Color that will settle your stomach

Did you know that various forms of Ginger - non alcoholic ginger ale or beer, pills and candied ginger root have been used to counter the nausea of motion sickness? Well why don't you take this stomach setting hue into your home?

Picture these colors in a dining room and yes, they are VERY non-traditional colors to use for a dining room but that's ok!

Earthy Colors

Earth tones are great to have in a home as your base colors. Why? Because you can add just about ANY color with them and it will look great. I actually have very similar colors in my bedroom and I love them. They are relaxing, warm and cozy which is what you want for a bedroom. Here's some accessories you can bring in that will go with these hues. Happy decorating!

Colors to Consider. Peach and Green

Peach has gotten such a bad reputation of being very old fashioned. You really don't see that much peach or even light orange in homes today. Well, I'd like to change that!

Choking out beige with Artichokes

I've been talking, blogging, tweeting and writing a lot lately about how beige is really bugging me. The funny thing is, I see it bugging my clients to. What does this mean exactly? People are just getting bored with beige. It seems that beige is the color people gravitate towards when they just don't know what else to choose. Today and probably for the rest of the year, I'm going to show you alternatives to beige and even colors that you wouldn't think would work in it's place.

Penne For Your Thoughts!

“Penny for your thoughts. What are you thinking about?”

Color doesn't have to be perfect

We all know that nothing in life is perfect. Like this cupcake. It looks great but the fact that the icing is slipping off will really bother some people. In the long run, the cupcake still tastes good no matter what it looks like.

My point is that not every color scheme is perfect. Even some of the palettes my Designer friends create can leave me with a question or two. Do those two colors really go together? Are you still using sage green in your designs? Oh no! Not another red dining room! 

Having said that - how do you find the perfect color scheme? And once you find it, how will you know that you chose the right colors for your home?

So what is perfect color anyway?

This?

maybe …

This?

perhaps …

This?

could be!

Some people may look at the color scheme from the grapes and hate it or say that the light blue really doesn't relate to the rest of the color scheme.

And in the sea shell color scheme, people may say that peach is too 80's and they don't want it in their home. Maybe.

Look at those really bright colors in the butterfly pin palette! Who would want those colors in their home? You'd be surprised!

What I'm trying to point out here is this. This is no perfect color scheme! There are color palettes that I like and are pretty darn breathtaking but will YOU like them? Probably not.

Just keep in mind that color doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be colors that you love or that you'd want to see in your home. 

• Do you want a red dining room? Then pick a red YOU want. 
• Love a purple kitchen (don't laugh, I had a client that had a VERY purple kitchen and loved it) then have a purple kitchen.
• Love peach for your home?
• Want to use really dark colors in your teens room? Than do it!
• 
  

When it comes to choosing color for your home, don't worry about what the Jone's think. Be creative, choose colors that are unique - not dated. Personally, I'd rather see someone have a odd color in their home than the typical or dated colors that everyone else has.

If you really get stuck or don't feel comfortable choosing the perfect color scheme for your home, I can help you! Either way, look through magazines and even my blog to be inspired to get the perfect color for you!

The Color of Bacon

We all love bacon for breakfast, lunch or dinner and now you can like it on your walls!

The color palette of bacon is rich and spicy! These hues are very typical of what you may see in an Autumn palette which happens to be one of my favorites. It's a little strange to be talking about Fall colors now but color is great all year long regardless of the season.

The color in the center is very, very close if not identiacal to my office color. It's called Paprika by Valspar. Here's how it looks on painted on the Valspar website.

So what sparked the color post about bacon?

Well …

I recently held a photography contest on Fine Art America where I sell my art and the subject was Bacon. This was all for fun of course but the winner would get a color  post on my Color Recipes blog. So, without further adiu, I present to you Warren Sarle with 'best in bacon'.

A bit about Waren:

5 years old: Wanted to be a painter
7 years old: Realized I was no good at it
12 years old: Became a photographer
Later became a statistician and software developer.

As a photographer, I like my pictures to be really sharp, except of course when they are intentionally blurry. When you look at my images, please make liberal use of the full-resolution previews--that is, move the mouse over the image until the green square is over something interesting and then click. This is one of the best features of FAA! (Except for the fact that it's not really full resolution, just higher resolution.)

For close-ups, I often use focus stacks, which are a series of photos focused on different parts of the same subject and then combined in the computer to produce what I call 'deep focus' images. I also use stitching, which is another way of combining multiple photos into a single image. Stitching is most often used for panoramas, but I also use it to increase resolution and for deep focus.

I also like nonrepresentational art, which I usually create by combining multiple photos in such a way that the original photos are not recognizable in the composite.

Favorite photographers: Yoshikazu Shirakawa, Stephen Shore, Edward Weston, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Jerry Uelsmann

Favorite painters: Wassily Kandinsky, Pierre Bonnard, Claude Monet, Jackson Pollock

Favorite digital artist: Afanassy Pud

Thank you to Waren Sarle! Please feel free to look at his photography, it's really beautiful!


Second runner up was Alisha Workman with a very similar photo of this crispy, stripy delight with:

New Home Guide To Color

Just bought a new home? With all the things you have to worry about like unpacking, sleeping arrangements, worrying if the cat will know where the litter box is and where is the nearest Chinese take out, color for your home should be the LAST thing on your mind.

With my Color Recipes to guide you and Benjamin Moore Color Stories, I'm about to make choosing color REALLY easy for you. So sit down, grab a pencil for notes and feast your eyes on a beautiful color palette.

Since I just mentioned Chinese take out, let's use Shrimp Lo Mein as a color inspiration for your home. So from foyer color right to the living room - I'll serve up great color for you! Let's dig in!

I've mentioned before that I choose color mainly for the homes in South Charlotte. These homes are very large and have open floor plans.  See in the photo below, you can see the living room, hallway and some of the upper rooms. You can also see the kitchen from this room to but it's not shown in this photo. It's so very important that ALL the colors are extremely closely related but also, a bit different. Although having beige throughout your entire home is safe, it's also not very exciting.

Come see how the Shrimp Lo Mein color palette can help this room look gorgeous and will be far from boring!  Don't you think these three colors really capture the dish? 

• The pasta is the foyer color and I chose Short Bread.
• The shrimp can be the dining room color which is Warm Sunglow.
• The scallions would be perfect for the living room which  is Lilanna.

 It's that simple!

I would keep the Warm Sunglow, the shrimp color, away from the kitchen because there's a good possibility that your cabinets have the orange undertone which would be way too much for the kitchen.

Here's how you'd place the color (dining room not shown)

These colors would make any home delicious! If you need help choosing color for you new home, contact me, my email is on the right side of this blog. I specialize in choosing color for the homes in South Charlotte, particularly Providence Downs South.

Goody Goody Gumdrops! Great color for a girls' room

Need to choose color for a girls room?

You've come to the right place! Todays' color inspiration - gumdrops.

When I see gumdrops, I think of gorgeous colors for a girls room. Pink, orange and yellow. There are more colors available in gumdrops but today, I'll show you how to use pink, yellow and orange to brighten up your little girls bedroom.

Here we have a typical girls bedroom. You already have a great bed set and drapery so all you need is some color suggestions. This is what I'd do in this room.

I would paint all the main walls with that gorgeous pink, let's say Benjamin Moore Royal Fuchsia and then use the yellow for the ceiling color, try California Hills, also a Benjamin Moore color.

Can you see how the drapery will pop against the fuchsia wall? And since you have a large tray ceiling, adding a substantial color there will make this room very dramatic but fun.

Now this room is a bit different. I really dislike rooms that have those dormer bumps. They are just so distracting in a room. Whoever painted this room actually did a great job. They made the entire room one color and made the bumps disappear so to speak but I'm going to do  the opposite.

Instead of trying to hide them, I'm going to highlight them with beautiful color. They're there so you might as well make them look good right?

Having said that, paint them both orange and make the main wall color pink. Try Cranberry Ice and Golden Cherry for this room. Don't want pink walls, just flip them around. 

Need help choosing color for a girls room?

Contact me in you live in South Charlotte, I'd love to help!

Kitchen Appliances and Color. Is Neutral Best?

I still say choosing a color scheme for the kitchen is the most challenging. Ironically, it has the least amount of wall space after all the appliances and cabinets are in but the color you do choose, has to be perfect!

Just think about all the time you spend in the kitchen. From the time you wake up and have that first cup of coffee to when the kids come home in the late afternoon and use it as a homework station. We all know that it's the gathering place when we have parties and it is the the core and heart of the home.

Knowing this, the design and color scheme you choose has to be right on. From the wall color to the color of the grout you choose, all these factors have to be considered to make it the perfect room for you and your family.

When designing my kitchen, what color appliances should I choose?

Stainless steel seems to work well with the colors that I've been designing in kitchens. There's a lot of soft, smokey colors that are in the kitchen and these hues just work well with stainless steel.

KitchenAid

Black seems to be the second choice of appliance color in the kitchen. I have black appliances (hard to keep clean by the way) but it works well with my color scheme which is gold and burgundy. I like the contrast and to me, the coolness of stainless steel wouldn't work with the very warm colors in my home. Now for someone who has the white kitchen, stainless would be a better choice. So much depends on cabinet color, flooring and so many other factors.

Whirpool

I don't want to have a MAJOR appliance in any crazy color. What appliance can I have fun with as far as my color choices go?

I agree. When it comes to the stove, refrigerator, sink or dishwasher, I personally would keep them the “norm” - no crazy colors here.

Let's say you choose red appliances. Will you like red 1, 2, 3 years from now? What if you have to sell your home? Will the potential new homeowners like red to? Probably not.

I would use color in really small doses like this red mixer. I have one of these (white) and keep it under the counter. Let's say you have a white kitchen - keeping this red mixer out on top of the counter would make a great accent color for your kitchen.

If you have a black stove top, this yellow tea kettle may be all the splash of color you may want in your kitchen. Make sure the yellow coordinates!

Hand mixers are usually kept under the kitchen counter so I don't know if this is a great appliance to highlight a cool color. I vote for the classic silver, white or black for this.

Taking color outside with the grill. I LOVE this green grill from Crate&Barrel! Green is a good choice for a grill since we know it's going to match everything outside.

Can't decide on a color? White and stainless would be my choices for appliance colors for the kitchen. There are so many other ways to add color to your room that I really don't think highlighting an appliance is the way to go. 

For example. See this mixer? I bought one when I just got married over 20 years ago. What colors were popular at that time? I don't even remember but if I did go with the 'color of the year' I'd STILL have it now and more than likely, not like the color.

Stick with the basics when it comes to appliances for your kitchen - white, stainless or black. Still need a splash of color for your kitchen? Contact me, to help you choose color for your kitchen.

How can I use pastel colors in my home?

Do you like pastel colors?

Most people think of baby colors, nursery or “mature” decor when you say pastels. Not anymore! Pastel colors always rise up in the Spring. Today, I'm going to show you how you can use pastel colors in your home without it looking like a nursery or nursing home.

Aren't these colors just beautiful? These are actually my egg holders for soft boiled eggs. I should really start using them instead of just enjoying their colors. Anyway, you really need to be careful with pastels because one tint off and you're in the “easter egg, nursery, I just chose a baby color for my bedroom” look. 

“How do I use pastels in my room without it looking like a nursery?”

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At first glance yes, you do see a lot of pastel colors in this room. Does it look like a nursery to you? No. Do you know why? Because of the accessories that were used in this room.

When you accessorize your room, bring in furnishings that clearly indicate that this is not a room for a baby. That means using fabric with distinctive age appropriate designs and colors. Animal print is good and I like that think black accents that are in both the fabrics and drapery hardware.

“ I like blue but I'm afraid my room will look like a boys room.”

That's right! If you choose a blue that's just a little too light, yes, your room will look like a little boys room. I would try to avoid using white furniture in a blue room, unless of course it's a child's room. Use dark furniture, black or even a contemporary look with a metal but use white as your last resort.

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Color Tip

If you have a fairly good eye for color, choose pastels that are a little more muted, or contain more black in it. That will get you in the right direction. 

If you need pastel color for your home,  it's what I do! I specialize in just color for your home and I can help you get the look you want. 

It's not easy being green - or is it?

Sure it is! But you have to choose the RIGHT green.

So many people love green - myself included. But how do you decide on the perfect green for your home? That gets a little complicated when you have this many to choose from.

Sherwin Williams Greens

Here are some tips to help you choose the right green for your home.

Tip 1

If your room gets a lot of sunlight, you may not want to choose a green that has too much yellow in it. The green will get amplified and look a bit neon or just too bright.

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Tip 2

If you choose a green that has a lot of blue in it, your green will look more minty. 

Tip 3

If you keep your greens light and muted, you'll be in that sought after coastal look. This is a great choice for the bedroom or the spa bathroom since it's so relaxing.

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If you need additional help with your greens, contact me, Donna Frasca, a Color Specialist in Charlotte and I'd love to help you out!

I'll bring these!

The Welcoming Pineapple

Ever go into someones home or a Bed and Breakfast and see pineapples all over  the place? Not the fruit but in artistic motifs? Did you ever wonder what it meant? Other than looking pretty cool, the pineapple is a symbol of friendship and hospitality.

Get some pineapple in your home!

Try these delicious Benjamin Moore colors.

Color You Can Eat!

By Donna Frasca - A color specialist in Charlotte.

Behr Has The Perfect Cherry Red!

Who doesn't love cherries, shortcake and whipped cream? And, who doesn't love red? I'm talking about Cherry red, from bright red to deep, dark black cherry red. What a delicious color!

Like watching calories, you have to use red in small amounts. It's a powerful color and can either make or break the look of your room. 

Behr has this fantastic red called Cherry Tree. It's not too orange or too blue - it's really the perfect, classic red.

BEHR

Of course the first place people want red is the dining room. Which is of course classic and very typical. Where else can you put red? Really anywhere you want! Red is not just for dining rooms anymore, here are some other options.

Pictured in this luxury home in Firethorne subdivision of Marvin, NC you can see a very impressive foyer. This would be a great place to put an equally impressive color.

What you really need to remember is that the luxury homes of Charlotte really call for luxurious color to. What does that mean? Well, you have these beautiful, large, custom homes that have very basic, very traditional and very dated colors. If you look through any of the Charlotte Real Estate listings for luxury homes you find the most stunning homes, with the best decor and furnishings but look at the color - beige, light beige, green beige, tan or shockingly, STILL contractors beige or white. 

You'll also find homes that perhaps did choose a designer color but was it the RIGHT color? Did the color make a statement? Is it classy? Timeless? Elegant? 

There is so much to consider when choosing color for your home, especially these very large homes. Invest in the best color scheme to really bring out the beauty of your home. If you're looking for someone to choose color for a large home, you've come to the right place!

I'm a Color Expert in the areas of Charlotte, Marvin and South Charlotte. This is what I specialize in! Contact me and together, we'll choose the right colors for your home. You'll be surprised what I'll suggest!!!!!

If you want to read how Behr Paint has rated on Consumer Reports, you can read it here. It's a great rating!!!

Mardi Gras!

The colors of Mardi Gras!

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