Monday, January 23rd, 2012
In case you haven’t been reading the blogosphere fanatically, you might not know that Pantone has unveiled their Color of 2012.
Tangerine Tango is the Color of 2012, and I couldn’t be happier.
Last year’s Honeysuckle was alright, but Tangerine Tango fits in with all the color trending I’ve been seeing the past year.
You know I’m a fan of orange, and this is just the deeper orange range I prefer to play with. No apricot or peach tones for me. Deep saturation? Yes, please. This is more in the direction of the persimmon color I’m planning to paint my front door this summer. (I hinted at this in a post about front entries this summer.)
My favorite boxes for stashing supplies are a bold orange.
Boxes by Stockholm from The Container Store.
I just tried to create an image of my house with the updated paint color with the Sherwin-Williams Color Visualizer program, but the color rendering was terrible because it layered the color selected over the existing color which dramatically changed how every color looked. Bummer.
Here is one of their stock house photos with the door “painted” SW 6881 Cayenne. I think it would actually be deeper than this.
So I guess this is the closest I can get to showing the paint color ideas I have in mind.
The top color is a deeper persimmon with more red in it. The middle is closer to the Tangerine Tango. I was doing this in photoshop and couldn’t find quiet the right shade yet. The gray at the bottom is representative of the direction we headed for the main house color. Right now it’s a sage green the previous owners painted it, which is better than the baby blue it was before that. The majority of the front of the house is brick and the side of the house has a large expanse of white siding, so we have to work with all of that when selecting colors.
Okay, the idea of you picturing a really red brick with this color combination was enough to get me to do more tweaking to an image of the front of my house to get closer to a decent visual of the color palette. I don’t want my front door this bright, so you’ll have to mentally combine the images to get the right look. But you can see the gray may end up more gray with a hint of brown in it.
Okay, well you get the idea. I’m happy with Pantone’s color choice and I’m planning on bringing more orange into my life in 2012. Of course trends are trends, and I was already planning on using orange anyway, but it’s fun to see your favorite color get recognition.
Are you an orange fan? What color do you think should be the 2012 color of the year?
Tags: 2012, Container Store, exterior, front door, orange, paint, Pantone, Sherwin Williams, Tangerine Tango
Posted in Color Pulse, Industry Updates | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011
This afternoon I was reading an article in Sherwin-Williams magazine, Stir, by Jackie Jordan, their director of Color Marketing, when I was struck by a couple of comments she made. Having discovered a photography book of homes of designers from the mid-century era, she was struck by:
“a distinct commonality among the various homes: They were lived-in, unpretentious and unassuming, yet still beautifully crafted, detailed and personally curated. A visitor would feel very much at ease in any of them. … As designers and architects, I’m sure you occasionally get the comment from your clients, “Your house must be amazing!” And I’m sure it is — but perhaps in a very unexpected way, just like the homes of these famous design icons.”
I do indeed hear that reaction from people I meet when they hear what is my profession/ passion. The challenge of course for so many designers is that we are constantly discovering new products and therefore it can be difficult to select a piece for your own home when you know there are so many other options out there and you may have not found “THE RIGHT” piece yet. Not quite the same as a plumber’s wife with a leaky sink, but you get the idea.
Somehow it’s so much easier to see a client’s taste and determine the best products for their home in part because there is a limited time window we are working in. Our own homes are constantly evolving and the layering process is never ending. So where does that leave me? With a dining room table surrounded by folding chairs.
Why? Because having moved recently we finally have enough space to comfortably fit a dining room table that can fit a crowd. In our old home we had to set up the table and chairs, and then pack them up at the end of a dinner party to fit at the back of a closet.
We’ve selected a beautiful dining room table we can both agree upon, but now I can’t find the perfect chair! Mind you I’ve been thinking about this for YEARS. Of course, the new house impacted the selection somewhat because of the space and style of the home. The biggest challenge is that I don’t want anything expected or overdone. It shouldn’t look like any typical dining room in Dwell magazine just because it’s a mid-century home. It shouldn’t be obviously mid-century or too classic Danish design because that room already has three Danish teak pieces and it would be overkill. I want comfortable chairs (I mean really, why WOULDN’T you want comfortable dining room chairs?!). And they need to be easy to clean since kids spill and cats scratch.
If the IKEA chairs above were still available in orange we would have gladly used those for our dining room. Alas, no longer available.
But I think we might have a winner, or at least a top two.
Here is the table, for your reference. Reclaimed wood plank top with cast metal base. Slightly industrial but with clean lines and a little ornamentation. The chairs above were all considered at one point or another. Some were too expensive, some too plain, some didn’t feel right with the table base. For all I know I might go back to one of these or mix them in with another selection.
It’s funny how something catches your attention but you didn’t realize it until the third or fourth time. I snapped a picture of these chairs at the Hickory Chair showroom last month when I was there for a book signing. I’ve always liked them, but hadn’t given them a lot of thought before.
The next week I spotted these chairs on designer Linda Engler’s website and thought “Oh, those could work for our dining room!” Didn’t realize it was the same chair yet.
Then reading the latest issue of House Beautiful last week (about a week after the second sighting) I flipped to this picture:
I quickly pulled out my phone, snapped a picture, noting the manufacturer and made a note to research it when I got home. Oddly enough, I spotted this right before Jackie Jordan, from Sherwin-Williams (see above), gave her annual presentation on color trends for next year. Wacky!
Looking at the website it all suddenly came together. It has a unique shape that doesn’t look like any retail products. It is comfortable, easy to clean (with the right material choice), and not a full upholstered back (another wish list item). The price is high, but it might just be worth it.
Unless…
Unless this chair wins me over. It might be too classic Danish, and reupholstering is a must (the cushion is shot), but the curved back is so comfortable and allows you to crook your arm over the top in a delightful way (perfect for long intellectual or silly conversations after dinner). I found this when I went in to buy a different dining room chair set and it halted the decision process.
Now neither of these are cheap options, but for pieces like this I’d rather save up for investment pieces I love and will use for the rest of my life. These can be reupholstered in 20 years when there are no more kids to spill on them (but I’ll have to plan for grandchildren’s spills). Remember my mantra:
Buy the best and you’ll only cry once. - Miles Redd
So what will I choose? Goodness knows, but that’s the fun of it. I love the pursuit, the visualization exercise of figuring out what looks best together. I love doing it for clients and I love doing it for myself. Think of all the chairs I’ve looked at to narrow it down to those options. Now you can see why it’s faster for me to find great chair options for clients – I have so many already in my brain, on my computer and in my reference library. Let me spare you the same fate. Let me pick your dining room chairs and table for you and you can spend your time doing what YOU love.
Photo credits:
1. Sideboard by Knoll, design by Christofi?
2. Unknown
3. Unknown
4. Chairs by IKEA, design by Pam Hill
5. Composition by Fox Interiors
6. Fox Interiors
7. Engler Studio Interior Design
8. Photo by Victoria Pearson, design by Parrish Chilcoat & Joe Lucas, House Beautiful, November 2011.
9. it’s a secret (I don’t want you stealing my chairs!)
Tags: chair, dining room, Dwell, House Beautiful, interior design, Sherwin Williams
Posted in Design & Home Living Tips, Inspiration Boards | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011
After writing all about the new brights trend (see the post here), I couldn’t resist creating a bedroom concept to prove how doable this look is. Remember how I compared an outfit to a room:
“Kelly green jeans and a turquoise t-shirt with a grey cardigan and a skinny belt in brown leather over it could be bright but still have the safe touches to make it feel comfortable. The room equivalent: a bedroom with a kelly green bed frame, turquoise sheets, multi-colored throw pillows, light gray walls and a leather slung chair.”
Well, here’s the room example, with 2 different bedding and throw pillow combinations to chose from.
Start with the Piper Bed in Green from Room & Board. Paint the walls a soft gray, like Sherwin-Williams Argos (SW 7065). Add a leather safari chair for a timeless worn-in element that grounds the bold elements you’ll add next. 1st Dibs is a good source for these vintage chairs. A chunky cable rug in Charcoal from Room & Board adds texture and softness when getting out of bed or doing homework.
The room could start out with an updated preppy look. No turquoise, instead the blue is a crisp, classic navy. Key elements (clockwise from bedding):
Ronan Duvet from Serena & Lily
British Flag pillow from Jonathan Adler
Green and Natural Zebra needlepoint pillow from Jonathan Adler
Positano Helix pillow in Blue from Jonathan Adler
Amanda sheet set in Gray from Bliss Living
This could work for either gender, it’s really about personality! The subtle pattern on the sheets in a soft gray adds some interest while tying in the wall and rug color.
Or take the room in a global chic direction (clockwise from bedding):
Shangri-La duvet from Bliss Living
Diamond Ikat Azure pillow from Dwell Studio
Samsara Multi throw pillow from Bliss Living
Bargello Jungle Road pillow from Jonathan Adler
Masala Citrone sheet set from Dwell Studio
The duvet cover has great pattern and lots of colors to work with for accent pillows. Adding in the Ikat pillow is a no-brainer for the global look, as is the Samsara pillow with a Suzani-esque print. Both are right on trend with the current movement to incorporate native ethnic prints from around the globe. What I love is adding in the Bargello Jungle Road pillow with the crazy zig-zag Italian company Missoni is known for. It’s unexpected but still very global and the colors work perfectly with the other pillows. The Citrone sheets pull that color from the duvet cover and add a small scale pattern to the mix to balance all those large patterns.
Which would you go for? Preppy or global chic? Or would you rather have the bed in pink…red…yellow…orange…white? So many color combinations, so little time! Have fun creating your own layered look. I’d love to see what you would create!
On that note, check out West Elm’s new mix-and-match bedding interactive program where you can see how sheets, duvets, and shams from their collection will look together with your wall color. (They don’t have a ton of paint color options, but it’s nice that they included this element in a room.) It’s a fun way to spend your lunch break. =)
Tags: 1st Dibs, bedroom, Bliss Living, Blue, brights, cable rug, Dwell Studio, gray, green, interior design, Jonathan Adler, Room & Board, Serena & Lily, Sherwin Williams, West Elm
Posted in Inspiration Boards | No Comments »
Friday, April 22nd, 2011
Picking paint colors has got to be one of the most challenging design decisions most people face. Even though a gallon of paint ranges from $20 to $75 for the premium collections, it seems harder for people to take a chance with paint than with a piece of furniture that costs many times more.
So how can you get more confident in your paint selections? Listening to advice from professionals who deal with this on a daily basis is always a great place to start. So how do you access advice from these professionals? Start with a great resource like “House Beautiful 500+ Favorite Paint Colors” or “House Beautiful Colors for Your Home: 300 Designer Favorites.”
Culled from the pages of House Beautiful magazine, these reference books complie the best paint color recommendations from interior designers. Rather than just show you the best browns or blues, each designer explains the color and what undertones there are in it or how it makes a room feel. There are also selections based on type of room (bedroom vs. entrance) and sun exposure (north facing vs. south facing). These are the kinds of details that help you understand how color influences the feeling of a space and therefore why certain colors work best.
As you can see from the table of contents above, they have pulled together a lot of color information to get the wheels turning in your head. Not sure what your color personality is? Then take the quiz! Prefer neutrals? They have it covered.
I love how they even feature an example of one of the colors as used in a real space by a designer. Since the color chips they show are not always true to the paint chips you will find on the paint deck when you look at them in person, it is helpful to see the colors in use.
I think of these colors as a great starting place and then I work with the paint decks from the different manufacturers to find similar colors (if the color rendering in the magazine is too different from the paint chip). I believe in ordering larger sheets of paint chips (Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore provide samples to designers of all their colors, up to 8″x10″ in size) and taping them up on the wall for days at a time so I can see how the colors I’m debating between will look at different times of day in different lighting conditions. Trust me, this makes a big difference! That hint of pink undertone in that creamy ivory at night might turn ballerina pink in the daylight.
Small sample pots of paint are a wonderful evolution in the paint industry that I believe help take some of the panic out of paint color selections. Paint swatches (2′ by 3′ is a good size) of each color on the wall and see what they look like throughout the day and night.
And when you finally commit to a paint color, don’t skimp out on the painters tape, roller, or paint base. Use quality materials and it will result in a quality finished product. After you’ve invested all this time and energy in picking a paint color and then painting (or hiring someone else to paint) it would be a shame to have a less than fabulous finished product!
I just bought a new house so you know I’m going crazy picking paint colors and plotting new color schemes and floor plans. Embrace the fun of it, the ability to transform the feeling of a room in a weekend, and to have a fresh new space for very little cash. I hope this has taken some of the fear out of painting for you. Need additional tips? Just ask!
Tags: 500 Favorite Paint Colors, Benjamin Moore, House Beautiful, interior design, painting, Sherwin Williams, tips, twin cities
Posted in Color Pulse, Design & Home Living Tips, Reading List | No Comments »
Colleen Fox Slack | email: colleen@colleenfoxinteriors.com | phone: 612.868.0348
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