The Glow of Golden Light
Orange heat glows in the western sky, as golden rays burst through round cloud puffs dotting the horizon. Everything the light touches is washed in hues of golden amber as far as the eye can see. I am not sure why the saying goes, “All clouds have silver linings” because the only linings I ever see are golden. Having lived in the Sunshine state all my life I think I see things in terms of gold. Gold and golden yellow can be more than a metal or a fixture in the home it can be an accent color as well. I was happy to have a customer request gold and yellow tones to work as an accent with different shades of grey. Let’s see how these colors come together with a healthy dose of white for a dynamic finish in an Iris model somewhere in the heart of The Villages.
• The back of the house
In the Iris model the back of the house is the star of the show! The entire back of the house is windows and they have to look finished to look good. This homeowner has a fabulous view with a lake as the back drop. The best way to deal with these windows and highlight the view is to add casement molding with headers. The sides of the window received large four inch casement molding and the tops of the windows receive the same casement molding and a twelve inch header. The end result is that all the windows become large white picture frames that highlight the view beyond. The molding was painted Extra White SW 7006. The trim around the doors has to be a bright white because the light that pours through the windows will make the wall beside the windows look dark.
• Privacy treatment
The small window on the angled wall and the window for the dining room received a shutter for privacy and light control during the day. The shutters come installed with their own trim work and all you have to do is add a header to the top of the window. The trim on the shutters does not have to match the casement molding on the large sliders. That is impossible because the trim is a part of the shutter. When everything is white the difference in trims is not noticed because the eye just sees the visual cohesion of the white trim popping.
• Slider privacy treatment
Though the original vertical was only a year old we removed it and installed the Hunter Douglas Verti-glide. This is a product that opens in the middle and stacks back to the white molding on each side. The privacy fabric is a soft honey comb fabric that filters light but offers total privacy at night. When the honey comb blind is opened the verti slide fades away into the white molding and is barely noticed because it is white as well. Don’t be afraid to change the privacy treatment even if it is on the newer side. The privacy treatment will affect what type of molding you can install.
• Seven inch crown
The homeowner had seven inch crown molding installed in the main body of the home. It adds a great finish to the space. The white pops against the brown grey paint. The window headers and the crown molding work together. The bright pop of white helps to pull the eye upward and enhance the view.
• Board and Batten wall
The Iris model is similar to the Lantana or the larger Ivy model because they all have one big wall that is a part of the dining room and the living room. Many of my customers have been installing board and batten, this application is a series of boxes on the wall and then the entire wall is painted white. The white wall becomes a beautiful focal point and the board and batten is a classic application that will stand the test of time.
• Paint
The homeowners chose the wall color in the design center and it is a brown grey. The house has a lot of natural light so the walls don’t look too dark. I like the high contrast between the brown grey and the extra white trim work. The look is fresh, crisp and modern.
• Flooring
The luxury vinyl flooring was installed in the main body of the home at the time the home was purchased and carpet was installed in all the other rooms. I suggested the homeowners go ahead and get the rest of the rooms done in the vinyl while they could still get it. So often products will be discontinued and later down the road things can get tricky if you have to try to match the old floor with a new product. The homeowners had the luxury vinyl installed in the bedrooms so that all the rooms of the house have the same flooring.
• Gold and yellow as accents
The grey and white work well together in the home and provide a great high low contrast. We added in gold as an accent to warm the space and add color. The large photographs from Alan Maltz both capture the golden light of the sun. Also, we added a brass pineapple lamp to tie into the gold. In the dining room a yellow gold table runner sits below a bread bowl full of Lemons. Finally, we placed three large apothecary jars on the counter and filled them with lemons and some limes. Also we added yellow tulips to soften and finish the look.
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. Also, we are on-line check out our web-site at www.ruthdyer.com and you can always e-mail us at ruth@finishingtouchfl.com or Call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.