Monday's Method

In today's Monday's Method, Lisa, who writes the lovely blog Destination Seaborn, writes in with a question about paint color and wood trim. The beautiful picture above is from Lisa's blog. Sigh ~ I wish I was there..... sorry for the digression :) Here we go...

Dear Paula Grace,

I'm having trouble deciding on a paint color that that will go with my wood trim.

About our room, it's currently a collection of leftover furniture and a play room. I plan on eventually scrapping everything except the piano. Here's a list of photo's that I've included in this message:

Sofa: this is the sofa we'd like to purchase for the LR...please ignore the pillows.

Swatches:
1)Fabric that I would like to use in the room as accent pillows.
2)Tile that I would like to use around the fireplace
3)Paint swatch Pittsburgh Paint Delicate White 518-1. Supposed to be a "pure white".
4)Drop cloth to use as affordable curtains?

We're thinking about changing the white plantation blinds to wood blinds to blend in with the trim?

I favor light colored interiors with dark wood (i.e. British Colonial Style). I'm realistic that I live in central Ohio and have two pre-schoolers:)

Thank you,

Lisa

Here are pictures of the room before they did some work (BTW ~ what a cutie)...
After a bit of work ~ refinished floors, border removed....
Wonderful job on the floors Lisa! The woodwork is in excellent condition!

A couple things before we move on to the paint. The first thing I notice is the ceiling line. This room has wonderful bones; it needs a bit of finishing work...
Crown molding. The room has such lovely molding everywhere except there. It does not need to match the rest of the woodwork in color, just in style. It can be inexpensive molding painted. This will be the creme de la creme in finishing architectural touches.

I agree with you that the white blinds need to be changed out. You mentioned wood blinds to match the trim. You are on the right track. My preference would be to use woven wood shades. They are a bit more of a current look and you could also match them to your trim.
In another email you also mentioned loving natural fabrics and here mentioned considering using a drop cloth for inexpensive drapes. I think that is fine. You also may be able to find inexpensive linen fabric online that may suit your needs. If you do stationary panels for aesthetics versus function (the wovens are the functional piece here) then you won't need much fabric to complete the job. I found this linen at Amazon for $12.98 a yard.
Moving on to paint. I really like the selection you have made thus far with your tile, fabrics, and sofa. It is wonderful that you have selected these before your paint color. Paint color is best chosen when it directly relates to what is or will be in the room. Many try to select their paint colors prior to fabric or art selection. Then people are trying to find things that 'match' the paint. Paint colors are infinate ~ the perfect color can be created for one's palette. Fabric and art are not. Yes, there is a lot to choose from but selecting at least fabrics first will be make it easier to coordinate the paint color ~ and may in fact inform the entire palette.

With that said, I think the paint color 'pure white' in your picture is too white. My concern it that the contrast with the wood trim will be too great and it may make some of your fabric colors look dingy ~ we don't want that! I am working from my monitor so the colors may vary. I think a cool color picking up on the blue-green in your swatches would be nice. I also think a white with some gray in it would be lovely. The cool hues will be balanced by your woodwork, and the golden hues in your sofa fabric and tile. Lets look at them all together... (here's my mosaic for Mosaic Monday)...




These are Benjamin Moore colors ~ Colony Green (694) and Gray Mist (962). You said you love light colors with dark wood. Both of these fit that description. You may also use Ben Moore's Natura line (this paint has zero VOCs and is practically odorless ~ good for you and your family and good for the environment). But please, please, please do not select your paint color from little swatches. Please email me your address and I will order several large swatches of these paint colors for you ~ if you'd like. Place them all around the room and observe them for several days at all hours so it may be seen in different lights. With this observation time, you'll be able to make a more informed choice as the appearance of paint color varies in different lights. Or simply buy a small sample and paint white boards and do the same exercise. The white boards or large swatches do away with painting samples right on the walls and then having to live with your 'samples' until fully painted. A caveat ~ I have seen folks place several sample colors right next to each other on the wall. This sets people up for indecisiveness as the colors contaminate each other. You want a pure sample ~ meaning try one color for a few days then change it out for another you are considering. This is where the large swatches or white boards really do their job. What ever paint color you choose for the walls, remember to mix 20% of it into ceiling white for the fifth wall in the room. This mixture will guarantee the ceiling relates to the wall color. I do this all the time unless I am painting the ceiling a different color than the walls.

Good luck Lisa! I hope this helps.

If you would like a Monday's Method of your own, just email your question with some pictures to me at paula@paulagracedesigns.com. Please place Monday's Method in the subject line.

Now I am hoping you can help me with a bit of housekeeping. I have two questions I'd like YOUR help with. I have seen Followers posted on many blogs and many that do not have them. I don't have a Followers section in my side bar. I see that Followers may sign in to the blog if needed. Is that the benefit? I want to be user friendly. Please let me know if you think I should have Followers in my side bar and let me know why.


poll by twiigs.com

Second is that I have been enjoying wonderful parties on many great blogs ~ for example Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday, Little Red House Mosaic Monday, Smiling Sally Blue Monday..... I love to entertain and I pledged to do more in a comment I left last year. Well, here's my chance. I have been thinking of hosting a blog party on Tuesday. I would call it Timeless Tuesday. The theme would be timeless classics (rooms, furniture, clothes, recipes, etc.) or trends that you would like to see become timeless. What do you think? Would you join the party?



poll by twiigs.com

Now that you've completed the question on parties... check out these wonderful parties that I have joined ~ Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday, Little Red House Mosaic Monday, Smiling Sally Blue Monday, Cottage Instincts Make it for Monday, A Soft Place to Land' DIY Tuesday, and Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Nite Special!

Enjoy!

Monday's Method

Today I am starting a new series ~ Monday's Method.

A while back, I asked my readers what they would like to see or learn about on my blog. Some folks asked for design advice. Great! Love to do it. This is a marriage made in heaven to me. First of all, I love to design and I love to help ~ some of you know I already do an advice column. Second, I am a huge fan of Susan's Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday. If you have never attended Susan's party, you are missing a wonderful event. Susan invites people to link their Before & After posts. So many ideas are there for all to see and be inspired by!

My Monday's Method will differ from Susan's but relate. My concept is for those of you that have a design question, just drop me a note at paula@paulagracedesigns.com. Be as specific as you can and send photos. I'll offer a design solution for you! It may be the first step to your metamorphosis. If you implement the solution, you'll have a follow up post to link with Susan's party! How fun is that?!!

For the first Monday Method, I'm answering the design question of a lovely gal who also writes a fabulous blog, Karen at Strictly Simple Style. Karen writes about her defined scale problem:

Hi Paula,

I've attached a few pictures of the fireplace area of my great room. The fireplace is 62 inches (The mantle is 69 inches). The open areas on either side of the fireplace are 64 inches each. I would have to dig out the blueprints for an exact floor to ceiling measurement, but they are approximately 16 feet high.

As I mentioned in my comment on your blog, the horrible old television set will be going. I'd love to hide the new set in some type of built-in unit. The other issue is the window treatments. They were custom made just two years ago and I'd like to keep them, but the panel near the fireplace wall could interfere with a wall-to-wall unit. Can you see why I need help?!

Thanks for taking a look Paula. I look forward to any suggestions you might have.

Karen

Some pictures of her dilemma.....
I see what you mean. This is a question I get asked a lot actually because many of the homes around my parts have these soaring ceilings. They are both awesome and challenging. You mentioned built-ins but were concerned about them interfering with your lovely drape panels. You could do built-ins but just not wall to wall. Another option is to embrace and control the expanse at the same time. How?

I love paying homage to architecture such as this with a floor to ceiling application. The soaring vertical line will give one the feeling of freedom ~ reaching new heights. Plus it may be enjoyed by both floors, main and upper levels. The best way to show you is with an elevation...
Here I have remove the existing mantel (carefully so I may donate it) and replaced it with a floor to ceiling application of slate tile. I found these samples at Mosaic Source...


Prairie Falling Water, Prairie Octagon

Desert Gold Falling Water, Desert Gold Octagon

Slate is beautiful and familiar thus almost universally loved. Great appearance for the here and now, wonderful for resale. I adore these neutral hues in either of these samples (the upper being a bit warmer than the bottom palette). I think the hexagon is a bit more unusual so I am drawn to that one. Plus I like the metallic inlays.

The television can be mounted just above a simple mantel so a separate cabinet won't be needed. Since this is in a public room in your home, I would suggest you conceal the television while not in use. It is simple now-a-days with a mirror or art ~ there are many options. I found these examples at Home Entertainment...


The gorgeous slate and television could be flanked symmetrically with larger scale cabinets with a traditional style and interesting details such as the French Window Cupboard from Sarreid, Ltd. (I love Sarreid for large scale pieces)...
The symmetry along with the horizontal line provided by the tops of the cabinets will contribute a more formal appearance and secure feeling ~ balancing the expanse of the slate. Beautiful, tall vases or other accessories may be placed atop the cabinets for added height and interest.

This design with enable you to keep your beautiful window treatments, provide display and storage cabinets, and highlight the architecture with an eco-friendly slate tile that will be very easy on the eyes.

Thank you Karen for the suggestion and submitting a great question! I hope this helps.

There is always several ways to resolve a dilemma. Any other ideas for Karen?

Also, if you have things you would like for me to cover other than advice, just let me know!

Just read Cottage Instincts blog ~ lovely ~ I'm joining that party too!

There are so many great parties out there! The Shabby Chic Cottage's Transformation Thursday is wonderful!

Found another lovely blog ~ the photography is amazing and the music beautiful. Little Red House ~ I joined Mary's Mosaic Monday party. Please take a look! You'll be glad you did.

Advice Column ~ Tranquil, Modern Bedroom

Many of you know that I do an interior design column. Since I have limited room in the column, I write an abbreviated version there and expand here. The sky is the limit here! Here's the picture the writer sent....


Here is her email....

Dear Paula Grace,

I enjoy your column and wonder if you can give me a tip on how to jump start my stalled master bedroom makeover. I want a peaceful, tranquil, more modern room that is bathed in light during the day and cozy at night.

Unlike the client you mentioned that wanted to get away from white, I am drawn to it. But now I have a lot of white and ivory including a beautiful new bed and new silk curtains. All three large windows have ivory solar panels which satisfied my desire for a clean and contemporary look (and lots of light) but the shades do not provide privacy at night or insulation when it is cold outside. Hence, the silk curtains. But I only have silk curtains on one large window leaving the two neighboring windows looking exceptionally bare.

How would you suggest I even out the look of the windows and maybe begin to introduce color? I am attaching a photo so you can have a better idea of what the room looks like today.

Any advice you can give is much appreciated!

Sincerely,

Vikki P.

My response.....

Dear Vikki,

Thank you for writing in. First of all, your bedroom is lovely. Stylish furniture; plenty of natural light and sumptuous silk drapes. You have the foundation of a magnificent room. I’m glad we had a chance to email regarding colors as it is important to add a color(s) that you enjoy. Green and brown are excellent choices ~ natures hues are always soothing. Since you would like peaceful, tranquil and more modern, I would add a soft green and a chocolate brown. The dark hue is neutral thus has staying power and will ground the design nicely ~ and a direct connection with the earth; the soft green is for the tranquility. I would not add any more color than that. Mix textures and use a combination of pattern. Use motifs you would see in nature plus a subtle plaid and stripe to compliment the curves. Here are some examples from Robert Allen / Beacon Hill.


RA: Statosky-Java, BH: Blanket Stitch-Citrine, BH: Fossil Dig-Citrine, BH: Wikipedia-Canary Green, BH: Summer Sonata-Peridot, BH: Woods Creek-Peridot, RA:Velvet Pipes-Terrain

For the specific window issue, I would suggest roman shades to be used in conjunction with your solar panels for the windows flanking your bed. Hang them at the same height as your drapes for a uniform line. The Beacon Hill: Woods Creek – Peridot would be an excellent choice. It is a soft pattern and incorporates the ivory hue connecting them with your ivory silk drapes. The shades may be lined and interlined for the privacy and coziness you seek. An important fact about fabric roman shades ~ they must be well-made or you may run into functional problems. They are notorious for being difficult to pull up straight and it sounds like you’ll be doing that to let in the natural light and have them down at night. If they are well made, you won’t have issues, if not ~ well….. Try The Shade Store. Robert Allen has a partnership with them so you may be able to use a fabric such as the Beacon Hill: Woods Creek – Peridot. If not, use the Robert Allen linen on The Shade Store site and add a band of the same fabric to the bottom of your silk drapes. You may use all of the other fabrics for throw pillows and upholstery noted as they relate nicely to the linen hue.

An alternative to the fabric roman shades is a roman woven shade. I have never run into problems with well-made wovens and since they have developed into sophisticated patterns, they could be easily used with the lush drapes. Select one that matches your ivory drapes and that has a close and consistent weave. An example from Horizons is below. This alone will not bring in color but it will bring in texture. If you would like color on the woven, simply have them banded in the green. If you decide to band them, add a band of the same fabric to the bottom of your existing drapes to further connect the window treatments.

Horizons: Holland Mesh-Timid White

Caveat ~ if you use Beacon Hill: Woods Creek – Peridot for roman shades, do not place a band of it on the drapes. There is a relationship with the drape’s ivory hue and the motif on the shade fabric. Adding a band on the drapes may be too much of a good thing.

On your bed, start with a clean lined ivory duvet. The Diva (love the name) from Wildcat Territory is a nice choice. Since you have a fabric headboard, the shams are optional. Place an assortment of throw pillows on your bed. Use the shade fabric as one pillow and then mix the patterns, textures, and pillow style. I like to ground the pillows with dark in the back row, then lighter in the front. I suggest one large bolster in the Robert Allen: Velvet Pipes - Terrain above as the back row. This will pop off your ivory bedding or headboard. Three 18” self-welt pillows (middle one being the window fabric) in front of the large bolster. One or two 16” self- welt pillow and two small bolsters in front of that. This may sound like a lot of pillows but here is where we have an opportunity to add lush fabrics, beautiful pattern, texture and color not mention an air of femininity given the master bedroom is for a lovely lady. Since the pillows are clean lined (no ornate trims), they will be contemporary yet lush. Add a faux fur throw to the mix and hello luxurious!

A bench at the end of the bed with in Robert Allen: Statosky – Java would be wonderful. This would connect the pillows at the head of the bed with the end of the bed. Nothing over powering ~ just a simple bench such as this one from Hickory Chair.
Hickory Chair: Farra Cocktail Ottoman

Ground the entire bed / bench area ~ the focal point of the room ~ with an area rug. The area rug that is shown in your picture is too small in scale ~ it is disproportionate to the bed. A 6’ x 9’ or 9’ round rug such as this one would be better. The rug should be placed such that it is underneath the end of your bed and the bench (see illustrations). I would recommend a chocolate rug with a tone on tone motif inspired by nature or a plain, soft, luscious rug as exampled below from Surya.

or

or
Surya: Natura NAT-7041 or Manhattan MAN-6663

Add some sparkle to the room by replacing your night stands lamps with something like these from Arteriors Home ~ clean and elegant.

Arterior Home:Clear Silveria Bottle NeckGlass Lamp 44471-371

Arteriors Home: Zola Melon Lamp, Hotel Silver 44438-146

If you have a seating area in your master, as many do, I suggest a chaise or chair with an ottoman to lounge in. The fabric ~ Beacon Hill: Fossil Dig – Citrine. It is soft with subtle color and wonderful pattern and texture. Since I don’t see this area, I cannot recommend a specific one ~ but you get the idea.

Note~ The specific furnishings named can be implemented literally or can be used as a catalyst to fill the room with similar choices.

I hope this helps!

Paula Grace ~

Wow, that was fun!

Advice Column ~ Selecting a Neutral Paint Color

In addition to my blog, I do a column. People write in and ask for design advice. I received a question about choosing a paint color / palette when one does not know what will eventually happen in the design.

Here is the actually question....

"I recently moved into my home. It still has the builder’s paint even though it is four years old. I am still deciding in what direction I want my décor but I really need to get rid of the white walls. What do you suggest?"

Here is the answer I gave....

"If you do not have furniture or artwork to base your color palette on, I suggest a specific type of ‘neutral’ color on the walls and off-white on the trim and doors especially in your public spaces. Your public spaces are usually on the main level, the basement if it is finished, and up the stairs to your second floor and the adjacent hallway. The only rooms I would omit from the public space list are the kitchen and powder room. In public spaces, flow will need to be taken into account. Flow refers to the way in which one room connects with the adjacent spaces and rooms ~ many homes today are built with an open concept where one, or many, rooms are visible from the other; flow creates a rhythm and harmony throughout your home. Neutrals are whites, off-whites, grays, black, and off-blacks. Browns and beiges are also considered ‘neutrals’ and used generously as such. I often refer to beige and browns as neutrals but if I wanted to be completely accurate or scientific about it, they are really neutralized color hues. What the heck does that mean? Browns and beiges come directly off the color wheel by mixing colors ~ the other neutrals do not. However, for the purpose of this column and future ones, I will refer to browns and beiges as neutrals. Since you would like to get rid of the white, then the white and off-white seem out. Off-black and black are nice but I doubt one would like all their public spaces painted with them. That leaves grays, beiges, and browns. Brown may be a bit too dark for this purpose. Grays or beiges it is! However, not all grays and beiges are created equal. Beiges in particular can be warm or cool. Beiges that have a gray pantone in their formula tend to be easier to live and decorate with over time. Why? Because gray is a cool neutral and cool colors tend to be more soothing that warm ones. In a study where social interaction was taken into account, and there is usually a lot of social interaction in one’s home, it was determined that the cool hued room (blue in this case) versus the red or yellow rooms (warm colors) lengthen the time people stay in the room and behaviors were more sedate than in the warm rooms. Thus, grayish beige will be more tranquil. In addition, it is easier to warm up a cool beige than it is to cool down a warm one. Warmer beiges may cast an orange hue which can clash with other colors versus the grayish hue of a cool beige. Not much tends to clash with gray. This will keep your choices for your décor easier and more fluid. Warm beiges are lovely but best used in rooms that have a specific décor plan. It may be difficult to tell the warm and cool beiges apart unless you look at them side by side. Here are two Benjamin Moore beiges, Lenox Tan (on the left) and Gingerbread Man.



Which one is the grayish beige? Side by side, it is easy to see the difference. Many of the Historical Colors from Benjamin Moore have gray in them; that is a good place to start looking. Once you have found a neutral that you like, whether it is a gray or a cool beige, you may use that color though out your public spaces or vary it by using tints and shades of the same hue. If you look at a typical fan deck, you’ll see a gradation from light to dark of the same hue. You can paint different rooms using two or three adjacent hues on the swatch to add a bit of variation if you would like. For the ceiling, mix 20% of the wall color (if you are using one hue throughout) with ceiling white paint or use the lightest tint on the swatch if you are using multiple. This will ensure that your walls and ceiling relate to each other. Note ~The Historical Colors only have three adjacent colors per swatch; use ceiling white mixed with 20% of the lightest tint if you choose that line."

Wow, am I wordy! I think I wanted to make sure I covered everything I could.

It is true though. The picture at the top is my living room. I was clueless (see yesterday's blog) about what I ultimately wanted to do in there but I wanted the builder's paint gone. Just like the person who wrote in. So I selected Lenox Tan. It did coordinate with my dining room, which was half way done... hey, it is difficult to do one's own home. If you read my Ode to Kristin post ~ you know just how crazy it made me. I think the my living room turned out pretty nice ~ if I do say so myself :)

Here is a room with a warm neutral that I did ~ also shown yesterday....

But I had a plan. I designed the room to be balanced in rich warm and cool hues. The navy silk drapes and velvet day bed compliment the gold cast of the warm neutral wall color. This room was a living room that my client wanted to turn into a lounge complete with small bar and multiple seating areas. Here is the rest of the room.


It is best to develop one's palette based on something (e.g. existing furniture, fabric that will be placed in the room, art, etc....). But when in doubt or not sure where your design travels will take you, selecting a cool neutral will keep your options open.

Do you have any palette stories to share? I'd love to hear them!