MY WEBSITE:
COLOR COLUMNIST FOR:
HELPING YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT COLORS:
-
POPULAR PARTY IDEA – GIRLS SPA @ HOME:
-
Popular Posts
Final Four Inspired Room
Can this NCAA Final Four logo be turned into a room?
Yes indeed! Remember my Super Bowl XLIII Logo inspired room? Well, my husband challenged me to take another shot {no pun intended} using this year’s NCAA logo. So, once again using an on-line painting tool, here’s what I came up with.
I created two different scenarios using gray and periwinkle-blue as the dominant wall color. I really couldn’t decide which one I liked better, so I posted them both. The gray walls definitely provide a more contemporary, urban feel. However in this dining room, which has little fabric but very hard lines, the blue walls soften the entire look of the space. Which room do you like best?
Colors are from Sherwin-Williams: Web Gray, Domino, Venture Violet, Valiant Violet, Dazzle, Frank Blue
A Retro-Sweet Easter
If you’re planning an Easter gathering, here’s a hot idea for a sweet display that you can pull together using glass vases and other inexpensive items.
I used my black piano to set up this Candy + Cookie Counter. The backdrop is an acrylic bubble mirror from the 70′s {a gift from my aunt — it belonged to her}. Create a similar look by pushing a table against a wall. Cover the table with a black tablecloth; place small storage containers {or piles of books} underneath the tablecloth to create the tiered look. Use any large mirror for the backdrop {just lean it against the wall}.
I chose yellow as the main color because I wanted a bright and cheery feel, and I’m also loving yellow, black and white right now! Along with a mouth-watering combo of retro candy {love the flower Peeps!} and cookies, I added a centerpiece of tulips embellished with a white chocolate cross. The look is completed with retro-style vases filled with good old-fashioned Easter basket grass.
And don’t be afraid to use paper plates and napkins. Your guests will appreciate this no-fuss element to your design — especially if small children are present!
Budget-friendly and beautifully basic. I hope this has inspired you!
Painted D.C. Dwellings
Thank you, DC Blogs!
This week, DC Blogs is featuring my photograph on their homepage banner! Photography is another way that I capture and work with color. Below is the original photo of the entire house, located in the Shaw neighborhood of D.C.
Our nation’s capital is best known for it’s monuments and other historic buildings, but as beautiful as they are, they tend to….well…lack color. Now I’m not suggesting that we paint them with primary colors. I love these structures. In fact, my husband proposed to me on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial. But if you’re looking for the city’s real culture, you must visit the neighborhoods. There, you’ll also find tons of color inspiration!
This brilliant blue row house along 7th St. in Northwest has been converted into a store. With it’s orange and white accents, it quite possibly attracts more potential customers than the other stores around it. I’m thinking these colors would make a great palette for a girl’s or boy’s bedroom.
Here are a few “painted ladies” on Potomac Ave. in Southeast. I love the pale lavender house. I want that color for my studio {I’m re-designing it this spring}.
And this is the Art Deco neon sign on what used to the be the Dunbar Theater. Located on 7th St. in Northwest, this historic building was recently restored, but for years it sat vacant. First opening in 1921, this theater was a popular jazz and movie venue featuring legendary artists such as Duke Ellington and Eubie Blake. Not too much color inspiration here, but tons of history — and I do like that green.
photography by Kelly Porter
Black, White, A Touch of Sunlight
I was so inspired by this photo in the new White House Black Market catalog.
Are they selling shoes or flowers? Black and white is very chic these days — for fashion and home. The yellow adds an eye-catching, happy pop of color.
{bright yellow walls can be toned down with white draperies; from countryliving.com}
{even a small dose of vibrant yellow will stand out, and make a black and white space seem less serious — love the pendant! From lampsplus.com}
{a single black lamp shade is teamed up with navy blue for a less dramatic look; from valspar.com}
{softer yellows also warm up a black and white space; from designersguild.com}
{you can’t help but to be in a good mood if you’re sitting on a sunny-yellow sofa — I bet the Ugly Doll is happy; from domino}
A Lesson In Blue
One-third of all people say that BLUE is their favorite color.
Maybe that’s because of it’s soothing properties. If you want to create a serene space, blue is the perfect color.
Use a warm TURQUOISE in your foyer to relieve stress as soon as you get home from work. If you have a room that gets too much sunlight, paint it PERIWINKLE BLUE and it will seem cooler.
Paint the ceiling SKY BLUE in any room for an airy feel {it will work with any wall color}. However, if your ceilings are very high, opt for a slightly deeper blue or you may not even notice that the ceiling is painted.
And you CAN pair blue with green. Just look outside. The grass, leaves and plants are green. The sky and ocean are blue. Somehow God makes it all work.
If you’re on Facebook, join my new group – The Paint CAN Crew – to see more photos of beautiful blue spaces, and get more advice on painting those white walls.
Photos are from the books, “Color Healing Home,” by Catherine Cumming and “The Smart Approach to Kids’ Rooms,” by Megan Connelly
Aqua On The Hill
I just visited a client who’s Capitol Hill condo I recently designed. I love how this space turned out because color is the clear focal point.
We selected this gorgeous shade of aqua {Aqueduct by Sherwin-Williams} for the main area. This color captures your eye right away and holds your attention. It even appears to glow in the sunlight. Best of all, it reminds my client of her favorite vacation spot – The Cayman Islands.
For balance (and a beachy feel), we used a neutral sand color {Caen Stone by Sherwin-Williams} for the foyer, which is also picked up in the new furniture and window shades.
The result is a modern and sophisticated urban space with cool Caribbean colors. How refreshing!
Design and photography by Kelly Porter
Flower Beds
Flowers have always had an influence on design, especially this time of year when real flowers start to emerge.
Floral patterns are always a great way to add color to a space. If you’ve been thinking about sprucing up your bedroom this spring, begin with bedding. Then you can easily select complementary colors. I’m loving this emerald green wall color (above). Not only is it a great shade of green for the bedroom, but it allows the pink and aqua in the bedding to really pop. {Rooftop Terrace bedding by Tommy Hilfiger at homedecoratingco.com}
Big Blooms bedding by Tracy Reese at beddingstyle.com
Hydrangea by Bergman bedding at ajmoss.com
Woodland Organic Bedding at potterybarn.com
For the tweens – Flowers for Hanna bedding at pemamericaoutlet.com
Ottavia Jacquard bedding at cuddledown.com
Garden Party bedding from overstock.com
My Favorite Things
Still not sure about which colors to use in your home? Look to your favorite things!
Color ideas can often be found in keepsakes and other special possessions that we’re holding onto. They can be inspiration for a paint color, or these items alone can add just enough color to your space to make you happy. This colorful coffee mug kept me sane when I sat in a gray cubicle while working in corporate America.
Now I use it in my studio. I wanted to show you all of the angels, because the images of diversity are quite nice. The vase (below) is one of the first accessories I purchased after getting married in 1992. It has inspired the colors for many rooms over the years.
My sister gave me this card a few years ago. I keep it on my dressing table for a splash of color.
Last, but not least, here is my clipboard that I take to client meetings. It helps to get my creative juices flowing {and I can leave it all over the house and it never looks like ‘basic office clutter’}.
So, pull those keepsakes out of your drawers, and pay close attention to your favorite things. They could be the starting point for choosing colors you’ll be very comfortable living with.
White and Red? Go Ahead!
Decorating with white and red is not just for Christmas. This classic color combo looks great all year round in either a casual or formal setting, as I’ll demonstrate here. Pictured above is Hershey’s More Than Ice Cream Shop in Elkridge, MD, that I re-designed. It’s retro feel is very down-to-earth and family friendly. Below is the Luxe Lounge at Neiman Marcus in D.C. A more lavish look here, but still very inviting.
And for the ultimate upscale white and red inspiration, here are photos from the Faena Hotel and Universe in Buenos Aires:
This hotel features such amenities as 18-karat gold-leafed chairs and Tuscan marble baths. Pure opulence that many of us could not even dream of having in our own homes; but the real inspiration here is the color palette, and thankfully, color doesn’t have to come with a high price tag!
Top photo of Hershey’s More Than Ice Cream Shop by Kelly Porter; photo of the Luxe Lounge from washingtonspaces.com
Mr. Snowman’s Cut and Color
My snowman scissors are one of my favorite things. As a snow lover, I’m really enjoying the late winter snowfall that surprised us here on the East coast. So, today I’m inspired by the quintessential snowman!
I’m sure Mr. Snowman will pop up around the region today, featuring an orange carrot nose and black charcoal eyes, buttons and perhaps a gray, brown or black hat — like the one on my scissors. It’s a simple color palette that packs a little punch. Below are a few inspired spaces that I know snowmen everywhere would approve of:
from Traditional Home magazine
from the book, “The Smart Approach To Kids’ Rooms” by Megan Connelly
The view from my home studio today:
-
-
LET'S GET SOCIAL:
-
