Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 7, Issue 7, July 2003
Copyright 2003 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article and photos below in your research. Be sure to quote the Seattle Sun as your source.
DECORATING DILEMMAS
Color is about relationships
By ROBIN DALY
Color trends come and go, but the basics of choosing colors remain the same.
If there is one question I am asked repeatedly, it's always about hot color trends. We all love to see the latest palettes and combinations (which are issued every year, by the way). But these may not necessarily be the colors you want for your own home.
The one constant rule about choosing colors is this: it's all relative.
Color is all about relationships. How a color relates to the environment, lighting or furniture. But it is also be about how you personally relate to the color.
If you have ever been in the Army, you probably wore a lot of mossy green. So even if that mossy green is the perfect complement to the room you are decorating, you might not be able to use it, because of the emotional "relationship" you have with that color.
Oftentimes there is more than one right color choice and this can be confusing. The world would be a much simpler place if there were only one correct choice. But this is where your personality and self-expression can be realized.
Color is amazing in its power to affect us, but when it wrong, boy can it be frustrating!
Q: Dear Robin,
I have to paint the house this summer, and I'm stuck with some 1950s Roman Brick accents on the front of the house. What can I do to make them look like part of my color scheme, but not be locked into the pinky-tone of the brick itself? I just don't want a pinky beige house anymore.
A: One of my favorite exterior solutions involves painting the brick. Either you love it or hate it; there is no middle ground. So if the color will NEVER make you happy, this might be an excellent option, and I give you permission to paint it out! Another option is to sell the house (kidding, kidding), but if you love the neighborhood and want to keep the brick in its natural state, here are some ideas for you to consider:
Green is the complement to pink, so if you choose a nice grayed-out green color (think silvery sage green), then the pinkness will be toned down.
Another color is cream. Find a creamy tone that is rich and not too yellow. You will be creating an all-over creamy look with the brick and the house pulled together in a soft scheme. Make sure to keep all your accents soft and not too jarring to keep the scheme consistent. No forest green trim with this look!
Going dark, like a rich merlot color could also be interesting and unique.
Remember, you can camouflage with landscaping. A few well-chosen climbers or shrubs might cover the brick in a few seasons, and create a new look for your home at the same time.
Speaking of exteriors, when you are ready to repaint, remember to always test your color scheme. After narrowing your colors down to one or two fabulous combinations, pick up a few quarts of paint to test them on EACH side of the house.
This is what I call "cheap insurance." If you make a mistake or need to alter a color, you have not purchased the paint for the whole house, or worse, painted the thing in the wrong color!
Also, paint out large patches of color, and look at them during different times of the day. Often a color will change depending on the lighting conditions. So make sure your colors hold true during all hours of the day.
One last word of advice: The more opinions you collect on your color choices, the worse off you'll be! There is nothing worse than having to hear from each neighbor about what they'd choose instead. So have confidence, colorize your world, and test, test, test!