WHAT COLOUR IS THAT?

Hey Everyone.......do you remember the other day when I spoke of a Bedroom that was on Houzz?

Houzz

It was asked what colour is this room.  As I stated in that entry, sometimes the designer will answer the questions posed and sometimes they don't.  The designer had not answered what colour it was and someone had suggested to print this pic and take it to their nearest paint store and have it colour matched.  And as I stated in the previous post, I gave my opinion on that one!!  I ended up having a conversation on Houzz with the person who suggested to print the pic.  Lets just say it wasn't overly positive on her end.  I made the point that everyone's printer is different, as is everyone's monitor.  Your paint store may indeed be able to colour match what has been printed, however, it will NOT be what the actual colour is in the room.  Most average printers aren't that accurate when it comes to colour.  Most print great, but not necessarily accurate.  I stated that even if that printed pic was bang on, how that colour looks in this incredible bedroom won't necessarily look great in your room.  That is why it is so important to test colours out in YOUR space.  You may find you might need a colour with a little more green in it, or one that is a little more saturated etc...... My point was lost on this individual.  So it made me think......Ok you print a pic and then have it colour matched.  But wait.......I will tell you right now......don't do that.....here is why.

As an experiment I downloaded onto my computer  paint colours that I picked at random.  I then printed them out and compared them to the ones in my fandeck:  See below:

Benjamin Moore-Summer Shower 2135-60

Benjamin Moore-Bird's Egg 2051-60

Benjamin Moore-Rapture CC-66

Although they are not the greatest pics in the world you can see my point.  Your printer will NOT print out an accurate enough colour match.  I don't care how good your printer is.  BUT....just say you have the worlds best printer and it is accurate beyond anything.  Well great! Colour match it and then go from there.  I would give the same advice as if you knew exactly what colour the designer used in a particular room.  Great, get that colour.....BUT USE IT AS A STARTING POINT!  What looks great in one room can look horrible in another.  The same can be said for even a particular colour in a room.  That is why it is so important to look at the colour in the room that you will be painting.  AND TO LOOK AT IT AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY.  Years ago when I was going to repaint my living room I loved a particular khaki colour.  Loved it in the daytime, HATED it at night.  It took on a horrible yellowy greeny tone at night.  

There are so many variables at work in everyone's own individual room.  The lighting, which direction does it face, what are the undertones in the rug, undertones in the furniture, etc..............It all conspires together. And I do mean conspire.  There are times that I so desperately would love to have a particular colour but everything in the room 'conspires" against me being able to pick that colour.

If I were you....if you love the colour in a room in a magazine or online-take it to the paint store.  Get the advice of the salesperson or get your favourite decorator to help.  A self printed pic will be less accurate than what you see onscreen, even though everyone's monitor's show colours differently.  Take your lap top or I-Pad to the paint store and use it as your starting point.

Don't get me wrong I love to know the colour a designer used in a particular room.  However, it should always just be a starting point or an inspiration for YOUR room.

Have a great day everyone.

Megan

SHERWIN WILLIAMS 2014

Hey Everyone....Remember on Fri my post about "Happy Colour".  Well I came across Sherwin  Williams Forecast for 2014 their Intrinsic line...well...... Look:

Houzz

Houzz

Sherwin Williams

These colours can be seen throughout the house.  They aren't exactly what is in the house..However I do know  they definitely evoke the same feeling....don't you just love it when things like this come together??
The blues may be slightly more green that was used pillows and rug....but it is definitely a similar palette.  I just love colour!

There you have it...short and sweet.  Have an awesome day everyone.
Megan

CALIENTE RED DOOR!

Hey Everyone.....Just a very quick posting today.  Usually I am not a fan of White Siding on a house.  However, there are instances when it really works.  This is just one case........

Houzz

I LOVE a Red Door....and I mean love it!!  There is just something so amazing about a red door.  It catches your attention, yet at the same time it is so welcoming.  If you have always wanted to add a little Red to your life....then adding it to the front door is such a great place to start.......As long as it is the right Red that is.  This particular one is Caliente by Benjamin Moore.  It is an amazing Red.  One of my fav's in fact.

Caliente AF-290 Benjamin Moore

It is one of those Reds that is almost perfection.  It isn't too bright, to brown, too light or too dark.  It has such a richness to it.  If you are looking for a red that is a classic then this just may be your starting place.

Have a great day everyone.
Megan

PORYPHORY PINK

Hey Everyone......just a very, very quick posting today......  I came across this photo of a bedroom that would be a little girls dream:

Houzz

How amazing is this room???  The colour is Poryphory Pink by Farrow & Ball:

Farrow & Ball

No. 49 Poryphory Pink is one of those cameleon type of colours.  Is it pink?  Is it salmon?  Is it pink with a lot of orange.....etc.......  It is such an awesome colour to decorate deep reddy toned woods with as shown in the pic above.  I adore this room.
You can see more by the amazingly talented McCroskey Interiors.

Have a great day everyone.....
Megan

ORANGE IS ALRIGHT!

Hey Everyone!!!  I suppose I have been thinking a lot about the colour Orange as of late.  It is the colour in the logo of the company my Man is a part of.  When thinking about working on his office I had to keep this colour in mind....the closest colour match to the Pantone is Sharp Cheddar by Benjamin Moore:

Sharp Cheddar 2017-20

It really is an awesome Orange.  I will be posting later about his office.  So with all of this Orange on my mind I am kind of noticing it more.  I came across a few pics and wanted to share them with you all.......

Houzz

Even if a lot of colour isn't your thing, you really have to admire the full on assault this room gives.  I love this paint colour:

Orange Appeal #124 Benjamin Moore

Not only is the colour fabulous but it looks amazing with the Chiang Mai fabric by Schumacher on the chair that is just visible in the above pic.

Chiang Mai by Schumacher

It is one of those fabrics that I LOVE.  I know that it isn't for everyone but I adore it.  You can do so much with it.  You can pull out so many colours to work with from it.  And I love that they chose that great Orange to work with.

And if you want to see a full on Orange that will blow your mind then see the following:

Houzz

Houzz

Houzz

Houzz

I love how brave and bold this is....go big or go home.  The Orange paint colour is Bold Orange IB63 by Ralph Lauren.  I too love how it is paired with that great red: Lattice Red IB53  Ralph Lauren.  Now some may ask...why a stark white floor in the above pic or a stark white Ceiling Fan?  Well there are times when as a designer you have to make certain decisions based on many factors.  One factor being the clients wishes.  They are after all..... your client.  They have the ultimate say.  Two and this is a pretty big one..... Budget.  Sometimes budget does not allow one to change certain elements in a room.  Changing out tile is a huge cost and a huge job.  The designer has tried to tie in elements so that the white floor isn't the only white element in the room....thus a white ceiling fan and bright white trim on the fireplace.  Well that's my take on it anyways.

I am sure that I will be revisiting this amazing colour in the future.
Have a great day everyone.
Megan

GRAY OFFICE

Hey Everyone!  Hope all is well in your Universe. Sorry for the absence but things have been quite busy around here as of late.  I am currently helping my Man out with painting the board room of his office.  Let me just start by saying that the current colour of that said office is quite the "eye opener".  If he and his cronies aren't awake when they get to work in the morning, they certainly will be once they go through their office doors.  To say that the walls are 'bright" would be an understatement!!  I have used my fan deck to try and figure out the current colour...the closest I can get is........

Key Lime 2031-50 Benjamin Moore

Spring Meadow Green 2031-40 Benjamin Moore

Now...looking at these colours you might think, "they don't look so bright".  Well you should see them on the paint chip never mind on the walls!!!!! I am hoping that in time that we will be able to tone down the colour!  So as for the board room..... I wanted to stay neutral for the a couple of reasons.... One being the dark mottled gray carpet i there and the "neon green" everywhere else.  In fact I had to pick the colours for the board room so that they would go with the green in the office as well as the "orange" in their logo....

That colour is very similar to if not bang on with:

Sharp Cheddar 2017-20 Benjamin Moore

As you can see it is a full on Orange.  It is quite a stunning orange really.....so I wanted to make sure that the Grays that we chose would go with all of the above.
In the board room the guys have a big flat screen tv on one of the short walls.  I wanted to help "disguise" the big monstrosity of a tv.... so I suggested that we paint out that wall a darker colour to help with that.  I originally wanted to paint the two shorter walls (in length) Iron Mountain:

Iron Mountain 2134-30 Benjamin Moore

As you can see it is a gray with a warm browny undertone to it.  The carpet too has a warmer undertone to it.  However, we were afraid that Iron Mountain was reading too brown in the Board Room so I picked:

Gray 2121-10 Benjamin Moore

It reads more as a true gray in that room yet does not read as a gray with a blue undertone to it.

So today I painted the two long walls the following gray:

Gull Wing Gray 2134-50 Benjamin Moore

It really looks great in there.  And it especially looks great looking through the doorway and seeing that crazy neon green with it.  In fact it makes that crazy green look better.  I can't wait until I get the darker gray in there....that is tomorrow's job!  This really was a lesson in picking the right colour with the right undertone for a space.  Like I said ....... I think that the Iron Mountain was the best "colour match" with the rug, however, the gray that we picked best suited the whole overall space.  Tricky stuff!!

On one of the shorter (in length) walls we also painted a "stripe" of  writable paint.  When you are writing code for programs, the guys love to be able to write out ideas on a "white board".  Well a 4'x8' white board will set you back around $800.00!!!   So my Man did some poking around on the interwebs and found this great paint called Idea Paint: Create.  It is a Dry Earase Whiteboard Paint.  How fabulous it that?  It cost around $150.00 and did a swath of 5'x16'.  Plus we did up a separate board that will be hung in my Hubs own little office area.  You just mix the two parts together and roller it on.  It ends up being very shiny when it has dried.  You can use it 4 days later.  I know that they are chomping at the bit to try it but they are being good boys and are not....they want to make sure that it has cured properly.  On that wall will be the Dry Erase Paint area and a border top and bottom of the Gray.  I can't wait until everything is done and I can show some pics.  Here is an example of what can be done with this great paint:

Idea Paint

I will let you know how well it holds up for them.  The guys were recently in Toronto at a consultants office and they had the same paint.  Den said it was awesome to see the walls covered in this stuff and to see how it helped with the creative process.  People would just stop and write, have impromptu meetings....he loved seeing that.  Being creative without restraints can be such a freeing thing!!

So now you know what I have been up too......
Will keep you up to date.

Have a great day everyone.
Megan

ORGANZA vs. AQUA FROST PAINT

Hey Everyone.....As you know I have been thinking of my Master Bedroom.  I have been trying to decide on a colour.  When you are a designer the hardest thing to do is have yourself as your own client.  I see so many possiblities.  You ask any of us and we will say the same thing.  So I am undecided between Organza RLVM275 or Aqua Frost by Waverly.  What is a girl to do?

Here is both of them.

Organza RLVM275-Ralph Lauren

Aqua Frost WV35007-Waverly (Valspar)

The Aqua Frost is more intense while the Organza is more subtle.....decisions....decisions.......

Source

Organza really is lovely and watery......



Choosing a light watery blue can be a challenge.  Blue is that type of colour that really "blues up" in a room.  What do I mean by that?  Well....when you choose a blue many times it can really intensify it's "blueness" on a wall.  I feel you have to be very restrained when picking this type of blue.  You may love it on the chip but put it on the wall and BAM!!  It turns into Baby blue.  So choose wisely if you want a watery light blue.
I did get a tester for the Aqua Frost. It is a very lovely colour, however, it really intensifies when there is a lot of it.

Will keep you posted....
Have a great day
Megan

NAUTICAL AND IKAT BEDROOM

Hey Everyone....I know that I had this post up for about an hour before I pulled it.  As you can see by yesterdays posting....well I just wanted to send a little love Boston's way.
Today is just a little posting about my thoughts about our bedroom.......  far too long in the making!!
I picked up some pillows from Home Sense that I couldn't resist.  I knew that I still wanted some form of Navy in the bedroom and a Nautical feel as well.  I wanted to stray from the usual Red, White and Blue.  So.... when I found these lovely pillows I knew I had a winner.

You can see why I couldn't resist the pillows.  They are by Cynthia Rowley.  I paid $24.99 a piece and they have feather inserts..so I think they were quite the bargain.  Yes I probably could have made something similar but I really loved that pattern on these.
The paint chips in order of appearance is:
Terra Rosa MSL018, Hummingbird Blue MSL135, Wrought Iron MSL168 all Martha Stewart.
Aqua Frost WV35007- Waverly Classics.

I am pretty sure that the wall colour will be the Aqua Frost and I will have the other colours as accents.

So as usual I will keep you informed as to the progress.......
Have a great day everyone.
Megan

COLOUR CHOICE-MUTED VS. CLEAN

Hey Everyone!  I came across this window treatment that is being shown on Calico Corners

:

A couple of things popped in my mind when I was looking at this Roman Shade.  First of all, you all know how much I HATE an unlined Roman Shade that really SHOULD be lined.  About the only fabric for a Roman that shouldn't be lined is a sheer or a light linen.  This above pic is such a great example of what happens when a)you skip out on lining and b)you cheap out.  A fabric, especially one with a dominant print, should ALWAYS be lined.  There is nothing worse (OK maybe not the worst) than seeing a great Roman and having all that light come through. HUGE, HUGE pet peeve of mine!
Secondly, do you think they could have picked a better wall colour to go with this fabric?.  There are 3 things totally wrong with this. 1) Wrong colour- As far as I can see this "mud" coloured paint has no relation to the Roman Fabric used.  2) The paint is the completely wrong undertone even if they wanted to choose a
neutral.. 3) They have put a muddy colour with the clean colours of the Roman Fabric.  Basically what I am saying is this thing is a total HOT MESS!!  In the scheme of life's problems it may be a little one. However, for me life is in the details.  So come on Calico Corners, get with it.  It may be unfeasible in this day and age to repaint the "vignette" area, however, ever heard of Photoshop??  I mean, come on!!
Sorry for the rant everyone.  But, I thought I would use it to show what NOT to do.  If it were me I would have chosen a much lighter paint colour.  I mean, we are looking at a nautical style fabric.  Why not choose something breezy??  A lovely watery blue perhaps??  Or a light cream??

Sherwin Williams- Sky High SW 6504

Or:

Benjamin Moore- Timid White OC-39

Now....Timid White may not be the right paint colour due to the undertone, as I would have to have the fabric to pick the proper paint colour.  But you get the idea.

Calico Corners

Here is that same Roman shown in a bigger vignette.  As you can see, the fabrics they chose really have NO bearing on the paint chosen.  I really don't like it when Muted and Clean colours are mixed.

I suppose you get the point.........
So I guess what I am trying to say is.... Line your Romans', pick a paint colour that relates to what you are decorating-such as a colour from a fabric or rug and finally...do not mix muddy with clean colours.  Even the professionals can have a hard time mixing those two.  Just keep clean with clean and muddy with muddy.

Here is examples of Muted Vs. Clean colours:

Green:

Muted:  BM- Louisburg Green HC-113

Clean:  BM- Cedar Green 2034-40

Blue:

Muted:  BM- Wedgewood Gray HC-146

Clean:  BM- Bird's Egg 2051-70

Orange:

Muted:  BM- Flower Pot CC96

Clean:  BM- Pumpkin Cream 2168-20

Red:

Muted:  BM-Autumn Leaf CC-94

Clean: BM-Smoldering Red 2007-10

So there you have it...some examples of muted and clean colours.

Calico Corners

In this example, they definitely got the colours right.  They have chosen a light, muted pink that was picked up from the bedspread and drapes fabric.  And....it is muted so that it is very restful.  Pink can be very hard to do well as it can end up looking too princessish or Pepto Bismalish!!  My only issue is that fact that the drapes should have been lined.  This is for a couple of reasons.  1) It is a bedroom. Privacy and light control is key in this room.  2) Once again we have a fabric with pattern.  The light shining through not only looks awful but competes with the print.  Other than that  a pretty, well put together collection of fabrics.

Calico Corners

Here we have an example of how well thought out this room is.  All the colours go together very well.  The wall colour is soft and muted.  And finally...... the Drapes and Romans have been properly lined.  Well done  I say!!

So you see....I am not completely picking on Calico Corners.  I really do enjoy seeing their fabrics and how they put them together is such a great starting point for many people.  It is just occasionally where things fall apart for me.  Am I picky...maybe?  But when it comes to colour and fabric...well it's my life.  So I do tend to be hard on other professionals.

Have a great day everyone.
Megan

PRETTY BEDROOMS

Hey Everyone!  Just a quick post today.  I have been dreaming of a new  bedroom lately.  So here is a little inspiration for the weekend.  Enjoy;

Houzz

The wall colour for this room is ICI Silver Cloud.

ICI- Silver Cloud

This colour is way more green in real life.  The above photo looks way more silvery blue on my monitor.

Houzz

Such a calm and serene space.  Benjamin Moore Willow Creek.

Benjamin Moore- Willow Creek 1468

Houzz

Soft and Lovely.  Benjamin Moore-Hampshire Taupe.

Benjamin Moore- Hampshire Taupe 990

Houzz

How pretty is this bedroom with sitting room??  I don't even know where to begin. Wall colour:  Farrow & Ball Lulworth Blue, Trim: White Tie.  Love, love that colour!

This is a case where the photo really does not look like the colour it is.  To me the colour in the photo has way too much green in it to be Lulworth Blue.  To me it looks more like:

Farrow & Ball Green Blue

Or:

Farrow & Ball Dix Blue

What do you think??

Houzz

This lovely bedroom is such a nice mix of masculine and feminine. Love it!!  The wall colour used is Ralph Lauren Barn Owl White.

Ralph Lauren- Barn Owl White NA-01

That's all for now folks have an amazing weekend.

Megan