Color: Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid Of It.

I’ve always been very in tune to my surroundings, even as a young child. Studying design has only intensified that awareness of space and how a particular space makes me feel. There’s something about a place that has been wonderfully designed and appointed that excites me, inspires me, and emboldens me. But I’ve found very rarely am I “wowed” by residential spaces and I have come to attribute these lackluster feelings to boredom. Time after time after time, I enter a home and am greeted by white, beige, taupe, and/or grey walls. In addition to the insipid paint choices is insipid, beige, taupe, black, or brown furniture.

These dull spaces, while “nice” (I always use that word. “Oh, it’s nice.”), are boring. Very little is memorable about them except that they are “nice”. I’ve deemed these spaces the “I-don’t-want-to-step-on-any-toes-not-even-my-own-so-I’m-going-neutral” homes. I get it. Picking paint/furniture colors that are bold or a little off from center may be shocking. It may cause someone to actually comment and have an opinion. Or it may cause someone to actually remember something about the house, other than that it was “nice.” The spaces I remember most are those that surprised me with a bold, teal living room or a shade of purple so deep, it can only be described as eggplant. In other words, spaces that have embraced color have also left a lasting impression upon me. Think about it.

The point of this blog post is not to harp on why neutral is bad. The point is to explain why color should be embraced. Color is light that is reflected. Some time ago, a color wheel was invented to demonstrate the relationships between primary (red; blue; yellow), secondary and complementary colors. There is a whole field of study devoted to color called color theory and it examines color using the color wheel, color harmony and the context of how colors are used. For someone like me, this is all very fascinating but, for others, the main thing to understand is color harmony.

Photo courtesy of www.colormatters.com

Color harmony is exactly what it sounds like, selecting colors that are pleasing (harmonious) to (with) one another. According to www.colormatters.com, color harmony creates an inner sense of order and balance in the visual experience, “When something is not harmonious, it is either boring or chaotic.” Color harmony can be created using colors that are side by side on the color wheel or those that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel.

Color harmony using adjacent colors
Photo courtesy of Posh, LLC

Color can invoke emotion. Subtle, cool hues can relax you, while vibrant, warm tones can be stimulating. Some colors can be jarring. Others can be boring and blah. But really, there are no wrong colors. There may be wrong color combinations but there are no wrong colors. An example of this ideology can be seen in the production of Caesarstone’s (www.caesarstoneus.com) “Apple Martini” quartz countertop.

Caesarstone, Apple Martini 2710
Photo courtesy of www.absolutemarblegranite.com

Some may be taken aback at the thought of a lime green countertop but in the right environment and paired with the right accessories and appliances, a lime green countertop introduces an interesting talking point and adds a feeling of whimsy to the home. It says a lot about the homeowner’s personality without him/her ever having to utter a sound.

Photo courtesy of www.granitegurus.com

Often clients tell me they haven’t selected a paint color because they are afraid they won’t like it. I always reassure them, paint is the easiest and least expensive thing to change. It’s not permanent; if you don’t like it, choose another paint color. It’s a very simple fix. Color strikes an emotion. It resonates with something deep within us. We see color and immediately form opinions. Don’t allow the fear that you may not like your color choice stop you from allowing your personality to shine through in your home. Be bold or be subtle. Be daring or be traditional. Just be something and whatever that is, please don’t let it be “nice”.

Don't Buy The Mannequin.*

This weekend I accompanied a friend to a housewarming in Columbia Heights. The building was a lovely new condo building (about 2 years old) located along 14th Street in NW, Washington, DC. The lobby and common areas were outfitted with sleek, contemporary finishes and the same was to be true within the condo. While a very nicely appointed condo, it was quite obvious that the owner had gone into a furniture store, saw an arrangement of furniture, liked it and subsequently purchased said floor furniture arrangement; sofa, coffee table, side tables, rug, pillows, and lamps.

With that observation made and tucked away, I stated that the condo was nice (It was.) and begin toasting and mingling with the other guests, as one does at these types of events. And as it happens at these types of events, the inevitable question of “So what do you do?” found itself around the room and landed smack dab in front of me. When this happens, I always prepare for the avalanche, the impending bombardment of now-that-I-know-what-you-do,-I’m-totally-interested-in-you questions, i.e. “Oh! How did you get into design?”, “Do you walk into a space and immediately think of how to improve it?”, “What’s wrong with this place?”, “What would you do different?”, “I just recently bought a place and am looking to buy new furniture…” questions/statements/solicitations. I’ve gotten quite used to the avalanche, as with all my friends and their friends’ and their friends’ friends’ friends being either attorneys or tech people or Hill staffers, it’s very rare that they meet a “creative” (as I’ve been deemed on more than one occasion).

On this particular night, the gentleman directing the question(s) towards me had just recently moved to Washington and sold all his furniture and was looking to replace it. His place was currently all but empty except for a chair and a TV and he wanted to pick my brain. My good friend, Chloe (an attorney), was standing about a foot away and has advised me countless times not to work for free and to adopt an overarching policy of “No Discounts” with friends, family, and everyone in between, so bearing that in mind, I left the gentleman with this little piece of advice, “Don’t buy the mannequin.”

“Don’t buy the mannequin.” I use this analogy as a regular part of my discussions with design clients for the same reason that most people when clothes shopping do not buy the mannequin. It’s easy, boring and has none of the shopper’s personality. The mannequin is usually dressed to sell.

The furniture you purchase for your home, should speak to your personality. Before buying, one should consider what they would like their home to say about them. Do you have a favorite color? Try to incorporate that color into the design scheme via art, accessories, or even a painted accent wall. Do you have art or objects from distant travels? Think about how you want to display these pieces. Is display shelving appealing? Think about how you function in your home. Are some areas more high use than others? Those high use areas will require more durable fabrics and furnishings. Are you a neat and tidy person? If so, glass cases/shelving may be appealing to you. If not, you may want to consider armoires and chests that conceal the items within. All of these questions will give you a better understanding of how you live in your space and what will work best for you. Incorporating the answers from these questions into your buying decisions will also create talking points with guests. It will allow you to talk of your travels without sounding like a showoff. When guests visit your home, it’s an invitation for them to learn a little bit more about you. The things you buy or display tell a story about you, your career, your education, the type of art you like, your favorite sports team. Don’t allow the story your home tells be one that someone has conceived for you. Don’t buy the mannequin.

*also posted on DC Ladies website under Home and Garden, Lifestyle

A brief look at Mid-Century Modern

Lately, it seems every client I talk to or home I enter is interested in mid-century modern furniture or has a piece of mid-century modern furniture on display. Mid-century modern is typically used to refer to any product or interior design or architecture that occured from 1933-1965. It is said to be organic in style and exhibit Scandinavian influences.

Not long ago, I attended an event in DC hosted by Apartment Therapy in which a panel discussed DC's obssession with all things mid-century modern. I learned a lot about the importance of buying from reliable sources as well as about the process and creativity behind the mid-century modernist artists, architects and designers. These influencers, Eames, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Saarinen (to name a few), each made a significant contribution to the movement and their works are still being reproduced and copied today. Scroll down to see how many you recognize.

Mies van der Rohe "Barcelona" chair from Knoll.com, $7740

Le Corbusier "Le Petit Modele" Armchair $3945 at Design Within Reach

Eames Molded Plastic 4 Leg Side Chair $279 at Design Within Reach



Saarinen "Tulip" Armless Chair $1440 at Design Within Reach



Design Tip #8

Design Tip:  Have clutter?  Get rid of items which are not essential to your space.  Organize such that everything has it's own place and space.  Places like the Container Store, Target, and Ikea carry great options for getting yourself organized and giving all your not-so permanent items a permanent home. 

Design Tip #7

Design Tip:  Small room?  Hang a mirror nearby to open the space up.  A mirror will make the room seem larger than it really is. 

Design Tip #6: Scale

Design Tip:  Remember scale is important.  Visually a 2' x 3' piece of art on 12' x 15' wall is like putting a postage stamp on an envelope.  The bigger your room or walls, the larger furniture and art it can accomodate.  Using a small work of art on a large wall allows the art to be overwhelmed by the space around it and causes it to lose it's significance in the room. 

Design Tip #5

Design Tip:  Adding accessories (lamps, rugs, pillows, window treatments) to a room is like adding jewelry to a woman.  It introduces sparkle.

Design Tip #4

Design Tip:  Want to preserve your wood furniture?  Cover furniture tops with 1/4" thick glass cut to size to protect against dust and moisture. 

Design Tip #3

Design Tip:  Old furniture? Dated cabinets? Transform them with new and interesting hardware.  Check out Anthropologie's selection for great ideas.

Design Tip: #2

Design Tip:  For larger upholestered furniture, I recommend using pieces in solid/muted colors.  Use accessories (pillows, rugs, window treatments) to bring in whimsy, color, or texture.  Larger furniture tends to anchor a room.  When you have a piece that complements most everything, it allows for endless possibilities in your room accents. 

I posted this tip to twitter last week and received this question in response:  "What type of accessories should you use if you have a muted sofa?"
Answer:  Use accessories that have bolder colors and patterns.  Allow your accessories to determine the paint color of your room. Pull a color that is represented in minor detail from your accessories and use it to tie the entire room together. 

Source:  Designer Erinn Valencich's portfolio, HGTV

Design Tip #1

Design Tip:  A sofa with a printed pattern can be a costly design choice. Depending upon the print, it may be difficult to find coordinating accessories (rugs, pillows, art, etc...) and may require the homeowner to purchase items that are far more expensive than what he/she planned to spend.  Also, the print may become too busy/distracting after living with it for some time.  If you're on a budget and plan to keep your sofa around for a while, stick with solid/muted colors.

Busy print may cause buyer's regret at a later time.

Solid and muted upholestered furniture open the door for numerous design possibilities.