special section! we love CHRIS ECKERT/STUDIO D It’s no secret that our favorite way to transform a room or a piece of furniture is with a coat of color. That’s why the following pages are filled to the brim with paint! 2 PAGE2 S OF IDEAS hgtv magazine 35 we paint spill your color These paint shades stopped us in our tracks. We asked the designers to share their secret sources. asparagus BY OLYMPIC “This den’s wood paneling was dated— and really gloomy. I needed a pizzazz color to energize the room, and this fresh summer green delivers. Pairing it with whites and other greens takes it in a garden direction. With navy it could go preppy. And on patio furniture? Fantastic!” —Catherine Cleare, Cleare Interiors, Greenwich, CT fresh scent green CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: KEITH SCOTT MORTON; KARYN MILLET; ERIC PIASECKI/OTTO; DAVID DUNCAN LIVINGSTON BY BENJAMIN MOORE REPORTED BY JAIMIE DALESSIO AND RAE McCONVILLE “These wicker chairs hint at the view outside: a garden in Hawaii filled with banana trees and tropical plants. This is on a breezy screened porch, and the lush green captures that indoor-outdoor feel. It’s a powerful color—you don’t have to use too much to get the effect.” lime sherbet BY PANTONE “Dining rooms often have so many wood surfaces—the floor, table, chairs—that you want a major contrast on the walls, like this vivid green. If you’re scared of a color this shocking, add artwork so it’s more of a backdrop. With these bird portraits, you see 50 percent prints and 50 percent wall color.” —Marie Christine Peterson, Chelsea Court Designs, Los Gatos, CA —Katie Ridder, Katie Ridder Interior Design and Decoration, New York, NY almost aqua BY GLIDDEN “A white vanity would have been the obvious choice here. But then the vintage-inspired tiles would have stood out too much against all the starkness. To blend them in, I continued the green onto the vanity so that the bathroom feels more tranquil.” —Melanie Coddington, Coddington Design, San Francisco, CA PHOTOGRAPHS BY NAMETK TKTKT WRITTEN BY NAME TKTKTKTK green fun fact! Shh—green rooms like it quiet. Pale or light green rooms encourage silence and concentration, which is why they’re so common in libraries. hgtv magazine 37 paint autumn blaze BY FINE PAINTS OF EUROPE “A dining room color should encourage guests to linger after the meal, and this warm orange has led to lots of long dinner parties. It’s such an attentiongrabber that it’s best with neutrals.” —Anne Hepfer, Anne Hepfer Designs, Toronto, ON flame BY PRATT & LAMBERT “It’s a focal point now, but this narrow hallway was wasted space until I added cabinets into the wall niche—and painted them this turned-up orange. The white ceiling and walls make them pop even more.” —Lucy Penfield, Lucy Interior Design, Minneapolis, MN orange fun fact! Orange makes people want to shop. The eye-catching hue has been proven to lure folks into stores and encourage them to impulse-buy once they’re browsing around. 38 hgtv magazine fruit punch BY BENJAMIN MOORE “This nightstand is the perfect citrus orange. For a tween girl’s bedroom, a lot of people do pink and purple, but pink with orange is a hipper, more unexpected combination. It’s retro ’70s in a good way, and she won’t outgrow it anytime soon.” —Michele Trout, Bonesteel Trout Hall, Pacific Palisades, CA CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: JEFF JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY; MICHAEL GRAYDON; KARYN MILLET we paint blue heron brilliant blue BY BENJAMIN MOORE BY OLYMPIC “I didn’t have to search far to find a color for this first floor bathroom—I actually painted the homeowners’ kitchen island this same rich, saturated blue. It’s intense. I like it in small doses, like on half a wall, as a look-at-me accent.” —Dee Elms, Terrat Elms Interior Design, Boston, MA blue fun fact! Blue tops most people’s list of favorite colors— except when it comes to food. Mother Nature might have made blueberries, but that’s about it. True blue is the rarest color for flowers, fruits, and veggies. 40 hgtv magazine “This is my apartment’s home office. It’s a dark alcove with no windows, and I just went for it with a bright, vibrant blue wall. I think it’s versatile—it even works with this pink desk—but if you’re color-shy, try it on a coffee table or dresser first. Or a ceiling!” —Naomi Stein, Design Manifest, Philadelphia, PA northern star BY PRATT & LAMBERT “When a kitchen is open to the living room like this, I want the cabinets to blend in and seem like furniture. Painted this rich blue, they aren’t as kitchen-y. The color reminds me of a deep pool of water, and that’s what I was shooting for, since this is close to the shore.” —Phoebe Howard, Mrs. Howard, Jacksonville, FL CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MICHAEL CASEY; COURTNEY APPLE; TRIA GIOVAN we we paint yellow finch BY BENJAMIN MOORE “Yellow walls are tricky. The color intensifies once it hits the walls, and it can be too highenergy for a bedroom. But this couple didn’t want subtle. To pull it off, I balanced the yellow’s zestiness with strong blues and corals. A bright green could also hold its own with this yellow.” —Laura Archibald, Laura Archibald Interior Design, Charlotte, NC van gogh yellow “The graphic floor tiles in this master bathroom inspired the yolky yellow of this painted vanity. I love how the color emphasizes the curved bottom edges and the legs. It’s more livable than you’d think—I’ve used this shade on everything from ceiling beams to a peg board in my kitchen.” —Barbara Bestor, Bestor Architecture, Los Angeles, CA yellow fun fact! Some yellow things don’t get much love: It’s the least-popular car color worldwide and the worst-selling iPhone color in history. 42 hgtv magazine pineapple delight BY PITTSBURGH PAINTS “This breakfast room off my kitchen has a low ceiling. To give it a sunny, open look, I painted the walls this watered-down yellow-green. One client loved it so much she asked me to paint her kitchen the same color.” —Amie Corley, Amie Corley Interiors, St. Louis, MO CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: RAY KATCHATORIAN; ASHLEY SELLNER; ASHLEY GIESEKING BY FINE PAINTS OF EUROPE we paint pagoda red BY PRATT & LAMBERT “These homeowners were searching for a standout front-door color. Seeing the Matisse painting The Red Room at a museum inspired them to try this shade. Since this entryway gets only low light, all the brightness is uplifting, not overwhelming.” la fonda fireberry BY VALSPAR “Floral wallpaper helped transform this corner of a hallway into an office nook. To play off the flowers, I painted the chair sizzling red. The oomph it adds to the white desk and beige tiles is the make-or-break detail. Imagine if the chair were a neutral— the furniture would disappear, and all you’d focus on would be the wallpaper.” —Richard Gatling, Gatling Design Inc., San Diego, CA red geranium BY GLIDDEN “I’m Brazilian, I love color, and red is my favorite—of course my living room looks like this. To make the wall the star of the room, I surrounded it with blacks, browns, and whites. Just be sure you’re ready for this color. I’ve had a red wall in every home I’ve lived in, and I always will, but not everyone can take it!” —Ana Strumpf, designer, New York, NY 44 hgtv magazine red fun fact! Sports teams in red uniforms are more likely to win (if you ignore the Boston Red Sox’s 86-year losing streak). Research says opponents think they’re tougher. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ED GOHLICH; ERIKA BIERMAN; JACOB SNAVELY —Vanessa De Vargas, Turquoise, Los Angeles, CA 46 hgtv magazine calling the David Bromstad, we paint pro host of Color Splash, solves your headaches over hues. Q I painted every room in my house bright blue. My sister thinks it’s too much, but I think it’s happy and playful. Is it wrong to paint your whole house the same color—especially a vibrant shade? —Pamela Martin, Manasquan, NJ David says: Tell your sister to mind her own business! Seriously, though, if you love a bright color on all your walls and don’t think you’ll get sick of it anytime soon, go for it. Just keep your furniture neutral—think natural woods with crisp white or rich cream upholstery. That will help the blue feel like a backdrop rather than competition for your eye. My other trick is to use even more saturated colors as accents. Fuchsia pillows, tangerine bowls, and a neon yellow vase or two will make an otherwise potentially crazy shade seem toned down in comparison. Q I hung a large piece of art in my bedroom that shows island waters in vivid blues and greens. What color should the wall behind it be—a neutral shade or one that picks up a color from the artwork? —Linda Pike, Wooster, OH David says: It looks like you have really good taste in art. But the minute you start pulling colors from the picture, you take away from its beauty. Instead of painting your walls blue or green, go with a neutral. Gray is a great choice for a bedroom because it’s calming, and it’s one of the easiest shades for your eyes to adjust to when you wake up. Taupe or another neutral would work too—basically, any color that lets that gorgeous image be the star. Accent pieces are another story. A lot of designers say not to match your accessories with your artwork, but I say, “Why not?” A mint blanket or a turquoise lamp will pull the whole room together. portraits by joe schmelzer styled by kyle schuneman hgtv magazine 47 we Q paint I’m worried about scuffs on my molding, so I want to paint it black. Is black as neutral as white or wood trim? —Alicia Garant, Freeland, MI David says: Black may be neutral, but it’s actually the toughest color to take care of. I put black floors in my house and, honey, I’ll never make that mistake again! They show every footprint, paw print, and piece of lint. White trim, on the other hand, hides dust and is easier to touch up. If you’re set on darker trim, try an espresso stain. A stain seeps into the wood, so you’re less likely to see dirt on it. Q My house has an open floor plan, and everything in it is beige. I like pale blue, gray, and plum. How do I work them into the space so they flow together? —Cheryl Rykwalder, Old Hickory, TN David says: To break free from your beige prison, I suggest making a big move: Paint the walls a mid-tone gray. It’s a soothing color that will make the space feel sophisticated. People think painting walls different colors in an open plan will help define the space, but it ends up looking disjointed, so use one color. Then bring in the blues and plums with upholstered furniture, an area rug, art, and accessories. Q What wall colors look good with dark woodwork? I don’t want to paint the trim that’s original to my house. —Linda Nicholas, East Liberty, OH David says: Dark woodwork can be incredible, but only if the wall color majorly contrasts with it; otherwise it’ll look like a haunted house. That’s why I would go with white. (Yes, Mr. Color Splash loves white walls. Shh!) The lighter the walls, the more high-end the trim appears. If you love color, choose a pale shade, like a gray-blue or muted green, which will freshen up the dark wood. Love a crazy wall color? Keep your furniture neutral—try white or wood. —David Bromstad Q Are feature walls outdated? I’m trying to figure out how to treat this tricky wall in my great room, which is one and a half stories tall. —Judi Gerstein, Rockford, IL David says: I love a good feature wall, especially one with sky-high ceilings, but this one isn’t working. Don’t get me wrong—the window’s shape is stunning, but the wall color is too dark. You end up looking at the paint instead of the view. And the color is too orange, which clashes with the built-ins. I’d try a neutral like taupe or beige to bring the focus to the window itself. Want to know the real surprise? The feature wall in this room isn’t the one with the arched window— it’s the one with the fireplace, because that’s actually where people most often look. If you want to paint it, try a cool color like blue, purple, or green that will complement the honey-hued built-ins. 48 hgtv magazine
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