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!

Pinterest

Pinterest

Choosing Color is not always so Black & White

Black and Whites - awesome cookies!

Color placement can be confusing. If you have a room that has an irregular shaped ceiling, will you know which part of the wall is the ceiling and which is the wall? Choosing color is not always so black and white, there's really a lot to consider.

Looking at this room, you see they've painted the “ceiling” white. Doing so, gave this room a very irregular and odd shape. Would you want to have a ceiling in this room or would you want to paint it all one color? My thoughts? Paint it all one color.

Right now the room looks very choppy. White chair rail, beige walls, white window and choppy white ceiling. If you paint this room all one color the focus will now be on the window and chair rail instead of the awkwardly shaped ceiling. The focus would NOT be on the odd ceiling but be more focused on the beautiful color. 

So you see, color placement is not just to highlight and make the room look beautiful but it is also to camouflage the “not so pretty” features of the room. 

I could just see this room in a real soft blue - like Tradewind by Sherwin Williams - even on the ceiling.

Would you like a Color Recipe for your home?

Contact me, 

Donna Frasca

Color Specialist in Charlotte

Spring Color Trends for 2012, they're Fruit Loopy!

Fruit Loops® ~ a classic cereal that's been on our breakfast table for many, many years. Good things last, just like classic color schemes. Come see how you can enjoy these fruity, classic colors in your home this spring.

Now here is where color trends get a bit tricky. These are the spring color trends for 2012 which are focused on fashion and home decor. 

These colors are beautiful but if I said it once I've said it a thousand times, the fashion colors of spring 2012 probably will not translate well into color choices for our home.

Look at Tangerine Tango. It's a great Pantone color but people are using in it very sparingly as accents or in an occasion pillow.

The colors that are coming out this spring are pretty, refreshing, peppy, happy and any other adjective you have to describe them but my job is to get color into our homes - all of the home, not just in accents.

So what are these colors? Well, they can be similar to the spring color trends but I'd tone them down just a bit so they're not so much like the contents of an Easter Basket.

These are the colors that I would suggest. You still have your yellow and blues, green and peaches but they seem to be a bit more “mature” and not so “Fruit Loopy”. See what I'm saying. This is one reason I'm not a fan of color trends because it makes my job as a Color Specialist in Charlotte a little challenging.

Clients may love the new and trendy colors but they will not look good in your home - unless you need to decorate a young girls room or nursery.

Don't get me wrong, I love ALL color but when it comes to putting color in your home, trendy I'm not. I will choose for you, the colors that your home needs not what is running through cyber space.

Aren't these pretty? They are still very spring-like but certainly Donna Frasca approved!

Color Trends for spring 2012 and 2013 that I would suggest.
designed by Donna Frasca

Need color for you home? Live in Charlotte? Contact me to help you update your home in color but not get too trendy. It'a all about how to combine classic colors with a bit of the trends.

What's the best Super Bowl Snack?

Anything with avocados!

And you guessed it, green is also one of the best color choices for your home. Green is versatile, warm (go with the yellow undertones) and goes with so many colors that are already in your home.

The three paint colors that I have here are beautiful together and the last one is actually a very, very dark green, not black.

Going back to the best snacks for super bowl, where would you put these colors? You guessed it, in the Man Cave! That was a little obvious though wasn't it?

If I were painting my home, I'd consider these colors for the master bedroom. Green, as you know, is a very relaxing and calming color which makes it the perfect color choice for a bedroom.

Now what paint brand would I use? This is where it gets complicated. There are several paint companies with various levels of quality and pricing, like anything else. 

For my home, I'd want the best paint in a reasonable price range. Of course we know that Benjamin Moore Aura is probably the best paint you can buy - and this is stated in this month Consumer Reports on their Paint Buying Guide depending on the sheen you want. I'd want to paint once, in a great color of course, and be confident that my color won't fade over the few years.

Behr is also rated very highly. I happen to have Behr paint in my home and love it. The only reason I want to repaint after only 5 years is because I want to change out the color - after all, I'm a Color and Paint Specialist so I get inspired to try out the latest color trends in my own home.

So I'm sorry I can't really help you with you super bowl snacks but I can help you with color for your home. I specialize in just color - for large homes that have open floor plans. Live in South Charlotte? You're in luck, that's my color stomping grounds. 

I have many clients in Marvin, Wesley Chapel, Ballantye and Waxhaw. Ask your neighbors - I may have visited them or you can just contact me here at DecoratingbyDonna@mac.com

Enjoy the game, your snacks and of course … your color!

Comfort Food, Comfort Colors

A warm, steaming cup of coffee, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, chicken soup, these are all foods that are very comforting - they make us feel good! That's what we want in our homes, color that makes us feel good. What are those “feel good” colors? Grab your coffee, sit down and come with me. We are about to embark on a delicious and colorful journey.

Other than the obvious beautiful colors that Behr paint has, the names are just too delicious to pass up. So, if you're going to paint your home anytime soon and you're not sure what paint colors to use, I'd like to suggest just a few.

I came across this photo while surfing and noticed that it was a very safe color scheme. I see what they did though, they pulled a color from the bedding which normally is a good idea but - when you're bedding is just back, white and gray, it doesn't leave you with to many options.

Now to get that comforting feeling that I'm talking about, you'll need to warm up the color - a lot! I'd use Behr's Peanut Butter on the walls to add the warmth this room needs.

You can see the color is already in the artwork that was chosen so you know this homeowner already likes the color. How fun is it knowing you have “Peanut Butter” on your walls?

Another great thing about this hue is that you can can change your decor around and most colors will coordinate with it. It's very universal!

Well, the only comforting thing can say about this dining room is that it's not red! Aren't you tired of seeing red dining rooms all the time? I know I am - it's just so typical. But if you like red, think very, very light and perhaps this “pink” will work for you instead.

Melted Ice Cream is a unique color that will look amazing if you have dark, cherry wood or even a mahogany. Add brushed nickel accents to this room and it'll be stunning! Your new dining room will be  a great place to enjoy your “Melted Ice Cream” by Behr.

Man caves, media rooms and basement playrooms are typically very dark colors. Let's make them cozy by keeping it dark but choose a color that's a bit on the trendy side but still very cool.

I going to assume that this is either a guest room or a young girls room. I'd cozy it up for sure with Candied Yam. Can you see the colors in the pillow? Just pulling it from there to make this room warm and inviting. 

Another great thing about substanial color like Candied Yam is that in this case, color is the only decor you need. Keep the room very simple, neat and streamline. Beautiful.

So you see, choosing the right color for your home will make all the difference in the world! I choose color specifically for the homes in South Charlotte. If you live in Marvin, Waxhaw, Weddington or Wesley Chapel, I can comfort you in knowing that together, we'd choose the RIGHT colors for your home.

Contact me to schedule a color consultation Monday - Sunday but only 10am-1pm