Color Buzz

Creating a Color Scrapbook

By Michele Coppin

You may have seen my blog about the first assignment for my color theory class already. The second assignment is to create a “Color Scrapbook,” collecting appealing bits and pieces of color such as candy wrappers, photos, leaves, pebbles, fabrics…anything that grabs your attention.

As the collection grows, color preferences become visible. A style and palette develops. Students use their findings in collages, creating beautiful abstract compositions with color as the subject.

These precious little references also make decorating much easier, and can help you discover and develop your own personal palette. I encourage you to try it at home!

Here are some examples from my scrapbook: soft, serene variations of blue for a soothing, relaxing atmosphere.

                                                                               

My First Assignment for Color Theory Class

By Michele Coppin

In every painting and color theory class that I teach, I find that the majority of students are intimidated by color. They are often insecure about their taste and choice of colors, preferring conventional/drab combinations because they are safe.

So, the first assignment I give them is very simple. It doesn’t demand much effort, and it’s actually really fun. Directions include:  Notice color! Be aware of color! Color surrounds you; it is everywhere and you don’t have to go far to find it.

As you start to pay attention, you will notice dominant colors in parking lots and outdoor restaurants.  

                                       

Or, how about color patterns in your garage or laundry room?

                           

Palettes of color are hanging in your closet or lying on your floor.

                                    

Opening your eyes to color will make the world a much more interesting place. It’s the fist step toward a beautiful journey.
 

                                          

Clashing Colors

By Michele Coppin

Combining colors that match is a safe choice. They tend to create soothing and serene effects that are easy to live with. However, MSN’s “Lifestyle” segment on June 17^th featured colors that typically clash, yet make a major statement brimming with elegance and energy.

Indeed, actress Reese Witherspoon was spotted wearing a hot pink and red dress with matching red sandals. This may not be the ideal combination for a room, but for an evening out, it is sure to be noticed.

A New Palette for Existing Home Décor

When incorporating a palette into existing home décor, homeowners should take a look at what is already there. Are you ready for a full-out change or are you going to take it step by step? What is your ultimate destination for the feel of their home? Warm and welcoming? Cool and sophisticated? Rich and Vibrant? A little bit of each? Pick where you want to be at the end of the transformation. If your home is already warm, going towards Valspar’s Globetrotting and Botanical Releaf may be an easy palette to move into. If you want to take it in a more modern sophisticated direction, go to the Nuance palette and chose warmer colors from that collection. Same idea applies to the Artisan palette; look at the colors in the collection and choose the ones that works with what already exists in your home. Unless, of course, you’re starting from scratch, then take the palettes you love and go for it.

                                           Globetrotting Paint Chips

                                     Botanical Releaf Paint Chips
 

Design Dilemma - Kate's House

Hi Beehive Designers,

We have just bought a house (our first) and my husband and I really want to make this space reflect both of our styles.  The pictures I have attached are from the MLS listing.  We do not move in for a couple more weeks and between now and then I want to formulate some kind of color scheme and design plan.

My issues with this room are that the living room, dining room and kitchen are all in one space.  We have decided to use a pale yellow grass wall cloth along the main wall that unifies the dining and living area.  However, I have been looking at Valspar colors for the rest of the walls and ceilings and have no idea how or where to use them to create an impact, but to also keep the space looking like we actually had an idea of what we were doing.   

We have agreed that we want to use the following colors:

Woodrow Wilson Maize

Tranquil Bay

Boston Legacy

But where do we use them and how?  We are trying to create a space that feels serene but has a tropical element to it – hence the grass wall cloth.  I would appreciate ANY suggestions or comments.  Thank you.

Regards,

Kate


                        


                        

            
                                      
Woodrow Wilson Maize 3005-8C  Tranquil Bay 5004-5B     Boston Legacy 2005-9A   

Bringing Functionality and Feeling Together

So many homes these days are built with a great room which serves as a giant architectural multi-tasker. These rooms have a conflict; they are lofty and vast compared with the rest of the home, but they are also a place where the family comes together. One way to bring the function and the feel of the room together is by painting it a subtle color that almost reads as a white. You need a color that feels light in order to avoid creating an enormous cave. First, consider what is going on in the rest of the house. Is it cool and modern? Or, is it warm and cozy? A cool-palette home could have a warm grey-blue in the space. Perhaps use a color like Valspar Woodlawn Sterling Blue or Tempered Gray. These tones can hold the space together gently without feeling too cold. For homes that are warmer in nature, colors like Valspar Belle Grove Light Amber or Baked Scone give warmth without dragging the space down.  It’s like when you paint a space that reads white, but there’s much more at work.


                                       
        Woodlawn Sterling Blue 5001-3B      Tempered Gray 4004-1A



                                       
         Belle Grove Light Amber 3006-8B      Baked Scone 3007-8B

Exterior Color

         

When painting the exterior of your house, you should always consider the color surrounding your home. Do you have nature around you? Then, you might want to consider two different directions:

      1) To blend in with the surroundings. One great color that harmonizes with most landscapes is Valspar Dakota Trail. It has enough green and brown in it to harmonize with the great outdoors.

      2) The opposite direction is to use a red like Eddie Bower’s Cabin Red. This will set your home beautifully against its setting.

When picking a trim color, keep in mind the size of your home. Larger homes should have a lower contrast between trim and main color. You do this so the home won’t feel chopped up. For smaller homes, especially cottage style homes, you can have more fun because the trim-to-main-surface ratio is smaller. If you want a small house to look larger though, keep trim and main color closely related.

                                              
                                            Dakota Trail 6008-3B

How to Make a House a Home

Start with a color palette you love. If you can’t move walls, paint them! I would suggest looking into warm colors. They create a pleasing space. We are currently repainting the studio. It was grey and industrial, and it’s now becoming a warm light stone color. It’s still neutral, but warm neutral. It makes a world of difference…you can actually feel it.

Even if the space is not ideal, you can cast it in a warm and soothing tone to bring a pleasing effect. Warm neutrals are perfect for this situation. Colors like Shoreline Haze, Milestone Mist and Ancient Scroll are wonderful foundations for the rest of your color scheme. They are friendly with most other colors especially with warm and bright tones. Paint your home in varying degrees of these inviting neutrals. To create space, play one tone against another. For example, paint a hallway a mid-deep color like Oregon Coast, and paint the room it leads to a light tone like Clivedon Mist. You will feel like you’re moving into an expanded bright space.

Another way to transform your home is to create destination rooms -- rooms you’re not in all day like the dining room, bedroom or even a bathroom. In these spaces you can amp it up! Introduce a bold or deep color that is exciting and/or stimulating. You won’t be looking at it all the time and when you are, you feel like you’ve gotten away from the rest of the house. Choose a color that works with the rest of the house so it doesn’t look like the room came out of nowhere.

                                           
           Shoreline Haze 6008-1B               La Fonda Sombrero 2008-5B

                                           
      Woodrow Wilson Linen 3005-10C          Precious Stone 4002-5C

Using Big Ticket Items to Make a Statement

I remember back in the late 70s my family got a dishwasher that came with three panels with a color on each side. Although it stayed harvest gold for its entire life, there was always the option and potential for change. 

These days, people, for the most part, are getting more adventurous and confident with color. We are moving into a period of self expression as opposed to conformity, in interior design. When you start using big-ticket items like appliances to make statements, that’s a real commitment, and it can be an exciting one.

Last summer we were working in a gorgeous house upstate for one of New York's leading designers. In the kitchen, he had the trim painted a pale pink, and the walls and tiles were a creamy white. The room was expansive and warm at the same time, and what anchored it was this amazing play of color between an electric blue Aga cooker and a fiercely red refrigerator standing opposite it. It was very fresh and modern, but with a strong retro underscore.

For a more subtle approach, you can add dimension with more complex appliance colors like taupe or graphite. Paint the room in a smoky rich color, then pick up the appliance color in a trim or tile detail. 

Another way to use colored appliances effectively is to help them create a focal point for a room. A fireplace was once the original focal point of a kitchen, and now it can be a vibrant pumpkin cooking range. 

Consumers really do have the world of color at their fingertips.

How Might You Describe Your Hair Color?

This blog entry was written by Beehive Studios designer Veronique Habermann

I know we usually talk paint, but just for fun, what about a color topic unrelated to paint? How about a little test that proves men are from a different planet (or at least don’t see eye-to-eye with women on color)? Ask the men in your life what color they think your hair is. Unless he is a hairdresser or your hair is jet black or platinum blonde, chances are you'll get an answer that will make you smile (or frown if you just spent a lot of money on those beautiful honey highlights)...