Color- Part 2

Wednesday we talked about color, and how the color wheel works, and ways you can incorporate different color schemes when decorating. If you missed that post you can find it here.

Today we will finish up our chat on color by talking about achromatic, triadic and harmonious color schemes.

Achromatic

A lot of people shy away from an achromatic scheme because they seem a little tricky, but just like we said with the monochromatic schemes, texture is key to a successful achromatic room.

A room with an achromatic scheme is a room without color. So we are pretty much talking about black and white rooms, as well as any shade of gray in between.

Here are some beautifully done example rooms.

These photos do an amazing job of using texture. The photo above is FULL of texture from the painted brick to the mirrors and glass orbs on top of the mantel. Everything in that room has a different texture.

I don't know about you but when I hear achromatic the first thing I think of is restoration hardware, they are known for there amazingly styled achromatic rooms. Just like the one below.

Ok, let's move on...

triadic

A triadic color scheme uses three colors that are equally spaced in the color wheel. A room using primary colors would be an example of a triadic color scheme.

It is hard to find examples of well done triadic rooms. When I think about this color scheme visions of children's rooms in bright primary colors immediately pop into my head, (not a good thing), but I hunted the web, and here are a few for you to check out. 

this room is beautiful, and I am so impressed with the use of primary colors. 

I almost didn't use it because I couldn't find the legit actual source, but I couldn't find a better one. 

If you know who owns this photo please let me know so I can give proper credit! 

analogous

An analogous scheme uses colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. An example would be red, orange and yellow; or red and violet. This is a fun color scheme to use.

this one has a touch of turquoise which is obviously a complementary color, but it was to great to forget about.

So, that's the gist of what I know about color and design,  I didn't get my notebooks out, so it's quite possible I forgot a detail or two, but hopefully it was helpful and how about those images. Beyond inspiring!

What do you think, would you be interested in more posts on the principles and elements of design?

Color- Part1

Using the color wheel when decorating takes out all of the guess work, and makes decorating and accessorizing fun and much easier.

Let's start with some terminology, so you know what the heck I'm talking about later. (What can I say, I used to be an art education major, I love this stuff!)

This is the color wheel, I'm going to pick it apart and explain the components of it, and how they relate to design.

If you want to purchase a color wheel I really love the options this one has.

OK! Let's get this party started!

Primary Colors

Every color imaginable is made up of a combination of these three colors.

Variances from the base color come from changes in tone.

Tone-  how light or dark a color is

Tint- adding white to a color

Shade- adding black to a color

Secondary Colors- an even mix of two primary colors

Tertiary Colors- an even mix of a primary and a secondary color

This video explains SO much about color!

Now that we have the basics out of the way, let's get to the fun design part

Color Schemes

Complementary- Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. 

When paired together complementary colors really grab your attention, they make each other pop!

I use a lot of turquoise/blue-green in my house, so lately I have been focusing my efforts on finding orange, red and pink accessories.

Gorgeousness!!!

Talk about gorgeous interiors! I don't think it's possible to go wrong when you decide to add accessories in a color that complements your decor.

Monochromatic

A Monochromatic color scheme uses different tints and shades of the same color. I think the most important thing to remember when using a monochromatic color scheme is that texture is key, without it your room could end up looking flat and boring.

Elle at Ellementary Home was spot on when she created this paint chip art!

Wow, so that is a lot of color schemes for one post, so I suppose I will have to continue this one tomorrow, and I will talk about achromatic, triadic and analagous color schemes!

We are now entering the Black HOLE!

So, after finishing up the chevron stripes, and the demilune table in our entry area I knew that I wanted to do something fun and original with the door on that wall. I started hopping around pinterest, and some other favorite web haunts, when I started to notice that black doors were really doing it for me. I showed my sweetie-pie some pictures, and (fingers crossed) asked him what he thought. 

He liked it! (sigh of relief)

So, I pulled out my Sherwin Williams fan deck, and decided that Tricorn Black (SW6258) was going to be our best bet. After a little more inspiration hunting we realized just how much we were loving the black doors, and decided to paint all of our interior doors the same shade.
Since Mike's knee is still pretty swollen, and he's not very mobile, it took  a lot longer than normal, but he got it done regardless, and he did an amazing job!

These are some of the photos that inspired us. Click on the image to be taken to the original source.

We stopped at Sherwin Williams after Mike's physical therapy appointment, and they had the gallon ready for us. We decided to go with ProMar 200- Zero VOC Interior Latex (Ultradeep Base)

I am beyond pleased with this product. I know Mike is always a little bit skeptical when it comes to low or no VOC paints, but he was impressed too. It went up like butta'! No problems at all. 

We didn't take any photos of the process. I know for Mike if he's just doing something like a single door, he uses a brush for the whole thing. He always tell me he has to keep moving to get done before it starts tacking up. This helps to prevent any drag marks. He did two thin and even coats, and we called it a day.

After all, there's only so much you can do while sitting in a chair with your knee elevated. 

I am ecstatic with the finished look, and can't wait to see the rest of the doors done. Sometimes I wish he wasn't such a great painter so I could get in on the black beauty action. I really can't complain though, I mean look at how great it turned out!

The mirror frame and lampshade really tie it all together quite nicely.

I am in door Heaven! It's like it was meant to be this way forever, 

patiently waiting for someone to come along with a brush and a can of black paint.

Here's a before and after for you to show just how dramatic the difference really is.

We are just thrilled with the outcome! I love how it makes the blue stripes pop even more. Before we painted the door it was hard to tell if the stripes were blue or black, now with the black right next to it, the blue becomes brighter.

Now the question is wreath, or no wreath? What do you think?

linked up to: involving color 

Spring Mantel & Burlap Garland

I always struggle with decorating our mantel. It is one spot in our home that continues to stump me when it comes to styling. I think a lot of it has to do with the big black box that hangs above it, and all the cords that come along with it. This is pretty much how it has looked since we moved in right before Christmas.

While our mantel is far from perfect, it's much better than just a few picture frames and a ton of wires everywhere. I was trying to think of a quick and cute idea for making a garland when I came upon some burlap in my stash. Perfect. I cut it into 4 strips that were about 6 inches wide and the full width of the fabric (probably 60")

I folded those in half to find the middle, and pulled on the middle string from both ends until the ruffles looked right.

They ended up being about a foot long each when the were fully ruffled. I just tied the string into a knot at each end to hold the ruffle in place, and added them to the mantle.

I am pretty happy with how it came out. Please excuse my dark shots. I haven't posted in what feels like forever, and I wanted to get this one in. Also, I don't know about you all, but the majority of my best creative work happens between the hours of 8pm and midnight, if not even later. The house is quiet, and all the ideas I've gotten during the day are flowing through my mind.
Anyway, back to the mantel. I am pretty happy with how it turned out. I LOVE the burlap garland, and how it camouflages the TV cables. I might make a few tweaks to the rest of it, but I am just relieved to have something there.

The Easter Banner is an awesome free printable from Itsy Belle. This site is a great place to go for holiday/ party inspiration. If you stop by be sure to let them know I sent you!

The subway art in the frame is another free printable from eighteen25, (do you see a pattern here) they have a great blog with lots of free treats. If you have a moment stop over there and say hello!

Almost everything I used to style the mantle came from around the house. The only thing that we bought was the little tree with carrot ornaments ($2- Dollar Store) and the bird on the pedestal ($4- Christmas Tree Shops). I love my new little bird, and I'm sure I will continue to use him in our home long after spring has passed. I shared about the flowers last week in my blooms of the month post.

I'll have to take some pictures of it tomorrow, when there will actually be some natural light in the room or any light for that matter. Who knows, maybe it will look completely different by tomorrow afternoon.
What have you been doing to get that spring feeling in your home?
Does anyone else have design add when it comes to styling your homes?

Patio Update

So, I am pretty sure that we have the worst patio in our entire development. We have a small concrete slab that is about 6'x9'. As far as I know everyone else has beautiful wood decks. Because we have so much to do inside the house right now, installing a deck is not in our plans anytime soon. We are thinking of extending the concrete or using some pavers to give us some more hard surface to entertain and enjoy the fresh air.

A few weeks ago our Home Owners Association hired a property manager to help keep things in order, and make sure that everything that needs to be done is actually getting done. She decided that the roof that covers our concrete slab should have a post in the corner to help hold it up. I completely agree! :) 

When the guys came out to put in the post they noticed that the wood inside was horribly rotten. All the wood on the ground is what fell out when they took off some of the soffit. uh-oh!

these shots are after they replaced the worst of it. this is the "good wood"

 Because of the way our homeowners association works we don't technically own the outside of our home, so we are not responsible for any of these repairs. If we damage the exterior, or if there is damage to our home from a previous owner we are responsible for that.

Anyway, everything is all back together now, with the addition of a support post and some hefty new gutters. I am a happy homeowner. Gotta love home improvement projects that cost nothing, and require zero effort.

Here's what the space looks like now.

Our super awesome neighbours shared some of their patio furniture with us since our old set won't fit in the tiny little space. I like it! I can't wait to sit out here on a nice warm morning and sip on a yummy cup of coffee.

We still have a lot more work to do out here. We need to figure out a solution for our garbage can since we don't have a garage. We also need to get our paint scrapers, and power washer out to clean the paint off of the concrete. I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but the original color was  a nasty green, which was later followed by baby blue. Both colors are 80% chipped away. We still haven't decided whether we will leave it plain, stain it or paint it.

While I might be confused about how to finish the concrete, I have a ton of ideas about how I want the area to be designed. We got a new Kenmore Grill as a Housewarming/ Christmas gift, and I LOVE that it's red. That's not something you see everyday. We haven't put it together yet, but I'm pretty sure it's this one from K-Mart.

I definitely want to take the red and run with it outside. I've pretty much taken any traces of red inside and gotten rid of them completely, (I was a bit traumatized by how poorly the previous owners chose to use the color) but I've always loved red, and I think the patio is a wonderful place to go for it. I'm still not sure whether we will use red alone, or accent it with some other colors.

These are some of the rugs we are considering.

This One from World Market is a very affordable option at only $20. You can't beat that. I was thinking it might work if I go with a slightly nautical feel for the space with red, a bold blue and light blue. We'll see. 

I am really liking the pattern of this rug, and I keep noticing that I am drawn to patterns similar to this one quite often. At just $48.99 it is another very reasonably priced option, and I don't have to worry as much about how it will look with the grill.

This one is probably my favorite of the three because it pretty much takes my color scheme problem and throws it out the window. It incorporates the red as well as most of the colors I am using a lot inside our home. Unfortunately at $123.99 it isn't nearly as budget friendly as the others. BOO! If anyone from overstock ever reads this post. I have absolutely no objection to being sent this rug free of cost so I can do a review on it's quality and fab style!   (j/k, yeah right, that kind of stuff doesn't happen to me)

Sorry, I know this post is getting pretty lengthy. I promise I'm almost through. I just wanted to share one last idea for the patio. As soon as I saw that post up the first thing I thought was "I should dress it" Here's a photo to show you what in the world I am talking about. 

I took this photo at the 2011 Cape May Designer Show House, and I love how it adds a softness and warmth to what can be a really hard space.  When you're working with a concrete base in an outdoor space it's easy for it to feel cold and hard, and I want it to feel warm, comfy-cozy and inviting. I think dressing the pole could really help.

Alright, I'll be done for now. I need to make some mood boards for the space and see what works best. I'll be sure to let you know what I come up with. Hope you are all having a wonderfully week! Tomorrow's Friday! WOO-HOO WEEKEND!!!