Ahhh, but I digress!
So, today, I wanted to touch on something that is so basic, so fundamental in decor that I can guarantee that each of you reading this post has some sort of story relating to this. Today I want to talk about... paint!!! It is something that we all have dealt with, from the institutional-white colors of our dorm rooms to the crazy paint colors we wanted in our bedrooms as children, all the way to the funky colors you have throughout your home right this very second!
I think that many people choose to go with a safe color in the white/cream/beige/khaki family just to make sure that you don't end up with something horrific that you will hate forever and feel stuck with. This is completely reasonable, but I want to encourage you to be brave and step out of the box every now and then!!
Let's do a small, teensy test. Quick- think of a color, any color. Do you have one? Ok, now look around your home and see if the color you thought of is anywhere around your home. I'm willing to bet that in some capacity, it is. It may be in a throw pillow, or a rug, or a comforter, lamp, or shower curtain. Now here comes the crazy part: have you thought of painting a wall in your house that color, or a variant of that color? What about painting a piece of furniture? I know, I'm getting crazy over here.
To help you with getting over your hesitation, I'm going to give a personal example and show you some fun, creative ways that color can be used in your home to make a dramatic, beautiful impact. For me personally, the color I keep going to over and over is... of all colors... black!! I LOVE black, you guys! If you have ever been in my home at any given time, you'll notice there is lots of black everywhere. I haven't had the opportunity to paint a wall that color yet, so I don't have any personal pictures to show you, but trust me... this is going to be inspiration for the future! I proceed to showing you exhibit one:
photo credit: House Beautiful
The paint color used in this picture is Benjamin Moore- Black Satin. I think it is absolutely stunning!! So sexy and so fun!
Exhibit two:
photo credit: House Beautiful
Note that there is tons of natural light in both rooms. This a must, and a south-facing room is best for any dark color like navy, chocolate, eggplant or black. If you don't have a south-facing room but still want to paint a dark color, try to ensure that the room has as MUCH sunlight as possible to lighten the room. We don't necessarily want to channel Cruella DeVille here...
Here is a beautiful example of chocolate in a room as well. I did not pick out this paint color, but it was in a clients' home and was absolutely stunning. For the ceiling height and room size, the paint color makes the room feel so very warm and inviting.
Ok, let's move on to some brighter, more fun colors. Another color I hear mentioned often is yellow. Yellow is certainly making a huge comeback this season and can be beautiful if done correctly.
This is a bright, fun yellow that would be great in a hallway or a child's room. This paint is by Pittsburgh Paints and is called Forsythia Blossom.
photo credit: House Beautiful
If you love yellow but don't want the brightness, try something a bit more muted. I tend to call this shade of yellow "butter", but this picture refers to it as a cream. I can imagine this color in a bedroom or living room, and what a calming effect it would have!!! So warm and inviting!!
photo credit: House Beautiful
Another color people tend to love but shy away from is red. There are so many variations of red that you can use to suit your exact decor desire.
photo credit: House Beautiful
This red is called Blazer 212 by Farrow & Ball. LOVE red but nervous about committing to a whole room?
Paint a piece of furniture! This shot is classic and exciting at the same time because of the color use.
photo credit: House Beautiful
The red used in this photo is Heritage Red by Benjamin Moore.
Ok, for just a few more tidbits of encouragement, I want to leave you with just a few more ideas of paint colors you can use throughout your home.
Now, I know, if you were a client of mine and I told you to think about... say... a hot PINK color in your house, you'd think I was crazy right?? Well... not so fast! If you are in the stage of life where you can make a fun color choice in your home, why not? I think this may do a bit of work to convince you...
photo credit: House Beautiful
Cute, right?? What a jolt of energy before you even get to your morning coffee! This paint color is so very appropriately named Razzle Dazzle by Benjamin Moore.
Another great idea is to paint not the walls, but the ceiling of a room to provide a fun pop of color to a unique space.
photo credit: House Beautiful
Beautiful, no? I normally RUN away from a soft, powder pink, but I think that the presence of pink in this room is so romantic and is just right.
Here's another fun color that is appropriately toned down by a great print and classic colors. Can you imagine yourself buying paint in a punchy lime?
photo credit: House Beautiful
For a softer green, why not try something a little closer to mint? This option can be a serene, calming color choice while being chic and completely up to date. Check out the nursery I consulted on for Baby Rebekah!
Are you inspired yet?? I sure hope so!!! Just a tip for those of you that are ready to take the COLOR plunge: paint a poster-board size block of color in the room you are thinking of changing. Or, go even bigger and do a 6x6 ft. color swatch and let it sit for a few days. If you are in love, take the plunge!! If you hate it, there is no commitment and less work to change it to a neutral color, or back to what you originally had.
Best of luck, and happy painting!! I hope you are inspired to create a beautiful space this week!! Have a wonderful weekend!!
Cheers!
Catrina
