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
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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
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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
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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