DOES KETCHUP GO BETTER WITH FRENCH FRIES THAN ORANGES?

RLD LOOKS AT PANTONE’S 2013 COLOR TRENDS cont…

If you’re looking for a fast and easy way to prepare your home for the holidays, or any reason for that matter, what could be simpler and least time consuming than a fresh coat of paint?

So on 9-25-12, we began examining Pantone’s 10 colors for Spring 2013, beginning with Dusk Blue 16-4120. Today we explore Poppy red 17-1664.

As a student at NYC’s Art Student’s League in the 80’s, I learned that black paint with a pinch of red took the color out of the dark worm hole of space, and made the color richer and less harsh. Take a look at the four “black” contemporary chairs in the photo. They’re actually a deep…deep…deep…deep red. The red area rug anchors the seating area. Notice, too, please, that all four chairs are firmly planted on the rug; none hang over the edge.  

 

Red gives me license to express my ‘daring freshness and originality’ (not my words, one of my client’s). I love using a high gloss red in a small entrance hall or powder room with gold and/or black accessories, for example, a mirror with gold or brass frame, gold or black sconce/s with black shades, black or red murano glass chandelier. How about a hand painted sink with gold fittings? Have fun with these spaces. So many leave decorating their entries until the end, but isn’t it the first room your guests see when they enter your home? Don’t leave them drab… make these rooms fab!

 Libraries are perfect rooms for red. Include the ceiling. I usually recommend painting the ceiling of a room a tint of the wall color, but that would make your ceiling pink! A benefit of a red room is that with properly layered lighting (all on dimmers) and window treatments, you can make it as bright or seductively dark as you’d like. This library serves as a media room, intimate entertainment space, and family room. The lighting is easily adjusted for whatever the occasion. It can be darkened to watch tv without glare, warmly inviting for friends, or bright and cheery for family game night. Other colors introduced are a subdued yellow incorporated in the chairs, drapes, and ottoman – Ketchup and French fries! 

Actually, the only room I’d avoid using red is in a bedroom. Red is stimulating, the last feeling you want when you first open your eyes in the morning. If you insist on using red, a soft shade of red-orange (almost salmon) will downplay the jolt of red, alternatively, paint the wall behind your bed so you don’t see it on awakening. Then you can add accessories in hues of brilliant hibiscus flowers, the intense red of fall leaves, and glowing embers. Adding the femininity of soft pink will tone down the overall look.

 

To determine a color scheme for a single room or your entire household, invest in an hour consultation with me. It is the least expensive and best investment you’ll ever make for your home. Call or email 631.848.8469, robin@robinlechnerdesigns.com to set an appointment.

 

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