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The
Colors You Choose Should Spell Your Name
Flying into the city of Seattle,
Washington is always exciting for me. I am a yellow
base person who grew up this 80% blue base environment.
I call this lush green city home even though I now live in Las
Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas is completely opposite from Seattle
in culture, attitudes, decorating, style, and weather. Why
did I leave gorgeous Seattle? In honesty, I am a true
yellow base devoted sun worshiper and the sun just doesn’t
penetrate the environment like a sun worshiper likes it to.
Las Vegas definitely has the element of sun.
This particular day in Seattle, I was on a mission of helping a
family feel completely at home in their “new home” just purchased
two months previously. They had a perfect “love-hate”
situation going on.
“Why did you buy this home if it is so annoying to you,” I asked
the owners. “The space and layout of this home is
perfect for us,” was the reply. “The property and the
expansive layout of the home was our hook. We love the
gorgeous environment (5 acres of a park-like setting).
We just can’t seem to bond with the home. It just feels
wrong and this is very frustrating. It is not us. We
knew we had no choice but to get you up here Renae.”
When I arrived at the home, I was immediately swept away by the
gorgeous 5 acre lot filled with trees and a driveway that would
hold 10 cars easily. A winding driveway led you
through thick foliage and rain drenched trees to a beautiful
clearing where a large home waited to be made over. The mist
of the rain and the privacy lot filled with forest definitely gave
this home ambiance. The style of the home was not the
Montana style home that it should have been in this remote
northwest setting. Rather, it was a very traditional home
that is normally found in the city surrounded by other traditional
homes. A small un-marked dirt road led you into paradise.
I was amazed this beautiful lot was even there. It could not
be seen from the road.
But going inside the home was a very different matter. I
wasn’t fully prepared for the cold and un-interesting interior.
Based on the exterior surroundings and the beauty of the entry
with its large winding staircase, I was not expecting the feeling
that greeted me as I entered. The owners were the
outdoors, friendly, mountain lodge type people. This home
gave no hint as to their personality. I was already starting
to understand their frustration.
The owner showed me through, and as we went from area to area,
room to room, the feeling didn’t change. Everything was
bland, cold, and un-inviting. Again, as so many times
before in my decorating experiences, it was apparent that the
previous owner had been afraid of color and the power of paint!
These walls were sheetrock white with grey undertones that added
gloom and doom to the whole atmosphere of the home. Wall
paper borders had been randomly placed throughout the house
leaving the feeling that someone had put their decorating toe in
the water to test it and then quickly pulled out because the water
was too cold.
I started where I always start mentally in a decorating project.
The Floor! It is the foundation of the whole plan of
decorating.
This home had beautiful wood
flooring that was yellow base. The floor was not going to be
changed just re-finished to restore it’s beauty. Noting the
color tones, I moved on to the furnishings.
What were we going to keep and what were we not going to keep?
One particular grouping caught my attention. It was the
dining room furniture that was very expensive and really flowed
with their style which is rustic lodge northwest.
Hidden in the undertone of this beautiful oak wood was feeling of
dark green. The bedroom furniture was a gorgeous
dark brown in color and was similar in feeling as the rich dark
leather sofa in the family room. This all came
together to create a feeling of their style, and the richness of
color and the warmth of the atmosphere that they desired.
Putting together an extreme plan of very dark, yellow base, green
paint, we started painting samples on the walls. (see
pictures attached below of dining room) At first, it took the
owners breath away to see such a dramatic difference.
But, trusting me, they painted
the whole entire living, dining room and grand entry. The
paint continued up the stairs, and covered the halls that could be
seen from the front door. This plan was continued into
the master bedroom suite. The ceilings were painted white.
This was a white that could not have yellow, pink, green payback
in it. It had to be a white that was just the right mix of
pigments so as to not detract from the color on the walls.
The white was more difficult to decide on than the wall color.
Again, a lesson in white! Be careful. We viewed
the whites together with other whites and looked for underlying
tones. We also viewed the white under several light sources
and especially next to the green paint on the walls and the
molding color. Remember, color reflects off the
color it is placed next to.
One of the secrets to success in the stunning results of this
project was the fact that the walls all had beautiful millwork
already in place half way up the walls. The white
millwork along with the casing around the doors and the base
molding set the color off and achieved a stunning, yet warm
atmosphere. Wrapping its arms around you, the color on the
walls
helped the furniture, millwork, and floors come alive. We
installed carpet that embraced the color scheme, along with new
tile & marble in the master bath area. Kitchen countertops
were replaced and the wood floors were re-finished.
This northwest home is now ready for people to come and visit,
enjoy the warmth of the fireplace, and feel the balance of nature
outside connecting with the atmosphere of the inside. The
interior is no longer sterile and separate from the exterior.
The interior
environment connects with the exterior environment to create
balance and harmony. Yes, paint is a powerful
decorating tool. Working with the blue base/yellow base
color system will give you confidence.
Where do you live? Remember that the colors you choose in
the interior of your home should reflect you personal style and
the environment in which you live.
Before
After
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Decorating Class #10