A Touch of Red
Which famous decorator said, “Every room needs a touch of red.”? I believe it was Albert Hadley. Well, I don’t think a touch of red works in every room, but in rooms where red works, it gives a visual excitement not associated with any other color. Do you have a place for a touch of red in your home?
Image ©Color Calling
Graduation gifts they’ll love
Graduation time! Show your friends that you care about their children with the perfect “congratulations” present when they graduate from high school. Here are some tried and true ideas in a variety of price ranges. Check my Pinterest page for more information http://www.pinterest.com/colorcalling
Soft monogrammed towels are always appreciated. Don’t monogram the washcloths, though. Choose a color they love, not their school color. (It is not cool to go overboard on school colors/school mascots, in case you didn’t know.)
Did you consider giving just the pillowcases? Have a pair done up with an extra-fancy monogram in their dorm room colors:
Have a fuzzy throw monogrammed at an angle in the corner
A hinged clothing bar for the car is useful and budget-friendly:
What about a rolling laundry hamper, with a huge laser-cut monogram on the side?
These ideas are all tried and true, and will be appreciated by your favorite graduate!
Peonies
Anyone who knows me, knows that I just love peonies! Never have they been more affordable than since our new Whole Foods market opened here in Birmingham. Peonies are available there for only a short season in May and then they are gone. Is there anything prettier?
image ©Color Calling
Choosing the perfect ceiling color
Benjamin Moore Vanilla Ice Cream Image ©Color Calling
This can be a wonderful look: paint your ceilings the same color as your trim. Here is the formula. Use semi-gloss oil-based paint on the trim. Oil-based semi-gloss is also what I like to specify for painted kitchen cabinetry. Then, use flat latex in the same color for the ceiling. Here, I specified Benjamin Moore Vanilla Ice Cream. This creamy white is a perfect match for the subtle stripe in the wallpaper. And, how did I find this perfect match? With my large samples, of course!
One more tip: make sure that your painter paints the air conditioning vents and speaker covers. Yes, you can safely paint your vents and ceiling speakers (by hand with a brush, please and thank you). Don’t be afraid to venture out from the dreaded “Ceiling White.” A good color consultant can help you find your perfect color match!
Glimpses of a Spectacular Private Garden
Just returned yesterday from a tour of a spectacular private garden on Lake Martin, Alabama. Images are large, please allow a few moments for them to load. Enjoy!
bright yellow lilies frame a water view Image ©Color Calling
Garden Room at the Entrance with large urn focal point Image © Color Calling
Hydrangea above and below Images ©Color Calling
Purple Clematis Image ©Color Calling
Gardenia
Cherub playing his flute, as a charming fountain Image ©Color Calling
Another garden room with a very different fountain Image ©Color Calling
Waterfall in the Garden Image ©Color Calling
This cave is accessible to the left of the waterfall. Image ©Color Calling
This view is behind the waterfall, from inside the cave! Image ©Color Calling
The large garden, spread over several acres, includes at least two dozen garden rooms, as well as numerous places to sit and enjoy the spectacular vistas over the lake. Here is my favorite part. Can you believe that this garden has a wine cellar?
Beautiful high lake view near wine cellar entrance Image ©Color Calling
The wine cellar is entered from the outside, just to the right of the above photograph. A large arched oak door marks the entrance (I could not get a photograph of the door due to our tour-goers’ entering and exiting). The cellar’s interior drew special awe from our visiting group of gardeners:
Expansive Wine Cellar Image ©Color Calling
White wines are usually stored near the bottom where it is coolest Image ©Color Calling
Entering the tasting room Image ©Color Calling
Statuary in the tasting room, depicting both saint and sinner Images ©Color Calling
Murals were painted by art students from nearby Auburn University Image ©Color Calling
Returning to the garden, more garden rooms and interesting focal points.
Statuary bust resting in a fern glade Image ©Color Calling
restful arbor Image ©Color Calling
Cool and Verdant Fern Glade Image ©Color Calling
Ceramics are thoughtfully placed throughout the garden Image ©Color Calling
Handrails over steps lead swimmers down into the water Image ©Color Calling
Focal urn at water’s edge Image ©Color Calling
I hope you have enjoyed the tour of this wonderful garden!
Garden Folly
Love the term “Garden Folly.” Outbuilding or shed just doesn’t have the same caché.
Source: flickr.com via Ellen on Pinterest At Castle Howard
To be fair to the name, in architecture, a true Folly is primarily (some might even say, strictly) for decoration. A true Folly doesn’t serve any other purpose. Obviously, a garden shed or outbuilding would be at least somewhat utilitarian. That doesn’t mean that your shed can’t have charm, beauty or an element of mystery.
Here are a few other images for inspiration:
Charlotte Moss in New York, one of my (and all of blogdom’s) all-time favorites:
Style watch
Here is a thought for anyone having reupholstery work on dining/breakfast room chairs. Use an accent fabric on the back of the chair.
Source: google.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: google.com via Ellen on Pinterest
You want to make sure that your upholsterer provides quality workmanship. This one, below, did not. Notice the seaming in the back isn’t uniform, and that the fabric change ends/begins oddly. (Sorry, but I am going to call them as I see them. This one doesn’t look professional).
Source: google.com via Ellen on Pinterest
You can accent just the back part of the chair back, or wrap the accent all the way around. A good design professional can help you decide. Properly done, what a great look that will enliven your breakfast room or dining room!
A Recipe
Are you ready for a recipe? I would like to share one. Here is one of my favorites. So simple, and so appreciated. This one is pretty, and so delicious. It is made to give away.
You must have big crockpot/slow cooker. If you don’t, feel free to check it out, and then please come back here in a couple of days. I’ll have another decorating post for you. But, if you have a big crockpot, get ready for a treat, see finished product, below:
You’ll need 8 cups of peanuts. If you live in the Deep South, go to your local peanut warehouse and buy a 25 pound bag of raw peanuts (unbelievably inexpensive). This will get you through Christmas. Otherwise, buy two or three big cans of Virginia-type salted peanuts at your local Target or Wal-Mart. You’re going to need about 7-8 cups of nuts. Don’t obsess if you can’t find the Virginia-type large nut. Any type of peanut will work in this recipe, even dry-roasted in a jar. As long as the hard shell is off, you are fine. You can use peanuts with the red skin on if you like, and I do this all the time with my raw peanuts.
Here are the ingredients. You will also need parchment paper.
Color Calling’s Slow-Cooker Chocolate Peanut Clusters
7-8 cups peanuts
24 ounces white chocolate “almond bark for baking or dipping” (does not actually contain almonds, find it in the baking aisle)
2 large bars of Baker’s German chocolate
12 ounces chocolate chips, semi-sweet
Layer in this order in the crockpot:
peanuts on the bottom
white almond bark
baker’s German
chocolate chips
Try to layer the chocolate so that it does not touch the sides of the cooker. Don’t forget to put the top on.
Cook on low for two hours in the crockpot. After two hours, turn off the crockpot without lifting lid. Let mixture rest for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, stir mixture thoroughly with a sturdy wooden spoon. With a melon scoop or tablespoon, drop mixture onto parchment paper. Make sure each droplet is a little larger than the size of a silver dollar, with plenty of peanuts, say about 12 per cluster. Once you have dribbled the wet chocolate on the parchment, you can spoon the peanuts on one-by-one. Keep the peanuts in one layer for best results.
See photo for guidance. Yes, yours will look this good, too.
Let peanut clusters cool thoroughly. Can place the parchment on trays in the freezer to speed up process. Lift each individual cluster off parchment when completely cool. Give away immediately in cute boxes to anyone who needs to feel loved and cared for. Repeat, give away immediately.
Keep recipe close by. Anyone you give this to will never let you forget how much they love this.
Don’t make an expensive mistake
Image ©Color Calling
When I first started my color consulting and residential styling business, my very first client (who kindly allowed me to photograph her living room for the blog) was a dear friend who has a very pretty house. She wanted me to help her change her living room draperies. Because of my color training, I could see the problem. Though a little old, the draperies themselves weren’t bad (though I do like my draperies to “kiss” the floor when doing a new installation.) The problem was, other than to the walls themselves, that the color of the draperies wasn’t really relating to anything else in the room.
So, we went shopping around in her own house, because she has really beautiful things. I suggested that a large gorgeous painting hanging in another room would be perfect in the living room. We removed a lovely mirror from over the mantel and moved it over a console on the same wall. If you have been reading this blog, you know how I feel about mirrors over a mantel. But, I digress. The main color (golden yellow) in the painting allowed us to repeat the drapery color again.
Image ©Color Calling
Then, all that was necessary was a little rearranging, and one simple but expert reupholstery job which repeated the color yet again. (I usually like to repeat a color three or more times.) The chair, before, is on the left, and remember, white is NOT a neutral. The chair, after, is on the right. The jewel tone silk with plenty of gold in the velvet stripe (middle photo) is just the pop of color that was needed to bring the room to life. The second of the pair of chairs is just out of camera range, but can be seen in the final shot.
Now, the draperies don’t stand out, because the color of the drapery is repeated several times. They are in harmony with the rest of the room. Have you priced custom floor length draperies lately? This one decision saved a very expensive change from being made.
Images above ©Color Calling
I have seen it happen over and over and over: the thing that you think is wrong with your room may not be the thing we end up changing!
Always call a trusted design professional when you think you want to make a change. She may just help you avoid what might be a very expensive mistake.
Trend Watch
Bath hooks for hanging towels. I am seeing this trend everywhere.
Source: habituallychic.blogspot.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: remodelista.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: habituallychic.blogspot.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: Uploaded by user via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: remodelista.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: oldhouseonline.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: houseandhome.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: houseandhome.com via Ellen on Pinterest
And, in case you are wondering, it’s okay to follow a few trends to update your home. Where I advise you to look out, is when the trend is either very expensive, or clearly headed bye-bye after it has played out. Towel hooks. A very on-trend look that you’ll be seeing more and more.
What can a Color Consultant do for my home?
What does a color consultant do? That is a question that I am frequently asked.
My goal is, always, to help you love the look and feel of your home. If I had a mission statement, that would pretty well sum it up. I believe Jane Austen, my literary hero, wrote it well: “There is nothing like staying home for real comfort.” So, what I want to do is to make your home a haven, a place of comfort, a place of beauty, and a place where you can retreat after a busy day. I want your home to be the place that you look forward to.
You see, it breaks my heart when someone says that they hate their house. Why would anyone want to feel that way? That’s what I am here for! I have access to designer carpet, wallpaper, fabric and custom furniture, available to trade-only, in addition to helping select paint colors. If we need to rearrange the existing furniture, I have someone who can come in to move things around and hang or re-hang pictures and mirrors. Sometimes a fresh eye is all that is needed, and that is what I can be.
Now, let me be clear. I don’t have any particular gift of vision. I see exactly the way that anyone with normal vision sees. However, it is the understanding of what I see as compared to other colors that is perhaps different than many.
After going through True Color Expert Training with Canadian color expert Maria Killam, something that was not in me before, actually became a wired-in part of my visual understanding. Have you ever heard someone say, “The lightbulb in my head went on” ? That is exactly what her course did for me. It turned on a lightbulb of understanding undertones of colors, and of how to achieve visual harmony through common undertones, color flow, focal points, and repetition. The rhythm of a home. That’s what I do.
Every house is different, and that is why I love doing what I do. But, my best work happens when the client trusts me and implements the ideas to make the changes I am suggesting. People are naturally resistant to change. But, when something is not working (functionally or visually), you must be prepared for possible changes if you want to be happy with your house. The things that are holding your home back from being its best: those things won’t magically get better, and you are not going wake up one morning to find that you suddenly love something that you now hate. That I can promise you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is my passion, my calling, and a joy to select colors as a certified color professional. I stay current by writing this blog and by reading dozens of other décor blogs and magazines.
And, on a final note, if you are a decision-making executive affiliated with Habitat for Humanity, I now offer a number of pro bono hours each year in the Birmingham, AL metro area to Habitat House homeowners who are selecting the color finishes, interior and exterior, for their new Habitat House. Click on the “about” section in the top bar, and you will see how send me an email. Please include the details of your request, including the time frame and location involved.
Does your kitchen have clean lines?
Do you have enough outlets, where you need them and are actually using them? There are too many cords floating around in this kitchen, above. Consider an appliance garage or have your electrician install plug strips under your upper cabinetry. Plug strips are a great decorator’s secret to keep your backsplash area free of unsightly outlets.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lighting is important. Make sure your lighting is enhancing your kitchen. Below, someone got carried away with a cute light fixture and decided that if two are good, four will be twice as good. The result is a clutter of visual competition. The wrought iron breakfast room fixture really looks out of place as well. Notice how the metals don’t work well together, and how the height of hanging distracts your eye? However, kudos for the upper cabinet connecting with the ceiling! Visually much more pleasing than dead air between.
Source: traditionalhome.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: traditionalhome.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: traditionalhome.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: traditionalhome.com via Ellen on Pinterest
I don’t understand the purpose of having dead space between the upper cabinetry and the ceiling. It creates a much cleaner line to join the two visually. This happens in the nicest of homes, so be sure to discuss this with your cabinet maker as well as your architect so that there is no mistake. Can you visualize how much better the above kitchen would look with the left and right “X” cabinetry extending in a clean line to the ceiling?
It is the small details that can really make your kitchen visually pleasing. Clear your kitchen of distracting cords dangling at eye level, and of too many light fixtures hanging down from the ceiling above. Join your cabinetry to the ceiling if possible.
Make sure your design professional understands the importance of clean lines.
But my husband won’t paint the paneling!
Above: beautifully painted paneling instantly updates a formerly heavy room.
In my residential styling and color consulting business, I see a lot of paneled wood rooms. Sometimes they are beautiful, but more often, they are not. If you are a woman reading this, you probably know this already: Men do not like to paint paneling. In fact, they really don’t like to paint anything that is wood. Even the merest hint of grain is enough to squelch any desire to paint that surface. Although I laugh when I say this, I am serious: it is in their DNA.
Are all paneled rooms in need of paint? No, but when my eye tells me that the room looks too dated/dark/dreary to work with the existing wood tones, I will usually pull out my fan deck of colors and look for the right color to paint. And what I generally find, is that the wife agrees (either on the spot or eventually) that it should be painted, but the husband won’t hear of it.
After a master bedroom addition, the dark little library/den (below, now painted) was no longer at the end of the house, and had become the pass-through to the master area. It was more about “flow.” In this case, I mean color flow, not traffic flow. I wanted the house to flow nicely from the light-colored living room, through to the light blue master suite. But, the dark paneled (very small) library with its dark interior shutters was preventing proper color flow. What does the husband say now? “I wish I had done this a long time ago.”
Color flow is important, and lack of color flow can really chop up a house. Below, the formerly dark paneled little library is now a sunny sitting room which flows nicely from living room on one side into the master bedroom on the other. The only panels here are the silk ones on the windows. The morning light, blocked before by dated wooden shutters, now comes streaming in.
Notice all the millwork is painted one neutral color, the same color as the adjoining living room (Benjamin Moore Monroe Bisque HC-26 ). By the way, good paneling takes paint beautifully, and looks much nicer and more substantial than SheetRock.
Sitting room painted millwork Image ©Color Calling.
Sitting room painted millwork Image ©Color Calling
Now you walk from one light-filled space into another. There is now visual harmony and color flow in the space, as you walk from the living room through the sitting room and into the master area.
Adjoining pale blue bedroom Image ©Color Calling
Above Source:
Can you see how the above room now has wonderful visual harmony? The paneling was obviously very nicely done in its wood-grained state, but now it looks fresh and updated, not dark and dreary. Do you think the above room looks any less worthy of attention just because it now has a painted surface instead of its former wood (and wood-colored) surface?
Here is a little test: If the paneling in your own home looks at all like any of these rooms below, it is dated. Please let me gently tell you this again. It is dated.
Source: americanpac.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Above images
,
The ceiling height in the living room is very low to be using accent paneling, and the paneling is not adding to any sort of harmony in either room. Can you see that although the paneling itself is not awful, the visual impact of the paneling is truly terrible? It does nothing for either room. There is no visual harmony in this living room or in the bath above it.
The paneling above has a strong pink undertone. Although this paneling is shown in a current advertisement, this look actually has been dated for decades. I can’t think of a single instance in which I would not advise painting paneling with either strong pink or strong orange undertones. This look just isn’t ever going to come back.
Source: americanpac.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Here, the paneled wood is clearly fighting the white fireplace. This is another good example of a room where the paneling itself isn’t terrible, but it is preventing visual harmony in the room.
A “before and after,” for your viewing pleasure.
Before, and yes, there are people who won’t paint even this low grade of paneling:
Source: cutoncemeasuretwice.blogspot.com via Ellen on Pinterest
After, fortunately, this owner wasn’t one of them.
And, yes, this really is the same room:
Source: cutoncemeasuretwice.blogspot.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Once again, does every paneled room need to be painted? No. But, if your paneled room is either dated, is chopping up color flow, or simply does not have visual harmony, give some real thought to painting it.With gentle guidance from a trustworthy professional, or even from a trusted friend with a great decorating eye, you can move forward.
So, are you letting dated paneling hold you back from having the best possible look and feel for your own home?
Happy decorating!
Bronze sculpture by Jane DeDecker
A recent post spoke of focal points. Have you considered a beautiful bronze sculpture as your focal point? Yes, the price point is high. But, a museum-quality bronze is forever. It is timeless. And, Jane DeDecker is one of the best. Can’t you see this resting on the corner of a Carrara marble tub surround?
Source: saksgalleries.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Can you stand the darling daddy, below, tying his baby’s shoe? And, the baby just in awe. Priceless.
Source: morriswhiteside.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: flickr.com via Ellen on Pinterest
The above Jane DeDecker sculpture is a gift of a couple in Des Moines, Iowa, in memory of their son, Christopher, who was a victim of juvenile diabetes. Apparently, their dog clearly mourned the loss of his human companion so that the parents were moved to donate this sculpture to the City. What a beautiful and heartfelt (and heartbreaking) tribute to boy and dog.
My friend, Master’s of Art holder Holly S., introduced me to the sculpture of Jane DeDecker 11 years ago. I have been captivated ever since. I am the proud owner of two of her works, “Tippy-Toes,” which reminds me of my dancing daughter,
Source: google.com via Ellen on Pinterest
and an almost-sleeping dog bronze called “Ol’ Faithful” (which looks just like my ‘Pepper’, prone to one floppy ear)
Source: cavaliergalleries.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: flickr.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Image ©Color Calling, Pepper.
Source: cavaliergalleries.com via Ellen on Pinterest
And, please tell me you have never seen anything cuter than this little snow elf:
Source: claggettrey.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Another stunner:
Source: claggettrey.com via Ellen on Pinterest
DeDecker is a master. Save. Save some more. You will love forever.
Benjamin Moore Smokey Taupe
Source: traditionalhome.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Benjamin Moore Smokey Taupe is one of the great interior colors. BM-983. Such a beautiful complex neutral! Remember, always paint a large sample when considering a new color (paint your sample on a 1/2 sheet of white poster paper, 2 full coats, so you can move it around the room).
And, did you know color should be the last thing selected? The right wall color should pull everything else in the room together, beautifully!
Happy decorating!
Are you creating focal points?
The eye needs a place to rest. It also needs a place to connect. When I walk into a room, I can almost always isolate the focal point, or where I would create the focal point. In the photo below, anyone can see that the focal point is not even inside the room. Your eye is drawn past the lovely soft furnishings on out to the mountain vista beyond. Well, I guess you could say that the large window frames the focal point. In fact, every part of the room frames the window which frames the view. Nicely done.
The most interesting rooms always have a focal point. Focal points create drama in a room. What are some successful focal points? If the room has a fireplace, that is going to be the focal point. I always want to create sight lines and drama around the fireplace. This fireplace area has wonderful drama in a contemporary space (I am ignoring the combo of colors used here, which I don’t particularly care for):
Below, this is an architectural device known as enfilade. See how you can look through several door frames down to the kitchen pendant light? The dark light at the end is the focal point here. Are you seeing how your eye naturally searches for a place to rest, and it wants to come to a rest (and to a focus) on the dark light at the end? The designer did a marvelous job of framing the sight-lines all the way through the view to the ending focal point. There is no visual clutter, just pleasing objects of interest to catch our passing glance on the way to the end. I would guess that a fireplace is the focal point if you are standing in the kitchen looking down the axis the other way, looking back toward the main room pictured here.
Our eyes have a natural desire to find a nice place to rest. Too much distraction, clutter, and visual disharmony make it difficult to give our eyes that natural place to rest. Have you ever walked in to someone’s house, and there was so much stuff, that you didn’t know where to look? Remember, the eye needs and wants a place to rest in a room.
Visual harmony and a screen focal point. Source: traditionalhome.com via Ellen on Pinterest
What nobody tells you about using natural stone slab
Before I became a True Color Expert, I thought that a natural stone slab such as granite was the only Be-All-and-End-All choice for kitchen countertops. I have owned white granite slab countertops in my own kitchen, and travertine slab countertops in my bath for seven years.
Beautiful marble-slab countertop.Source: theenchantedhome.blogspot.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Beautiful buttermilk Caesarstone counter. Source: ths.gardenweb.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Here is what nobody else will tell you: seam placement is a very big deal.
Make sure you discuss seam placement with your contractor or fabricator. This goes for any natural slab stone. When “someone” brought in my (supposed to be) gorgeous travertine marble tub surround in four (yes, four) pieces to puzzle them together, I would have died. I would have died, except that the workmen providentially accidentally dropped the whole thing in my driveway and the entire mess cracked to bits. I did not realize that a marble tub surround meant one thing to “someone”, and another thing to me. That a marble tub surround wasn’t necessarily a solid marble tub surround. I envisioned one solid surface surround, no seams other than for the backsplash. The “someone” didn’t even consider that an option due to my oversized whirlpool tub. After all, it is much cheaper to piece a surround together with a separate piece on each side. After asking several friends for referrals, I finally found a fabricator who could make the surround out of a single piece. So much prettier not to have those seams!
In my new kitchen, the same “someone” brought the granite slab for my kitchen island in two pieces. Who does that? Who would want their granite kitchen island in two pieces joined together with caulking right down the center? I stood my ground and out it went, though I am sure it cost a pretty penny to make that happen. Don’t be caught unaware like I was. Discuss this up front.
Know that the “industry standard” which is considered ‘good enough,’ may not be good enough for you. Ask, ask, ask, what you are getting. A big slab of marble or granite is not very easy to send back.
Do I love my white granite? Not enough to use again. Do I love the travertine? Ah, it’s pinky-beige! A big no-no as I found out in True Colour Expert training with Maria Killam. And, who else but me will tell you that travertine forms pits over the years? Soft use, a few pits. Heavy use, huge pits.
Maria, a trend expert as well, offered another material as her favorite. Next time, I will go with her preference of using an engineered solid quartz product such as Caesarstone, probably with a subtle marble-veining look. And, without the dilemma of seam placement, pitting, chipping or heavy maintenance.
Chinoiserie in the home
For some reason, I am completely and utterly smitten with Chinoiserie. Have been for years. I am lately drawn to a particular fabric, for which I am just waiting for the right client to use. Watch out, dearest, it will be soon. Mind you, it has to be exactly the right place in exactly the right room. As a specimen plant in a garden, such as the perfect single Japanese maple tree, so this will be as well. Here is the object of my affection:
Source: fschumacher.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Complete and total Chinoiserie perfection. Stay tuned.
Your front door is speaking
According to the latest research, a first impression is formed in 1/10th of a second. Make the first impression of your entryway a good one.
Source: athomearkansas.com via Ellen on Pinterest
The stunningly beautiful entryway above, which belongs to my fellow True Colour Expert Andrea Brooks of Arkansas, speaks to guests long before they arrive at the stoop. Any guesses as to what it is saying? This has to be one of the prettiest front doors I have ever seen. Welcome, how do you do, and please come in, is what it is saying. Wouldn’t it be exciting to walk up to this beauty and ring the bell?
And, speaking of bells, if you have a doorbell, does it work? Do you have your door freshly re-painted or re-varnished every two or three years? Or do the dogs’ claw marks and muddy run-off rule the day?
When is the last time you or whoever helps you trotted out the metal polish and worked on the door hardware? Are your stoop and steps swept regularly, and power-washed occasionally? Do you have your windows professionally cleaned at least every one to two years?
Is your door mat (think simple, natural material, and with a size relating to the actual front door frontage) in reasonable shape?
If you have planters and pots nestled close by, do they look of high quality and are they tended? The easiest gardener’s formula for a pretty planter: use a thriller, a filler, and a spiller.
In less than 30 minutes a week, and an annual call to the painter or the pressure-washer, your entryway will make a good impression. It will tell me that you are glad I’m here, even if you are not at home!
Does your designer understand family living?
In my residential styling business, I am big on the way in which a room functions. Part of that function includes placing lamps (click to see my post on beautiful lamps) where people will be sitting to read. And, another part of that function includes placing a table or other flat surface where people who are sitting can conveniently place a teacup (or a martini).
Below: The designer here really got it right. Notice the lamps which are placed behind the sofa on a long, high sofa table. Clean lines, beautiful carpet, upholstery and drapery, and perfectly functional:
Source: sevierwhiteinteriors.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Another view of the same room Source: southernliving.com via teri on Pinterest
Two images Below: While not unattractive, the designers whose rooms are pictured next, sadly didn’t think through the actual living in these rooms. Why are there no lamps in these rooms? Do you notice that there is nowhere to sit and read? Overhead lighting doesn’t count here. Overhead lighting is not proper task lighting. A little teeny sconce doesn’t count, either. Can you imagine how much warmer these rooms would feel if there were some pretty, well-placed lamp lighting? Where are you supposed to place your cup of coffee while watching the morning news? Where is your teenaged son going to put his feet up? Are you with me? These rooms don’t live. And, in the turquoise room, there is only one seat in the entire space angled for comfortable television viewing.
Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Source: houseofturquoise.com via Ellen on Pinterest
I don’t get the current trend of ‘no’ task lighting in the room, but I am seeing it everywhere. Don’t fall for this trend. This isn’t just about style, it is about function. Every main seating place should have a lamp for reading and a nearby surface for putting down a drink. Then, you can enjoy the look and feel of your family room, because it functions for a family. And, it can be done beautifully.
Benjamin Moore Sea Haze
Let’s look at the beautiful Benjamin Moore paint color called Sea Haze, pictured in actual rooms.
As a Certified True Color Expert, trained by Canadian colour (I add the ‘u’ to the word color because she does) expert Maria Killam, I know that color on the wall can’t be chosen successfully from a tiny paint chip from a fan deck. And, I know that the color on the chip isn’t even paint, it is a printed interpretation of a paint color. That is why I always rely on my large painted samples when helping a client select paint color.
Sea Haze is what I call a magic color, because it changes beautifully with the light. Of course, every color changes with the light. Sea Haze just has so many permutations when the light is changing, and each one is wonderful. Here is Sea Haze used in a tranquil bedroom:
Image: google.com via Ellen on Pinterest
And Sea Haze used in a Candace Olson-designed bedroom/bath combination, where you can see some of the various shades which the color Sea Haze can read.
Image: google.com via Ellen on Pinterest
My very first kitchen consultation had greeny gray granite countertops as the focal color in the kitchen. The existing beige color on the walls wasn’t doing a thing for the focal color granite in the room.
At the initial consultation, I selected Sea Haze with my magic wand fan deck as the probable choice. Once the large sample was painted up and brought over, it was the clear choice. The client and I could immediately see that the granite color simply came alive next to Sea Haze. Remember, Sea Haze is a magic color, and changes beautifully with the light.
Here is the actual Sea Haze sample I used in the kitchen consultation. Notice how the color of the large sample brings out the rich greeny grays of the existing granite countertop. That is what the right color does in a room. It creates visual harmony. Remember that, because it is one of the most important things that will happen when you paint the right color on your walls. The right color creates visual harmony.
Benjamin Moore Sea Haze. Image ©Color Calling
Are the paint colors in your home helping you achieve visual harmony? With furniture, between a pricey antique and even a wonderful reproduction, there could be many thousands of dollars’ difference. With paint, it costs exactly the same to paint a wonderful color which gives visual harmony, as it does to paint the wrong color which never will!
Eden Gardens State Park
We spent a lovely late afternoon at Eden Gardens State Park, located about 10 minutes from WaterColor Resort, in
Point Washington, Florida. Dogs on a leash are welcome. The azaleas were sadly past their peak, but a few camellias were blooming. The other real enjoyment for me was taking photos of the fabulous bronze sculptures of children at play placed beautifully along the walking trail. What a treat!
March blooming camellia
Image ©Color Calling
Beautiful bronze fountain
Image ©Color Calling
Close up of one of the several wonderful sculptures
Image ©Color Calling
close up of little boy sculpture
Image ©Color Calling
Under the gorgeous 600 year old oak tree, a favorite wedding venue for local brides
Image ©Color Calling
Source: google.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Below: the Wesley House is open for tours on the grounds of the Eden State Park
Source: gardenthemedwedding.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Creativity in the garden
Don’t you love it when someone’s creativity and imagination just make you go WOW!
Source: crinklecrankle.com via Ellen on Pinterest
Here are some garden accents which I find inspiring and beautiful right now
From Goff Creek Pottery
Source: goffcreekpottery.com via Ellen on Pinterest
A lovely birdbath, in an almost-impossible-to-find all copper. It is the correct depth as well. Don’t buy a birdbath with a pool depth of more than about 3 inches, according to bird experts.
Source: signaturehardware.com via Ellen on Pinterest
P.Allen Smith’s Allium beds:
http://www.thegardenbuzz.com/2011/06/a-little-something-about-alliums.html
Color Calling 
