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I am frequently asked, “What are the new colors for next year?” It’s a great question, and one I always enjoy answering. So this week, we focus on the new colors for the coming year.

It is important to understand that the world we live in – including politics and the economy – has always had a significant influence on color. Issues such as the housing crisis, foreign turmoil and the economic downturn have a decided impact on the color tastes of Americans.

Both our country and the world have been in a state of relative uncertainty for the past three plus years, and this is evidenced by the prevalent color schemes. The country as a whole has gravitated towards a muted color scheme in homes and work places – displacing real color.

Bland – and safe – monochromatic grays, browns and whites have essentially set the tone. This, to me, is unfortunate. Color palettes that consist of varying shades of only one family of color (in particular when there is no definitive color that stands out) are very one-dimensional and lack depth of any kind.

Grays and muddy brown shades should be considered “bridge” colors – and are ideal when they are used as secondary tones. These – along with other more muted colors such as pewter, dove and taupe – are wonderful when used as a counterpart to color itself, and work best when linking two or more colors.

Recently though, many trendsetters have tired of the overall lack of color, as was evidenced on the fashion runways this past spring. Black and beige tones were replaced with an explosion of color in every possible combination, which bodes well for the interior design industry.

Bright pinks and shocking coral, juxtaposed with intense peacock blue, will see us through 2012. Brown will continue to hang on, as it has become the new “black.” Gold has been replaced by a more lively limoncello. Blues will continue to be popular and emerge in even more intense shades. White still works, but only when used with bold splashes of color.

Beige has taken a back seat to crisper, creamier off-whites, and will not make a strong come back, except in small doses – and when they do, they will be more golden vs. rosier as was the trend in the past.  Greens will be used, but will be yellow-based, in lieu of the ‘hunter green of yesterday’s decade.

Gold leaf has been on hiatus for a while, replaced by platinum and silver leaf; soon emerge with a bronze wash.

Why the sudden resurgence of color? Perhaps consumers are tired of the drab monotony of grays and browns. Despite the fact that the economy remains stubbornly stagnate, people are recognizing that their lives are passing them by very quickly – and so are yearning for good times, happiness, fun and laughter again.

I think the juxtaposition of bold colors – as opposed to color schemes with matched and muted shades – will stay with us for many years to come.

Color is a wonderful thing! Vibrant pops of it stimulate the senses, inspire creativity — and signal hope.

While we typically focus on interiors, a home’s exterior should never be neglected.
In fact, whenever possible one should complement – even enhance – the
other. And this frequently entails starting at the front door.

Often either the exterior or interior of a home is inherited, and there may
be limited opportunity to create cohesiveness. Yet regardless of the
scope of work, an interior design project should still be approached
holistically – with the exterior under careful consideration. If you are
fortunate enough to custom create a home from the ground up, you have a
unique opportunity to ensure that both the exterior and interior work
together.

Many of our clients, friends and followers are familiar with our work as
interior designers. However we create “conceptual design” home exteriors
as well, and are often called upon to act as a consultant to our
client’s chosen architects.

When we do act as both the conceptual and
interior designer for a project, we prepare the exterior elevations,
exterior finish specifications and roof plans, and then either work with
our longtime architect, John Kunz, A.I.A., or align with a local
architect.

In such cases, we typically start at the front door – for total
continuity. At present, 50% of our projects are those in which we design
the complete project from outside in, or conversely from inside out.
This method certainly has its advantages, as we can work to seamlessly
integrate the interior and exterior – and make sure they enhance one
another.

The concept of embracing the exterior as part of a home’s interior design
also holds true to the landscaping. An interior design plan should not
be restricted to what is inside the home, but should also take into
consideration what is seen through its windows.

Pictured here are examples of exterior design projects we have completed – in
all cases the interiors and exteriors were created to work together.

So the next time you embark on a major home renovation, begin your project at the front door – you won’t regret it!

I’m often asked – and I also ask myself – what color of white is the best choice when painting your kitchen cabinets and the wood trim?

Traditionally, we have opted to paint trim or cabinetry Dunn Edwards’ “Swiss Coffee” – that is as about as white as you can get besides pure white (which we all know really doesn’t exist).

It is important to note, however, that selecting the “right white” is never easy, and is dependent on several factors:

The first consideration: the amount of both ambient and non-ambient light that is filtered into your home, along with the amount of daylight or artificial light. The lighter the room, the whiter the shade of white that you have chosen will appear.

Secondly, white is highly dependent on what color(s) it is adjacent to, as it readily absorbs itself into nearby colors. To fully understand how color affects other colors, note that all hues of whites contain a certain color cast. For example, a specific color has a yellowish tone, or a green cast. Or, we may say that one color is warmer or cooler than another.

Therefore, if you want to achieve a perfect color balance, and are intent on achieving the “whitest” of whites for a specific room, then carefully consider the surrounding color(s). For instance, several years ago I repainted the entry hall of our flat in San Francisco. I began by having the painter paint all of the wood trim in the entry Dunn Edwards’ “Early Snow,” what I thought to be, a “white” white.

However, when selecting the color of white for the trim, I had not taken into consideration that I would be hanging one of  Schumacher’s new block print wall coverings –with a solid tone-on-tone, bright red background. After the wall covering had been hung, I was disappointed because the freshly painted white wood trim appeared to have a pale-pale pink color – not white! This was due to the red wall covering being absorbed and reflected into the white moldings.

In this particular case, had I thought it through more carefully, I would nothave used a white that contained a color base similar to the hues in the wall covering (or adjacent walls). From my experience as a scenic designer and having studied theatrical scenic design at UCLA, I knew exactly how to resolve the problem! To neutralize the pink cast, I needed to de-arm the color cast associated with the white I had selected.

As it turned out, that original white that I used had a warm cast, and in fact, contained both yellow and red hues. For white to appear “white,” I needed to make sure that its color cast came from the green side of the color spectrum, (the opposite of red), and that it neutralized the red hue. So I repainted the trim Benjamin Moore, Decorator’s White, and all was good.

In any event, knowing a white’s color cast is a great advantage.

A sampling of my favorite whites…..

For a WHITE – WHITE, use:

Dunn Edwards – Swiss Coffee

For a WARM WHITE,

where COOL Colors are adjacent, try:

Benjamin Moore Paint – Snow on the Mountain No. 1513

For a COOL WHITE,

where WARM Colors are adjacent, you may consider:

Benjamin Moore Paint – Decorator’s White

For a CREAMY WHITE,

with just a hint of Peach,

where the adjacent Colors are very light, I like:

Pratt and Lambert Paint – Half and Half No. 1844

For a Very Pale GREY WHITE,

where the adjacent Colors are not a “White – White”, try:

Benjamin Moore Paint – French Canvas No. 1514

Best of luck with your “right white” selection……When in doubt, remember to always purchase a sample pot of the color you have chosen (which most paint brands make available).  Try the color against the other hues in the room, as well as in actual daylight and also in artificial light.

And let me know how it goes!

When thinking about redecorating or renovating your home, the question often
arises, “Which is more cost effective – to recover my furniture or buy new?”

Before making that decision, it is important to understand if any actual
cost savings might be gained by reupholstering. You can start by creating a slipcover for your recliners.

First and foremost, whether you buy furniture new or you recover existing
upholstered pieces, the cost of the fabric is a part of the overall cost of
the furniture. When buying a new piece of upholstered furniture, in addition
to the cost of the fabric, there is the other cost: the cost of the piece
itself. If you plan on buying new furniture but you want something more unique
and something that is high quality then check out Mckinley Leather Furniture.

When you recover upholstered furniture, you must pay to have the piece
picked up from your home and taken to the upholsterer’s workroom. (Sometimes
this is represented as being free, but know that this is a hidden cost,
which is included in the reupholstering fee itself.)

In addition, there is the cost to reupholster the piece of furniture itself,
plus the cost to re-stuff the seat and back cushions, as well as any
decorative pillows that may be a part of the piece. This can be become quite
costly depending on whether you prefer a foam fill, a spring core with a
down wrap (which consists of 25% down and 75% feathers or 50% down and 50%
feathers), or a foam fill with a down wrap.

Also, if your frame is hand-tied spring construction, there is a good chance
that some or all of the springs may need to be re-tied, which of course
cannot be determined until the piece of furniture is sent to the workroom,
and the piece has been torn apart.

Not including the pick-up of the upholstered piece(s) of furniture from your
home, the cost of the fabric (which is the same in either case), and the
cost to re-tie any of your springs; the total expense to recover an
upholstered piece of furniture is about one-third less than the price of
buying new.

When you consider the cost of the fabric as part of the total cost, the
savings drops to approximately 10% to 20% – depending on the cost of the
fabric. Keep in mind there could be no savings at all (and very easily an
additional cost) if your springs have to be re-tied, or if you start making
modifications such as fattening an arm, raising the height of the back,
adding or deleting a skirt, or adding trim or braid to the skirt or back
cushions, etc.

So, unless you are reupholstering a family heirloom, or a piece of furniture
that it is especially dear to you, it makes more sense to buy new.

In addition to being more cost effective, buying new provides you with a
piece of furniture that has a new frame, new stuffing and fill, and alsoprovides the opportunity to update or change the style of your furniture and of the room where it is placed.

Redesigning a room is not just about pretty colors – dimensions, scale, space planning and much more all need to be taken into careful consideration when contemplating any remodeling or refurbishment project.

Whether it’s one room or the entire house, start by creating a furniture plan drawn to scale. This should be done for each and every room that you plan to redecorate.

In some cases, you may be able to obtain a copy of the original plans used to construct your home, which can be helpful. However, be forewarned that these may not be accurate, so it is wise to double check all the measurements on the original plans.

When creating a furniture plan, not only is it important to verify the dimensions of each room and every wall or other architectural elements (such as fireplaces, columns, niches, etc.), but it is also critical to accurately identify the size of each piece of furniture you intend to use. Also, note all electrical outlets and switches. Knowing precisely where your plugs and switches are allows you to plan the best possible place for lamps and other electrical fixtures.

A few inches here or there can make a huge difference in how a room appears and feels. If you don’t have enough room to navigate around the furniture, you may live with that mistake for years, so precise calculating should take high priority in the planning and design of a space.

Often times people furnish a room with pieces that are much too large in scale, so the furniture dominates the room in a less-than-desirable way. It took me several years to know what size furniture for a room is ideal, and to understand what we refer to in our industry as “scale.” In fact, I learned that “scale” in itself is a real art! It is something that needs to be identified prior to designing and even before procuring the first piece of furniture.

These are some basic dimensions that we work with and have proven to be helpful in our day-to-day work:

– The space between a sofa and coffee table: 16″ to 18″

– The space behind dining room chairs to allow enough ‘back-out’ space: 36″ minimum

– The space that you should allow around furniture, if the pieces are floating in the center of the room: 48″ minimum (54″ is better)

– The space between a sofa and fireplace: 60″ minimum

– Passage space: 54″ minimum

Hopefully, these will help guide you in planning the design of the rooms in your home. Whether you are doing it yourself or working with an interior designer, make sure that you continue to carefully update your furniture plan as various pieces are ordered and/or procured.

Remember, understanding and analyzing your space, and its advantages and disadvantages, is the very first step toward creating a room that is functional – and beautiful.