Color Buzz

Design Dilemma - Gwynne's House

Hello Beehives,

I was wondering if you could help me. I bought Winter Evening Valspar paint and I don't like the way it looks. Can I try lightening it by adding some white or somehow mixing it with another color until I get the right color and ask Lowe’s to match it?  What do you think? I appreciate it.

Thank you,
Gwynne

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Dear Gwynne,

If you put on a color that is too dark, you can always add a lighter tone to it to make it more livable. I think your idea of mixing your own color at home, trying it on the wall, and then taking it into Lowe’s to color match is a great one. That way, you’ll know what you’re getting. And since you’ve already bought the paint, you may as well use it.

First, I would pick a warm white to mix in. Birch White from the Waverly collection is a good choice to go with Winter Evening – they are very compatible. Then, get three to four containers for your three to four color mixes. We measure everything here at the Studio, so I recommend that you get some old measuring cups.

Start by putting a ½ cup of Winter Evening in each of the containers. Then in container # 1 put a ½ cup of your white, in container #2 put a ⅓ cup, in container # 3 put a ¼ cup and in container #4 put ⅔ of a cup. Then paint samples as large as possible (about 1’ x 1’) of each newly mixed color on each of your walls to really get a sense of what the color looks like all around. You’ll notice how the color changes depending on which wall it is on. Pick the sample that looks the most consistently appealing.

Go recreate that color at Lowe’s and away you go to a brighter room! Let us know how it goes. If you can get before and after photos, even better!!!

                                                      

Waverly Winter Evening WV-32003                  Waverly Birch White WV-31003

 

Design Dilemma - Anne's House

Anne, a Color Buzz reader, wrote to the Beehive Studios designers asking for color and decorating help on her house.  She sent in photos and the following background information.  Today’s blog features Anne's design dilemma. Other entries are encouraged, so please feel free to email the Beehive designers with your specific design dilemma.  And come back on Friday to see the recommendations from the Beehive designers.

Hello,

I'm buying a new house and looking forward to painting. Well, actually the house is not "new." 

                              Living Room

It was built in 1948, it’s located in Los Angeles, and has lots of character that I want to play up.  It has a big red brick fireplace in the living room with a wooden mantle surrounding it, a built-in book case, a big west-facing window in the front of the living room, good natural light throughout, wood floors (I think the color is red oak - most of it is under carpet right now, but we plan to expose it) and crown molding. There are also a few things I'd like to disguise: the ceilings are lower (8-foot, I think) and flat, and the house is fairly small at 1,100 sf total.

                

                                                  Dining Room                           

Design Dilemma - Melissa's House - Update

Hi Melissa,

Thanks for updating us! Your progress looks great, and painting the bar in Café Miel looks like a good choice.  Some of your questions are about the wall areas that connect the different rooms. Below are some suggestions, but the great thing about your color palette is that all of the colors work well together, so there’s really no “wrong” decision!

Design Dilemma - Melissa's House - Update

Hi Ann,

            Dining Room

We are working on the paint slowly but we are getting there. I loved the colors and thanks soooo much for your help. We painted the dining room so far. When the Strawberry Malt went up I was thought, “Ohh my gosh, we have a pink dining room and living room!” But then it dried as a more beige color and it goes well with the tile.

Then when we put up the Cafe Miel color and it looked good. We painted the kitchen backsplash also so far and I love that color (we chose Churchill Hotel Maple) – it really brings out the counter top. Next we are going to paint the top of the kitchen and put up the chair rail in the dining room.

        Kitchen Backsplash

I also want to put a black wood dining table in there and a new chandelier.  We didn't know what color to paint the bar so we painted it in Cafe Miel color and it looks good.

I did have a couple of questions though...

Serving Up Concepts for the Restaurant

You may have been wondering how the restaurant project is coming along…

After days of brainstorming, countless emails, and trips to the flower district and fabric stores in New York, we finally came up with these concept boards. These are what will drive all of our decisions in the weeks to come. We want a clean crisp look that has a sense of tradition. Feel free to send along comments and ideas…we always love your thoughts!

 

Design Dilemma - Melissa's House

Hi Melissa,

I'm so glad you wrote! Looking at the photos I can understand why it was challenging for you - there are so many interchanging plans in your home. Below are drawings of your home with suggested Valspar colors and the corresponding color chips. Based on your preference for beige, earthy tones and on the colors of your sofa, pillow, countertop, etc, I wanted to stick with a warm, neutral palette. However, I wanted to give you an option in the kitchen - either to stick with the toasty palette or to branch away with cooler tones. Churchill Hotel Maple will give the kitchen a warmer, cozier feel, while Silver Leaf is a cooler grey. This will be more expansive and will contrast with the warm upholstery, dark wood furnishings and medium wood cabinets.

These are my suggested colors and finishes for each part of your home:

Entry

• Main color: Riviera Dune in Eggshell

• Around door: Paint a 3 inch “trim” to give more significance to doorway. You can do this easily by measuring it with a ruler and outlining it with painter’s tape.

Living Room

• Main color: Strawberry Malt in Eggshell

Dining Room

• Upper color: Strawberry Malt in Eggshell

• Under dado: Café Miel in Satin

Kitchen

• Over Cabinets: Churchill Hotel Maple or Silver Leaf (both in Eggshell)

• Backsplash: Churchill Hotel Maple or Silver Leaf (both in Semi-Gloss)

Hall to bedrooms

• Main color: Riviera Dune in Eggshell

• Upper color: Mesa Tumbleweed in Eggshell

• Under dado: Desert Fortress in Satin

Regarding the finishes - I chose Eggshell for most of the walls because it holds color nicely and I chose Semi-Gloss for the backsplash to reflect light in the dark inset and also because it's likely to get dirty from use. I love what you did with the dado (or chair rail) in the dining room and in the hallway to the bedrooms! I chose a Satin finish for under the dad in both areas because the colors above and below it are similar and I wanted to amp it up a bit. Satin is between Eggshell and Semi-Gloss, so it's slightly "shinier" than Eggshell, but it's also easier to wash. Having a Satin finish under the dado is perfect for you because you have a one year old running around, so it's more likely that the lower part of your wall will get dirty fast.

I also wanted to address some of your decorating options. You should try some art work in the living room to liven up the walls. Over the family room couch would be a great spot for some framed family and friend photos - have fun with the arrangement! For the dining area, you could definitely add some wainscoting. Are you thinking panels or beadboard? The beadboard uses wood strips that area bout 2" wide. Either would look nice. I would keep the mirror because it adds depth. You could try putting some pictures around it, but I would go with a dark wood color frame as opposed to black - black will be too severe.

Thanks again for writing and for sharing with Color Buzz readers. Let us know what you think of the suggestions and please be in touch again if you have any extra questions along the way.  Please keep in touch and let us know how everything works out. We’d love to see the “after” photos once you’re finished. Good luck!

Design Dilemma - Melissa's House

Melissa, a Color Buzz reader, wrote to the Beehive Studios designers asking for color and decorating help on her house.  She sent in photos and the following background information.  Today’s blog features Melissa’s design dilemma.  Thank you, Melissa, for sharing your experience with Color Buzz readers.  Other entries are encouraged, so please feel free to email the Beehive designers with your specific design dilemma.

Come back on Monday to see Ann’s suggestions!

Hi Beehives,

Well, it is 11 pm, and after two weeks of trying to match colors and going through 13 sample paint cans, I came across this blog that offers help. My house has a completely open layout, meaning the kitchen, family room, living room and dining room are all one space. I am looking for a light to medium beige for the main color in my house.

I included pictures of my house to give you an idea of the space, existing colors and furniture.

The living room needs something on the walls besides paint, but I am so scared of doing anything – it took me three different curtains to finally decide on those. In the family room we are thinking about changing the decor to make it kid-friendly with a play kitchen or art table and two sofa chairs. In the dining room I think I am going to take down the mirror and put up black frames and I want to put up white wainscoting. I would like one ocean/beach tone for the décor in the dining room. I am open for the color in the kitchen, but I do like orangey/brown colors. They would all have to go together and mesh well.

I am so open to decorating ideas and the only thing that I want to keep is the sofa, TV stand, and curtains. Ohh, and I want to get new white blinds.

As far as what I would like with paint, I am pretty open-minded. I don't like super “out there” colors and I’m not a fan of reds.  I like neutrals and earth tones.  I also need help with what color to paint where – do I paint the island the same color as the kitchen or do I paint it the same color as the dining room wall?  And how do I paint the holes and area above the kitchen? They are rounded corners and the walls are textured.  Also do I paint the ugly baseboards the same color as the walls or white?

Additionally, what finish should I use in each room?  I have a one year old and everyone says I have to have high gloss in every room in case she draws on the walls, but I am not a big fan of shine. Any suggestions?

Thanks again for the help. Any advice or suggestions would be great. I am sooo stuck and my husband is pushing me to make a decision so we can cover up those samples on the wall.

Thanks,
Melissa

       

                                              
                              

            

            

 

       

As a Restaurant Transformation Unfolds

I was recently brought in to be part of a design team to help renovate this restaurant. As you’ll see from the “before” picture, it’s so scary. But not nearly as scary as the lack of time and the tiny budget we have to work with.  In the next four weeks we invite you to watch the transformation unfold. The restaurant is located next to a golf course in a beautiful rural community that has a love for the game of golf and rich traditions -- many generations of families return year after year to the restaurant and the course. Our goal for the new space is to respect both of these ideas. Our first instinct was to create a clean and elegant look. And, the look had to multi-task for the many events that take place in the space -- from casual lunches to fine dining, from rehearsal dinners and 4th of July celebrations to breakfast with Santa and golf tournament events. We want casual elegance… you’ll have to let us know what you think.

      
                   

Manhattan Makeover

We just finished an ultra elegant bedroom in Manhattan. We worked with the very talented design firm Bradley Thiergartner. Benjamin Bradley conceived the idea of a high-end, modern-glam room with an overscaled floral pattern on the walls. A few samples were worked up and Benjamin and David Thiergartner decided to go more tone on tone.  They wanted crisp and fresh. We painted the background with a modeled effect in an eggshell finish. We printed the stencil using a high-gloss enamel. This gives a subtle pop to the design when the light hits it. Very chic!

                           

                Beehive designers stenciling              Veronique at work