A Colorful Life

Color is Life

I scanned the crowd taking in what was a sight for sore eyes; a crowd of women in every rendition of the “classic” purple dress. Sitting atop their heads like crowns, were bright red hats of distinction; some had feathered masks on top, while others demurred with dainty southern bows. We shared a collective chuckle when I asked,” Who in here has white, off-white, or crème walls…”, and slowly the majority of the hands began to rise. While sharing this moment of irony with this colorful crowd, I wondered, why when we live in a world of color and dress in a world of color do we paint our walls in colorless white?

I scanned the crowd taking in what was a sight for sore eyes; a crowd of women in every rendition of the “classic” purple dress. Sitting atop their heads like crowns, were bright red hats of distinction; some had feathered masks on top, while others demurred with dainty southern bows. We shared a collective chuckle when I asked,” Who in here has white, off-white, or crème walls…”, and slowly the majority of the hands began to rise. While sharing this moment of irony with this colorful crowd, I wondered, why when we live in a world of color and dress in a world of color do we paint our walls in colorless white? Do you feel overwhelmed at the prospect of picking paint colors for your home? Well, have no fear; if you know how to dress yourself, then you can pick paint
colors. Here are a few tips to help you dress your walls for success.

• Get inspired
Look around the room. There should be a color that you find yourself drawn to, because it will appear in many of your accessories. Some like blues or yellows some like tans, golds, or greens. A good way to find out what you like is look at what you buy. There will be a consistent theme or color that will emerge. Keep in mind the color you select should be a color that will unite and bring to life all the accents in the room.Look in your closet. Your clothes will have many of the same colors as your furniture and accessories.

• Public spaces should flow
Stand in the center of your house and turn all the way around. Every thing you see as you are turning is considered a public space. These colors should all flow nicely into one another. This does not mean it all has to be one color but all the colors should flow together. Decorators accomplish flow by making sure all the paints in public spaces share the same tone value. For example, you could paint one room tan and one room green and they would have continuity because they share the same tone value. Let me give you a visual; the signature purple of the red hat society and the signature red are totally different colors but they work because they are both rich jewel toned colors.

• Neutrals are always a winner
When I choose paint colors, I tend to stick to neutrals because they are timeless. Colors like tans, golds, and greens give a rich saturation of color but don’t lock the homeowner into one particular style. I like to choose colors that will accommodate change and prefer to add pops of bold color with accessories.

• Neutral does not mean colorless.
Anyone who knows me knows how much I advocate color. How do we recognize a neutral color? Muddy! Webster’s Dictionary describes neutral as grey or intermediate shades of color. So, colors that are neutral are muddied or grayed down. The best way for me to show you without the aid of pictures is to direct you to Sherwin Williams line of paints called Fundamentally Neutral. In this line, you will see everything from purples to greens that have been softened and neutralized. When applied to the wall they are not so shocking. The painted walls should be the stage that houses the show, which is the artwork, furniture, and accessories. Most paint lines will have a neutral category. Don’t leave the paint store without checking them out.

• Accent walls are great but beware!
Many clients want to paint or wallpaper one wall. This is great but it does not mean the rest of the walls can be white. The white wall in sharp contrast to the painted or wallpapered walls just looks forgotten or unfinished. If you only want one wall dark; paint the surrounding walls a lighter version of the same color. If you only want one wall wallpapered; select the most neutral color in that
wallpaper and paint the rest of the walls that color.

• Take time to choose
When selecting your colors always buy samples or quarts. Take the color that you chose and paint several swatches around the room. If you don’t want to paint the walls, paint poster boards and hang them around the room. Live with this color for at least three days and see how it looks at different times of the day. This allows you to get an idea of what it will look like before you make a huge investment. However, don’t second guess yourself too much. You must make a decision and get started.

• Painting is a must
If you take nothing from this article please take this. You can spend lots of money on draperies and beautiful accessories to make your house feel warm; but it will never feel complete without color on the walls. It is like a painter painting a picture in the center of the canvas and leaving the rest of the canvas white. It does not work very well. Your house is like the surrounding painters canvas that accentuates the art inside. Remember, whether it’s dressing ourselves or dressing our house, everything looks better in color. I want to thank all the Red Hat Society’s who have invited
me to be their guest and allowed me to enjoy a brief peak at life under the brim!

P.S. –Attention all club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. It is lots of
fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today. Or call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.