February 26, 2009

The Wonder of Paint: A series

I'm feeling a little frisky, waiting on spring, so I thought I'd walk on the wild side and do a series.  Care to join?  

Over the next week we will delve into the subject of paint.  If your knees begin to knock at the thought of choosing a paint color, then stick around.   You'll be dashing to the paint store with confidence by the end.

We will finish off the series with a Mr. Linky party where you can show off  a room that you've fallen in love with all over again because of a little paint.

Use paint to enhance your assets

Our example today is this beautiful study/office (which happens to be in my parents' home).
While red is a pretty typical color choice for a study, it is camouflaging the room's most beautiful feature: the rich wood cabinetry.   

I personally love red, but there were too many strong colors fighting for attention in this room, between the red walls, blue chairs, and gorgeous black fabric.  

My mom loves color, so we needed to find a color that would soften the room and highlight the wood.
She chose this beautiful, soft blue to match her existing chairs.  The black fabric plays off of it nicely too;  but most importantly, look how it reveals the cabinetry!
Thinking of a soft blue with a hint of grey?  The color is Sherwin William's "Aleution"
Next time:
Neutrals can be exciting

12 comments:

Carpool Queen said...

That made all the difference! Should I use soft colors with white cabinetry or should I go bold? Think "small house".

trish said...

The blue really makes the dark wood pop. I sure like that combination!
Sincerely ~ Tricia Anne

Kristen said...

Wow! What a difference! It looks so good! You could barely tell those cabinets were even there before you changed the color out.

Shell in your Pocket said...

I love that blue...it's wonderful..I may have to write that down!
~sandy toe

Jen - Balancing Beauty and Bedlam said...

Wow - when I first loved the bold red, I just loved it. And then I saw your comment about the wood. So true. I noticed the red but not the beautiful book shelves. I'm scared of paint...hee hee.

Amy said...

I love "before and after" posts. It's beautiful!! Is there a rug in that room? I can picture an ornate persian in this space.

Anonymous said...

I loved my red, but WOW, what a difference this makes. I really love my new blue room. And I'm glad you had before pictures, because I don't think I ever took any in there. Thanks for your decorating expertise!

Laura said...

What a great series to start! I LOVE paint!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I am NOT scared of paint or color :) I have even painted my kitchen countertops! :)Can't wait to see your posts. This room makeover is great!

Just a little something from Judy said...

This afternoon I had a few extra minutes and I visited your blog. You certainly have a talent for decorating. Your kitchen is beautiful! I like the change of red paint to blue paint. What a drastic difference. My favorite though, is your header picture. Those mountains are majestic!

Anonymous said...

Yes, there's a rug in there...it came from Farmville, VA a few years ago & is a nice thick rug that was probably very expensive originally. But I got it for $100! I've had it in different places & really never liked it much. But it looks great in my "new room"!

Tammi said...

Oh, I love this idea- how fun! The blue looks so beautiful.

Four Paws and Co said...

Amazing! I didn't notice the cabinetry at all when it was red, although I loved the shade of red. The cabinets pop out with the blue. ♥