COLOR CONSULTATIONS! Help Selecting Interior or Exterior Paint Colors

 

Selecting the right paint color is a daunting task for most.  Here are two ways to get the job done.

Option 1: 

1. Do it yourself.
2. Try to narrow done your basic color desire down to one or two basic colors (blue, green, red, yellow).
3. Go to one or all of your local paint stores and gather up samples. This can be the hard part, because the lighting in the paint store is different than in your home.  When you select a color that you like at the store, chances are it will look different at home.  So, get A LOT of samples.
4. During daylight, look at the paint swatches in on each wall of the room.  Depending on lighting, it can look different on each wall.  If you’d like, you can look at them again at night.
5. Hopefully, a couple of the colors will  look good to you. If yes, I would suggest you go back to the paint store(s) and get a few more swatches of the same color, if possible – order large swatches, or get a sample of the paint to test.  If you decide to get a sample of the paint, you have three choices.  1.  Paint it right on the wall (be sure to do a swatch on each wall – lighting again), 2.  Get a piece of poster sized wall board from your local box store and paint it – then you can move it around the room with out having to paint swatches all over your walls, 3. Most box stores now carry designer sample boards, they are about the size of a piece of paper.  Get 4 and paint all of them and place on each wall. Do this for all colors you are considering.
6. Hopefully, you’ll love one of the colors.  If so start painting!
7. If not, go back to step 2 and do it all over again … and again … (if necessary) until you find the perfect color for you.

Option 2:

1.  Hire a professional and get a Color Consultation.  Someone like myself will come to your home and bring all the swatches to you.  I typically carry ALL the swatches for 2-3 different brands of paint.  Depending on how many rooms and how many colors you select, it can take as little as 1 hour, most take 2-3 hours … and you’re ready to start painting immediately!

If you’re located in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact me for more information about getting a color consultation.  If you’re elsewhere, contact me anyway – I can probably refer you to someone.

Jill Denton ~ Changing Spaces

Decorating On A Budget

Some people say were in a recession, but when it comes to our homes, most of us have an uncontrollable urge to remodel and decorate!  So, what do you do in times like these if you don’t have the money to do a full remodel but you just can’t take it anymore?   Here are a few budget decorating ideas that you can either hire someone to do without spending a lot of money and some other things you can do yourself.

1.  Paint!  Paint is probably the most cost effective and design efficeint things you can do to update your home without spending a lot of money.  Even if you hire someone, the cost is low compared to other remodling expenses, but if you paint yourself … it’s down right cheap!  And the best bang for your buck!

2.  Interior Redesign!  Maybe you have a room you never use, or a room that just doesn’t feel or look right, maybe your bored with the room, but you may or may not want to go out and purchase some furnishings to change the look of the room.  Hire an interior redesigner to REDESIGN your home/a room using what you already own and love.  A redesinger will redesign just one room or your entire home.  You decide, based on your wants, needs and budget.  Another best bang for the buck!

3.  Update your accessories.  Try changing out your throw pillows, accessories and art.  This can change the look and feel of your home …maybe just enough to make your decorating urges go away for a while.

4.  Change out your art.  I know, you always hang this piece over your fireplace and that piece in the living room  – change it up.  We get so used to seeing them in the same place that we stop seeing and enjoying them.  Make it fun and invite a friend over (one who’s taste you like) and take down all of your art and then together take turns holding up different pieces in new and different locations.  It’s fun, costs no money and you’re home will look and feel refreshed.

5.  What budget decorating projects have you done?  Please share your experiences here.

Four types of general lighting

Ambient lighting is generally created with ceiling fixtures like these can-lights. Ambient gives overall light to a room.

Task lighting is used to help light a task, like cooking, reading, sewing or homework.

 

Accent lighting is used to highlight special features in any space, architectural elements, wall art and special decorative items. These sconces for example, highlight the specialized wall treatment.

Decorative lighting usually serves more than one purpose. This table lamp is both decorative and a task light.

        

Source: Ginger Foust, IRIS

Paint and an Interior Redesign = Big Change!

Three steps to BIG CHANGE in your home with out having to buy new things or spend a lot of money. 

Step 1:  Select the right color, whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, LIKE ME, to help you select the right color(s) for your home. 

Step 2:  Paint

Step 3: Rearrange all the furniture, art and accessories in your home or hire a professional, LIKE ME, to do an One-Day Interior Redesign to one or all the rooms in your home.

 And the best part is that it only takes one day.

14 Ways to a New Happier You in 2008.

This artivle was recently published in the Tri Valley Magazine.  Notice the number one thing to do to get a new happier you in 2008! 14 Ways to a New Happier You in 2008 by Allison Firestone Tri Valley Magazine, January/February 2008 Issue Thankfully, it’s a new year. TIME TO TAKE STOCK OF 2007. DID YOU LOSE THOSE 10 POUNDS YOU SWORE YOU WOULD? STOP SPENDING SO MUCH MONEY ON CLOTHES? START SAVING? VOLUNTEER FOR A GOOD CAUSE? TAKEUP A NEW HOBBY? If you’ve failed on most every front, don’t despair. Luckily, the New Year gives us all a second chance at a new lease on life. This year, instead of making those same impossible-to-stick-with resolutions, try simply aiming to reenergize your life. We promise that each of these 14 ideas will leave you feeling renewed and recharged in 2008. So here’s to a new happier you.

1. COLOR YOUR WORLD. Paint one room a totally bright, bold color. Think dark blue, bold magenta, or bright yellow in the kitchen, bedroom or bathroom. Use the room and your favorite colors as your inspiration, says Jill Denton, Bay Area interior designer and owner of Changing Spaces in Pleasanton. If it’s an active room, a color like red can help add energy. For the bedroom? Something cool and calming like a light blue shade is most relaxing. Warm brick colors are great in dining rooms. “It’s cozy and it makes people want to eat,” Denton said. If you’re skeptical of painting an entire room a bright color, accent walls can be a good choice, too. “Accent walls can really make people go ‘wow’ when they walk in a room,” Denton adds.

Set a Physical Fitness Goal You’ll Actually Enjoy Achieving We always resolve to work out more. But making a commitment to being active doesn’t mean you have to become a gym rat. So set a goal that excites you. If you thrive on competition, sign up for a race, like Bay To Breakers race on May 18. Start training now and register on the web site at www.ingbaytobreakers.com. Or make Sundays your day to try a new hike.Check out www.bahiker.com for a massive list of East Bay trails. If you’re the type who needs someone to hold you accountable, sign up for a personal trainer or try the four-week Bay Area Boot Camp in Walnut Creek or Pleasanton. Get more information at www.bayareabootcamp.com. Not only will you have a coach to keep you on track, but you’ll have to pay up front, giving you another incentive to stick it out.

3. GIVE YOUR FRIENDS A BREAK. GET A THERAPIST. Seriously, though, talking to someone about those things that incessantly plague you can do wonders for your outlook on life. Ask friends or consult your doctor for referrals to good therapists.

4. LEAVE THOSE FROWN LINES BEHIND. Sick of slathering all those creams, rubs, peels and screens on your face to no avail? There’s nothing wrong with some subtle outside assistance if it’ll improve your state of mind. Dr.Stephen Ronan of Blackhawk Plastic Surgery in Danville says he is the first in Northern California to offer the new Pearl laser treatment, which requires only topical numbing. “It’s a resurfacing procedure,” said Ronan. “It works very well on brown spots, wrinkles, texture, smoothness and pore size.” Also popular is the new short scar facelift. “There’s no incision behind the ear,” said Ronan. “It’s a safer surgery with less downtime, and it leaves a more natural look, less surgical or pulled.”

5. Breathe Solor Do something all alone, just for you. Hike Mount Diablo, breathe in the fresh, crisp winter air, and listen to the silence. Try taking your dog to Dougherty Hills Dog Park in Dublin and chill out with a book while your pooch makes some new friends. Or, if the sun’s shining, head to downtown Walnut Creek, kick back on one of the many outdoor benches with a cup of coffee, and peoplewatch. Even if it’s just for an hour, it’ll give you that mental recharge you desperately need.

6. CHANGE DIRECTION Is a career change in the cards? Amber Rosenberg, a San Francisco-based life coach (www.pacificlifecoach.com), offers freephone consultations if you’re considering seeking help to make significant lifechanges, like a career change. “People often inquire about coaching when they’re facing a change or a challenge in their personal or professional lives,” said Rosenberg. The first call gives you a chance to decide whether coaching is right foryou.

7. RENEW YOUR KARMA. VOLUNTEER. Scared of commitment? There are plenty of local one-time volunteer opportunities. Habitat for Humanity’s East Bay chapter allows volunteers to sign up for days that they want to help build homes in areas like Oakland and Alameda (see www.eastbayhabitat.org for details). Home at Last Animal Rescue offers both large- and small-scale commitments, from temporarily housing an animal to walking dogs (www.homeatlastrescue.org).You can find lists of other opportunities on www.idealist.org. All you have to do is search by your city.

8. BUY OR DO SOMETHING TOTALLY INDULGENT, UTTERLY UNNECESSARY, AND ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. Who cares if the holidays just happened – consider it an investment in your own happiness. Snag a season pass to Heavenly at Lake Tahoe, or get a great haircut at one of those expensive salons that includes a scalp massage, complimentary wine, and three people working on perfecting your look, like Victoria’s Salon in downtown Pleasanton. This full-service salon also offers creative spa packages. Try the Heaven on Earth treatment—it includes a facial, massage, mani/pedi,scalp treatment, and hairstyling, plus lunch. Or, if you’re more of a gadget person, splurge on a top-of-the-line phone like Apple’s iPhone that does everything from taking your picture to categorizing your email. (It’ll help you stick with your “Get Organized” resolution, right?)

9. FENG SHUI YOUR WAY TO PROSPERITY Feng Shui, the traditional Chinese practice of arranging an environment that promotes peacefulness and prosperity, can be used to energize your professional life. Alexis Summerfield, a Feng Shui expert based in Lafayette, said that space-clearing techniques, colors, and symbols can encourage positive energy flow in the office, attracting wealth, good luck, and a positive reputation. “First of all, you gotta clean it up,” Summerfield says.“Old files and storage block energy.” Next, she suggested focusing on three areas of your office or cubicle: the back left corner, the front right and the back middle. Each has symbols and colors that attract that area’s specific energy. To invite wealth, put water, or a picture of water, and something purple in the back left corner. In the front right corner, which represents luck and good fortune, place something white, and a representative of prosperity, like information on your top clients and a white crystal. In the back middle, which represents reputation, add something red and fiery, like a red plant that points up in a flame-like way. Whatever you decide, the most important thing is being aware of the intention behind the object. “Otherwise, it’s just stuff,” Summerfield says.

10. EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS. Do you dream about a trip to Paris or cooking like Emeril? Whatever it is that spurs your spirit to soar, pursue your passion this year. Sign up for a hands-on cooking class at the new cooking school at Draeger’s in Danville, where you can take a master class in chocolate from Berkeley’s famous chocolate maker John Scharffenberger or learn how to make handmade pasta or Mexican desserts. Check out www.Meetup.com, which lists scores of local groups that meet monthly to share a love of anything from happy hour, to contemporary fiction to French language. If yoga’s your thing, there’s a Bay Area Yoga meet-up, as well as one for dog lovers, the Small Breed Dogs group. Not only will you have something to look forward to, but you’ll meet people with similar passions. (Singles, your ears should be perking up right about now.) Even if your passion is a little…ahem…unique, search around. There’s even a monthly meet-up group for Bay Area cemetery walks.

11. ELIMINATE MONEYWORRIES.. Learn how to invest your money wisely for now and for the future. Benjamin Wong, Certified Financial Planner at Pleasanton’s Foothill Securities, Inc., advises beginning with two basic steps. “Put 10 percent of your earnings away toward your long-term financial goals and don’t touch it,” he says. “And start a money market account for your near-term financial goals, so you don’t touch that retirement money.” The long-term savings should be put into a quality mutual fund, or a 401(k), Roth or IRA, which will shelter it from taxes. “You should never need to worry about your retirement,” Wong adds.

12. COMMIT TO A MONTHLY DINNERWITH FRIENDS.. Write it on your calendar now and stick to it for the next 12 months. Use it as an excuse to get together and try all those restaurants you’ve always wanted to check out. Spend a Saturday winetasting in Livermore (check out www.Livermorewine.com) or have brunch at Café Cacao, the ScharffenBerger Chocolate Maker’s restaurant in Berkeley. (They also give free, hour-long factory tours.) Try a different ethnic cuisine each month, perhaps starting with the varied Asian restaurants in Dublin’s new Ulfert Center, like the Vietnamese eatery Vin Pearl, or Sansar for North Indian fare on Pleasanton’s Main Street. Fire and Ice in Livermore provides upscale ambience, Mongolian barbecue,and allows diners to pick the ingredients they want a chef to grill for them.

13. ELIMINATE THAT POISONOUS PERSON FROM YOUR LIFE.. Let’s face it: cleaning out your closet is overrated; a pesky ex will do a lot more damage than any old flannel jacket or circa 1990 pair of patent-leather shoes. So forget your closet and clean up your personal life, because life’s too short to waste time on people who make you feel bad. Delete that ex’s phone number, stop feeling obligated to make plans with that “friend” who leaves you rethinking your dessert order and spend that extra time pursuing new relationships. (See #10 for creative spots to meet new people.)

14. DETOXIFY YOUR BODY AND CHANGE YOUR EATING HABITS.. “People eat a lot of sugar and a lot of fat over the holidays,” says Lynn Keller, a certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant in Danville. “So our bodies are a little beat up.” Keller said one way to reverse the over-indulgence is with some abbreviated detoxing. “Take a day and only consume warm liquids with a little brown rice and vegetables, but mostly broth and tea,” she said. Keller advised taking two days for this, because on the second day the digestive system cleanses itself. But Keller said detox is only the first step in breaking unhealthy holiday eating patterns.Consider trying a whole new approach to your diet, one that addresses the needs of the body,mind, and spirit. “We believe that it is never too late to restore and heal the body with the power of nutrition,” Keller says.

Paint Color Tips and Tricks

 

1.  Most of the local hardware/big box stores carry poster sized pieces of wallboard and sample boards (about the size of a piece of paper).  These are GREAT tools to have if you are unsure about your color choice.  Buy samples of the paint you’re considering and paint on the boards.  You can move these all around the room  and you won’t have paint patches all over your walls.  Be sure to place the board on each wall because the color will look different on every wall depending on the lighting.

2. Now that you’ve selected the right color, you have one more choice to make.  Which sheen do you want?  Ah geez!  Another decision.  Flat, Eggshell, Satin, Semi-Gloss or Gloss?  (These are in order from flat to one with the most shine for Kelly Moore paints). Here’s a tip.  The higher the shine the more washable the paint/wall.  However, the higher the sheen the easier it is to see imperfections in the wall.  Nowadays, I find the most popular sheen is Eggshell.  It give you a little wash-ability without being over shiny. However, if you’re painting a wet area (bathroom/kitchen) most people use a  semi-gloss.

3.  How to get a perfect seam.  Sometimes you’ll find that you’ll need a perfect seam in between paints.  Maybe it’s a rounded corner or a transition from one room to another where two different paint colors meet.  Here’s the tip.  Start by making a line with painters tape. Then (and this is the most important part) apply a clear acrylic – matt finish to the seam of the tape and let dry.  This seals the tape to the wall so your new paint color won’t seep under the edge of the tape.  Paint your walls and remove the tape to find a perfect paint line.

Jill Denton

Changing Spaces

How to add some color to your apartment

Decorating apartments can be challenging because, typically, you’re not allowed to paint. Staring at those white walls is so boring, and probably doesn’t enhance your personal style. But you are in luck because there is a way for you to add some color to the walls without painting.

You can use a room divder as wall art instead of as a room divider.  You can purchase a room divider that is wood, iron or filled with material, just pick out what you like.  If you decide to place a room divieder on the wall, be sure that it is flat and not folded at the hinges.  Then you can either just lean it against the wall (just keep in mind the flatter the room divider is to the wall the better it will look.)  You can also get a little creative and hang it on the wall, make a stand for it or just place something heavy and decorative in front of it to keep the bottom from sticking out too far. Another great way to use a room divider is as a headboard.  If you don’t have a headboard this is a quick, easy, affordable way to add color and interest to your bedroom.  You can either just place it between the bed and the wall or hang it ont he wall. 

Or if you’re feeling creative, purchase some VERY LARGE canvases and paint them.  Don’t worry, you don’t have to be an artist to paint.  You can just pick some colors that you love that will go with what you have in the room and paint the entire canvas that one solid color.  Sign it and you’re done.  You can make it as simple or complex as you wish.  Either way, in the end you get color on your walls!

Another newer option is vinyl wall art.  Most of the vinyl wall art just sticks onto the wall and peels off when you want to move it.

Just a few simple and affordable way to add interest and more color to your apartment.

Jill Denton ~ Changing Spaces

Show me your ceilings!

A while back I wrote “What color is your ceiling?” 

They’re spectacular all around the world and in the US, they’re white.  Countless numbers of people have seen my blog on What Color is your ceiling.  Now I want to know, what color is your ceiling??? What else have you done to make your ceiling spectacular.  And if you have an image posted/uploaded to the internet, I can even show what you’ve done.  It’s time to share.

Jill Denton ~ Changing Spaces

The Color Wheel

 

Complementary: This scheme uses two colors which are directly opposed on the color wheel (for example: Orange and Blue)  

Split Complementary: This scheme uses 3 colors. One color and two other colors that are directly adjacent to its complement on the color wheel (for example: Orange, Blue-Violet, and Blue-Green)  

Triad: This color scheme uses 3 colors that are equally spaced out on the color wheel (for example: Orange, Violet, and Green)  

Analogous: This scheme uses three colors, one that is in the center, and the two colors adjacent to it on the color wheel (for example: Orange-Yellow, Orange, and Red-Orange).

Monochromatic: This color scheme uses colors from the same Hue on the color wheel, but with varying saturation and/or lightness (for example: different shades or tints of Orange).  Jill Denton ~ Changing Spaces

3 Steps to Choosing Paint Color

Choosing a paint color can be one of the most difficult decorating decisions, there are so many choices out there, but with a few designer tips, it can be as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Pick your favorite object in the room. This can be a rug, fabric, wall art, comforter or piece of furniture. The color(s) of this object will set the mood and overall look for the room.

2. Select colors that go with the favorite object you selected. In a rug, a piece of fabric or wall art, coordinating colors will be easy to spot.  Just match one of the colors that you like.  Or you could choose an analogous, complementary, split complementary, triad or monochomatic color scheme based on the color wheel. For example, if your sofa is blue and you added analogous colors, you’d be adding other shades of blue, if you were to add shades of orange you’d be adding a complementary colors.

3. Choose accents to pull the room together.  For most people, this is either the fun part or the hard part.  Look to the color wheel for direction if you need help.  The same rules apply.  Choose accent peices, furniture, window treatments, art and accessories that are coordinating, analogous or complementary ito complete the room.