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Color trends? Here, to stay… and here, to change.
It’s that time again, Color Trends are all over the place! Most recently, Pantone reports “Emerald Green” as the latest thing. Green is what I call an “available” color, since because it’s right in the middle of the light-wave spectrum it’s a color most comfortably viewed in many instances. It’s mutable and earthy; inspiring of new life, growth, and positive direction. As a paint color, “green” can be flexible in interiors and can be used in many settings.

The Pantone “Energize” green palette

Small World, Indeed
While I don’t have an “emerald green” in the palette, I’ve been delighted to see that many of my own EcoHues Full Spectrum Paint colors  seem to have aligned with some trend colors over the past year. These are from Pantone:

What’s my own personal opinion?
While I don’t really have one personal favorite color, I do have a definite point of view. As an architectural color consultant, paint palette designer and rug designer, my viewpoint is threefold.

First
My own primary, professional focus as a color consultant is a strong belief in supportive color design. Foremost is function, coupled with aesthetics and, in the homes of individual clients, personal color preferences naturally have a role as well.

Where function is concerned, color trends are interesting—and of course they are an indicator of products we’ll be seeing going forward. However using a ‘trendy’ color as a selection simply because it’s “hot” or popular does not serve either my client or myself as the consultant. I always take note of trends but no decision or recommendation I’d ever make is trend-driven.

Second
As a paint palette designer, I’ve created the EcoHues line of Full Spectrum Paints as a 32-color curated palette that serves a variety of purposes. Because each of our colors has no black or gray—even in our muted ‘neutrals’ or most highly saturated colors—they are easy to decorate with. So, many “trend” colors can create interesting harmonies with these richly-colored full spectrum paints as part of a design plan.

In creating the palette style and the actual colors, I’ve been influenced by client requests in both commercial and residential settings.  That request is usually in the form of an expressed feeling. The client desires a particular kind of experience.  A typical kind of request is, for example, “I want a relaxing space, a happy, energizing space, and also something that will complement my furnishings.” So, with that as the impetus, the EcoHues palette includes pale to deep stony neutrals; underwater blues; luminous, ethereal sun-filled yellows; antique-flavored greens; bright blues, and richly warm reds and browns evoking exotic sources.

How do these fit into upcoming trends?
While I agree with others that we’re influenced by the economy and world events, what I see as important in general is something that’s been happening for a while now:  a resurgence in health and well-being beyond today’s blood pressure. Certainly, the deeper aspect of the experiences that we all desire in our color environments is well beyond the transitory nature of “what’s hot” right now or even for the near future.

A quick color trend note
In the world of color and design—in what appeals to us at the deepest level and that will endure well past this year’s colors—is a reference to organic plant and earth sources, natural materials, and textures. As the world becomes culturally smaller and smaller, international flavors will continue in an ongoing appreciation of solid, earthy tones and textures; warm, natural pigment-inspired colors like rusty oranges, paprika and cinnabar reds; brighter, rich hues like Hydrangea and Phoenix Blue, and the deep tones of Mulberry, Nomad and plum.

More EcoHues colors are represented here, too

Cultural blending has, in fact, been well underway for some time and will continue to evolve into new and exciting preferences in color combinations and styles. And, in any space or product, surface sheen and texture are important and often dictate a color’s appearance and therefore contribute to our color preferences and uses.

Third: Home decor follows fashion
As a rug designer, I incorporate color from an instinctive perspective, starting with what feels right to me from the artistic standpoint. That said, I can of course change colors in any way to suit individuals’ requests. It surprises me sometimes that many of the colors I initially use in my rug designs do show up in a future trend forecast. That is always interesting, and just demonstrates once again that color is universal—and cyclical.

Pantone’s new greens in the Heritage palette can be flexible.

My basic belief doesn’t just “belong” to me.
It’s much broader than any individual, and does not depend on color trends at all.
As humans—without regard to “trends”—we all crave color in myriad varieties of light and bright, muted yet clean, and deep, rich, and dark. It’s all about proportion, balance, and use. I see color trends as something interesting and cyclical, worth observing, with variations in each re-occurrence of a particular color.

Are you Into Color Trends for your own home, or your business, or just for fun? Visit these places for more inspiration:

Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paints
Kate Smith, of Sensational Color
Color Marketing Group: Where Trends are Defined
Pantone: a great resource for color information and products

Change is dynamic. That’s the fascination that keeps us coming back for more! What’s Your “take” on the trends?

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What are the colors of Thanksgiving?
So much more than paint, decorating, or  “trend palettes.”
I wanted to offer some color-reflections for the holiday season, and beyond.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – reinterpreted as Thanksgiving colors

What’s important?
Please share your own inspirations and color-reflections!

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Did you know it’s National Painting Week? 

That’s the story, right from Sherwin Williams Paints.

It’s a great idea, and on their site they offer a number of useful tips that you will find both accessible and easy to do. Perfect for busy people who want to make a big change.

The simple tips they offer are so practical that it’s a great reminder of how easy it is to make a big change with paint.

Among the tips they have put together in a short video:

• Changing cabinet hardware for a  new look
• Update light fixtures
• Painting an easy, creative decorating project like picture frames, a tabletop, or a small piece of furniture
• Painting an accent wall or ceiling
• Landscaping suggestions
• Taking care of exteriors

It’s true that Spring can be just the beginning of an intensive home-decorating and fixup season. Don’t be overwhelmed! Contact me with your request for help on a project of any size. In addition to basic consultation services, our new DesignerColorPalettes  service offers a variety of ways I can help with “virtual painting” of interior colors, and also larger painting projects such as your home’s exterior. Read some comments at our Client Testimonials page.

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Speaking of  your new house colors…What house colors are you planning to use? It’s time to evaluate your home for a new look.
Is it for a complete repainting of your home or other building, or maybe adding a few accents to bring some “snap” to your existing color scheme? Even a house with a conservative, subtle color palette can benefit from a small adjustment.

A few tips for individual homeowners and building professionals
When you start to think about colors for painting your existing home, a renovation, or new construction…

Homeowners: new colors for any size home
From  a small Cape Cod style house to a Victorian mansion, your best color choices are the ones you carefully consider.

• Assess the current condition of your siding, eaves, other trim and architectural details.
• Porches are a great place to introduce new color: Floors, Ceilings, and Trim.
• Alcoves, niches, window seats: all are candidates for minor revisions with color and sheen.
• Even homes with less architectural detail will be more elegant and distinctive with the right color additions.
• Are you planning some landscaping? Coordinate your house color with property updates.

Builders: Single family or a development
Building a single Spec-house, or an entire neighborhood? There’s a lot to consider when it comes to color.

• Multiple, adjacent homes do not have to be made in the same color schemes
• The colors you use have a lot to say to–and about–the buyers you attract.
• The best color plan will include all your building materials to create the most interesting and appealing properties.
• Color is what your customers will notice first. Make it count!

This picture of three houses show examples of different color schemes applied for one house, from more conservative to more dramatic.

Now can be the time that you expand your own color-horizons.

• You can break out of the typical format of “3 colors” for your home.
• Keep your house colors harmonious with your surroundings, appropriate to the architecture of your own home, and fitting in the neighborhood. All are important.
• The key is to use the right colors in the right places, where tasteful and imaginative colors will enhance a simply-structured house as well as one with multiple architectural elements and embellishments.

Designer Color Palettes: See what your home, or other building, will look like before you paint!
In addition to my architectural color services for any type of building, inside or out, I’ve added an exciting new service for individual homeowners and other design/build professionals. With Designer Color Palettes, we’ll use colors you may have already selected but want to see how they will look. We’ll  add a few of my own recommendations, or even show you your house with colors that I’ve selected for you at your request. You can direct exactly what you want to see, and what you want help with.

Don’t be left out in the cold…Weather, that is.
Beautiful days inspire us to get out the paint brushes for a new Spring look. But first, register at the D+D web site and read this important article from Durability + Design.

Share your favorite house colors! What are they?
Let us know!

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Here we go again, in Paint as many industries and products.
Yes, prices are going up—again. It used to be that paint was, well, “Cheap!” We always would say, hey, it’s the best way to get the most change for the least money spent.  Big change for small change, so to speak. Whether you’re “into paint” or just buying paint again after a long time away from your paint store, now you might be surprised at the current prices and the projected trend in this direction.

What is the story about the paint price increases? It’s not just for a few “premium” companies, but apparently all across the spectrum of brands, quality and price points.

What’s in that can of paint?
Basically, all paint colors are made up of tinted bases. In sheens from flat to high gloss, the base material is a combination of materials, but this story is about, essentially,  “titanium dioxide.” That’s what makes the the paint color white, in the can, before adding tints to make Your colors. So, when the cost of that material goes up, so goes the price of paint.

If you’re into the economy of science–or the bottom line on why paint products are continuing to get more expensive– you might enjoy this article.

But OK, I will still say it—Paint is the way to go.  All the more reason why we want to really carefully consider what colors we’re using, and paying for.  And, all the more reason to make the most of the paint we are using—and enjoying.

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We’re always so busy in our daily lives — both personally and professionally–that we don’t often pause to really think about what was happening in the very, very early times of human development and how it might relate to us today.

I remember when, as a child, one of my favorite subjects was “cave men” and how they lived. Those early cultures held a mysterious fascination for me. OK, so I’m actually a frustrated archaeologist!

The paintings of Charles R. Knight, (1874-1953), influenced our impressions of the prehistoric world.

When the recent New York Times article on the amazing discovery of a  “100,000-year old paint workshop” came to my attention, I not only enjoyed reading it but was compelled to emerge from a sort of “Blog-out” of being absent from posting for quite a while.

This is what it made me think about, to start with:

• Symbolic use of color in many cultures
• Who made the color decisions “way back then?”
• What was the “psychology” of those early people and how did the arrive at their discoveries and uses of color?
• How did they continue, over time, to make new pigment discoveries and record them?
• How were the colors communicated from one group to another, and
• Did they have what we call “personal preferences?”

I’m sure the answers to these questions are elementary to the people who make this study their life’s work.

But this discovery feels like a jolt to the modern world of design, fashion, color trends, and modern paint techniques. If we are open to it, we’ll appreciate new dimensions in our current way of thinking about color, pigment, and paint mixing. Organic color sources of many types are at the foundation of  modern paint colors that we use most often in our own home decorating.

Another way of looking at it is as another example of the connection between art and science and, in this case, history—literally!

Image from the New York Times article.

Image source: New York Times
Grethe Moell Pedersen

But what do you think?
And, what do you know, for a “fact”?

If you do read the article, be sure to go to the readers’ comments there, which are fascinating and informative as well!

I”ll certainly be interested your thoughts, too.

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What do you Not want to do today?

For me, today it’s painting shutters instead of writing a blog post; or instead of working on one of the many new rug designs in progress; or even selecting new paint colors for my own little interior project—reviving a former bedroom occupied by one or another of our children over the years.

OK, so I took a break from the shutter work. After all, client projects are much more enjoyable!

The particular pair of exterior shutters I’m talking about (yes, just 2 of them!) has been in my studio since last Fall, over the entire winter. Even with a great place to work on projects like this in any season, I didn’t have to try too had to walk by them and look the other way every time I was doing something more “immediate” and enjoyable, even painting up color samples.

Now, finally, it’s almost Fall again and the prep is done.  I’m on to the surface color, so the end is in sight and, once done, I might even get to organizing the office and studio –again.

The point is, that every time I actually accomplish a long-procrastinated task, the reward is so much sweeter—as in, “I Finally did it!”
Here’s my color celebration, in advance!

The trick is to find the creative in the mundane.

What are Your tips for doing this?

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Everyone does it!
That is, everyone looks at color, and feels the effects of color—one way or another. Even those with impaired vision experience and feel color internally.

So, when it comes to actually deciding what colors to use for our homes or even for our businesses, some confusion usually ensues. Typically, the ways color is decided when we need help is one of these:

Paint store defined palettes: Makes it easy, requires little imagination (ie: it’s already done for you). At the very least, this can be a good place to start, to explore testing some colors in your own home.

Ask-a-friend or family member: sometimes works, but the friend or family member is then responsible for their advice (and the relationship!)

Painter recommendations: Painters have more experience with applied color than anyone else in the field.
While some painters are happy to work with you closely to arrive at your specifically personal colors, I’ve noticed that they will typically want you to tell them what colors to use, so they can keep rolling.

However, on the side of patience and imagination,  there might be more that’s needed to achieve something really personal and interesting.

Copy the house down the street: this can be good for inspiration but might not suit your house, Or You, even if it’s the same style building.

What’s different?

• You are different! There are no two people alike, even though they might like the same kinds of colors.
• your House is different – even if it’s only the specific physical location
• Landscaping is likely to be different.
• lighting is probably not the same

Whether it’s for interior or exterior colors, in the process of determining a unique, harmonious and balanced personal color palette for your home, the four qualities in the title of this post are essential to really get it right. Don’t worry about where to begin, because you can actually start with any of them. The creative process is one that evolves through all of those phases.

They are all part of eliminating the frustration of being confronted by thousands of colors, and turning the experience into one that’s enjoyable and informative. At some point you may want to consult with a professional about any of these aspects of selecting colors:

1. Imagining – artistic
   
2. Knowing – educated, trained specially in the field
   
3. Envisioning – experience
   
4. Creating – putting it together
   

And finally: Enjoying
Something you can do without any help at all!

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It might seem strange to talk about this kind of color when we’re about to have a burst of sunshine and flowers, but at some point you might need some Big, Deep, Drama. I was “all set” with having developed the richly colored palette for EcoHues. But then I started thinking “…just one more color, something Really Really Dark…,” that would be great in the right place for an accent trim or even a reflective, deep colored wall.

After all, sometimes contrast is just what a space needs to emphasize shape and architectural details.

A new black with No Black! EcoHues Full Spectrum Paint: Deep and cool-toned Mysterio

TIPS
About paint finishes
The thing to remember when using deeper colors in a flat finish, in any brand of paint, is that the very very deep colors can ‘burnish’ when you brush against the surface. This means that if your elbow, for example, happens to rub against the painted surface it might make a mark that looks shiny in some lights.

So, we have three finishes: Flat, as with all EcoHues colors; SemiGloss; and Eggshell. The recommended sheen when using this kind of very deep color on a wall: Use the semi-gloss! It will be a brighter looking color and still retain the depth and mystery of, well, Mysterio!

A few ideas about trim colors

• Don’t feel obligated to paint all the trim in a room the same color.
• Think about the purpose of the trim: to accent a particular architectural element, frame a space, or create unity.
• Painting the trim the same color as your walls, but in a different finish, is a subtle way to add the illusion of a different color
• Painting crown moldings the same color as your ceiling, in a different finish, frames the ceiling and defines the space in a subtle way.
• Painting the crown moldings the same color as your walls adds height.
• Window trim in the same color as walls opens the space by bringing your focus to the outside.
• Using a very dark, contrasting trim color in a higher sheen can be a meaningful design accent To illustrate, a few images from Houzz.com that use  black.
  It’s not Mysterio, but you get the idea:

Modern kids design by DC metro interior designer Laura Manning Bendik

 

This designer’s name is a coincidence!


Eclectic bathroom design by San Francisco interior designer Jacobs Design, Inc. 




Boston-area LDa Architecture & Interiors always does stunning work.

Traditional family room design by Boston architect LDa Architecture & Interiors 

 

Contemporary dining room design by Tel Aviv photographer Yaniv Schwartz – Photographer

We have two very deep colors, and one of them is Mysterio. Another time I”ll feature CharPlum Gray.

Of course, digital color is nothing like the real thing.  Half-way down this linked page you’ll find details to order your own hand-painted color cards in various sizes from 1″x4″ to 8″x10″, with options for 9″x12″ painted on SmallWall.

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If so, check out this book about Carlo Scarpa.

I was first introduced to the work of Carlo Scarpa by the renowned Boston-area architect Paul Lukez. In a conversation with Paul about color in architecture, he immediately went to his bookshelf and brought forth his copy of this book.

Even now, looking through my own paperback copy, I get the same thrill seeing the forms, textures, and colors that Scarpa used in the variety of his work. It’s really an extraordinary example of color + form working together to create a higher-level space.

A Taschen publication, even the paperback is high quality. The interesting essay by Sergio Los, illustrated by the beautiful photographs of Klays Frahm, will bring you back time and time again to enjoy the spaces. For me: “wish I could see this in person!”

Do you have a favorite book (more than 1 is ok!) on design, architecture, color, and related topics, that you would like to recommend? Let me know!

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