin Moore Seapearl, 961
via Decorpad

Maybe I should have named this post the 960 paint strip!

Everything I Know About Color I Learned from Watching Black & White Movies

2015-06-12T13:17:00.002-07:00

Jane Greer and William Holden
Out of the Past
via The Film Stage

Black and White Movies made great use of contrast to create a sense of tension or drama in a scene. Dark played against light draw the eye to the action in or mood of the scene. Notice how your eye focuses on the faces above, you find yourself wondering, what is going to happen next?

Last Year at Marienbad via linstudio

Of course, painting a room in the same colors as the movie sets is not something you'd want. This set used the complementary colors of purple and yellow to produce depth, the colors produce a scene which appears to painted black and white, and mimick the look of the moulding. Shading of various shades of purple fools the eye into believing there is there is expensive moulding on the walls. Thus creating a sense of luxury for the room and allowing the white gown worn by the star to be perceived as white on screen, without disappearing against the walls, as would have happened had the walls actually been painted white.

The Colors in the Room, Last Year at Marienbad via The Criterion Collection

As contrast was used to create tension and drama in Film Noir movies, it can be used to draw the eye to the focal point of a room in your home, though in better colors. Occasionally, I use software to remove the color from a room. Reduced to the grayscale, the eye sees only the contrasts in the room.

Jane Lockhart, via Homebunch
Kendall Charcoal HC-166

Jane Lockhart, via Homebunch

Grayscale

The focal points are highlighted, the table, the plates on the wall and some features, the chandelier, for example, fade into the background. How different would this have looked had the table been all white with white chairs?

Benjamin Moore, Caponata AF 650 on walls
Trim & Ceiling Chantilly Lace, OC-65

Guess what happens here? Yes, there is a lot of contrast, which is still visible in gray scale, but...

Benjamin Moore, Grayscale

The chartreuse book covers disappear. In grayscale, all of the books being of similar intensity look to be the same color.

Joanne Smith Design,
from Home and Garden Design Ideas

The island, lights and stools become one block of dark color, nearly the same intensity. The colorful greenery near the sink still has some contrast to the white cabinets, but there is little else to draw your eye away to the stove area. Though the first picture is refreshing and calm, the second, in grayscale, is loaded with drama.

Real Simple, via Inspired Hue

This one should come as no surprise. The blue-green and the gray are the same intensity. With no color, the white dishes barely stand out! However, this was a surprise:

via Inspired Hue

The door just doesn't stand out as much as it does in color!

Mr. Blandings Dream Home, via CaryGrant.net

The door on Mr. Blandings house stands out as much or more!

Candice Olson, Candice Tells All
Originally found on Buffalo Real Estate News

Candice Olson creates a fabulous room at once calm and full of drama. The fireplace stands out because of the use of high contrast with the book shelves, mirror, and lamps.

Bottom line is, to create a focal point consider contrast as much as color. Choose paints with varying intensities. Say, a paint from the top of the strip for the trim, two shades darker for the rest of the room, and one from the bottom for an accent wall. Stand back and take a look, is there drama? If so, focal point done.

Great Walls of China

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China, whether transferware, majolica, or collected ironware is a classic way to add interest to walls. Personally, consignment shops, TJ Maxx, Homegoods and eBay and Goodwill stores are favorite sources for transferware and majolica.

James Radin

Charles Faudree

Charles Faudree was a master at symmetrical arrangements of sconces, platters and other French and English transferware.

Charles Faudree, in French Country Signature

Kelly Weastler, Viceroy Santa Monica

Kelly Wearstler took symmetry to an new level of complexity with this stunning pattern at the Viceroy Santa Monica.

Lisa Cogdon, Dwell

Club Monaco, StepIntoTheWindow

Lisa Cogdon, Dwell

Asymmetrical Patterns fascinate me and require a highly refined sense of pattern placement and development. I am scouting for a wall for just such an arrangement.

Regardless of how they are symmetrical or asymmetrical, whether in a china cabinet or hung directly on the wall, expensive antiques or special to you collections, china brings a lot of design pizzazz for the buck to a room.

Why I Stopped Being Green

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Benjamin Moore Cotton Balls from Homebunch

Nope, not what you think, I haven't scrapped the mulching mower. I still return my milk bottles for deposit and recycle the newspapers. I just am over that insipid off white with a green undertone that was ubiquitous in the 50's, 60's and '70's. The color was similar to Benjamin Moore Cotton Balls OC-122 / 2145-70. I say similar, but not the same, it was a great deal "dirtier" and yet not completely grayed.

Of course there are exceptions. The gorgeous cabinets at the top of this post are painted in Cotton Balls.

This paint goes very well with the stacked stone installations used in Mid Century modern Houses. In fact, the same house in grey could look horrible.

Mid-Century Home, in Ridgewood from B.E.L.T

The problem with this color of greyish-yellow-green-white was that it was overused. There must have been thousands of conversations just like the one in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, when Mrs. Blandings asks for "a sort of grayish yellow green" among her other color specifications!

You got that Charlie?

Red, green, blue, yellow, white.

Why did these work so well? This particular combination is a lightened red, that is a tint of red, in the stone, with a tint of green. It is a classic complementary color scheme. This color scheme is somewhat tricky to pull off, too saturated and your house is like Christmas! Every Day!

Limesickle Benjamin Moore

Over the years, stacked stone waned, fabric colors changed, yet the paint stayed the same. The Singerie below, does not coordinate well with the color strip on which cotton balls resides. In fact, once past Limesickle, the paint begins to look muddy or dirty rather than the soft green it is. When paired with either a gray or blue gray strips the colors work better together.

Take a look at what happens with the two images below. Next to the blue and white Chinoiserie, the paint chip looks very green and the white on the blue fabric looks yellowed. The exact same paint chip next to the smoke Chinoiserie makes the white in the fabric look crisp, while the paint shows the light gray-green shade of off white cast it truly is. Trust me, those are the exact same images of the exact same paint chip!

Moral to the story? Get a sample. Always get a sample. Then start by choosing your big ticket items first, floors are an example, upholstery is another, in neutrals. Then choose your paint and accent fabrics. Frankly, when I am working with a raw, unfinished or newly constructed space, and working on the boards, I assemble samples of everything all together in one place on a super white board to reduce color distractions. Oh, and did I tell you that you need to consider how much light does or does not stream into your space? No, well that's another blog post for another day.

Did you catch how often Schumacher has recreated this fabric?