Georgia Interior Design

Life stresses: Marriage, new job, choosing paint colors

The holidays are over and a new year is upon us.  Time to paint the walls, right?

Some people are surprisingly afraid to make a paint color decision and struggle with the weight of it all as if failure to choose wisely would lead to negative eternal consequences.  St. Peter at the pearly gates: “Well, I was going to let you in until you put Calico Cat on your ceiling…”

If you are planning to sell your house, slap a neutral on the walls and call it good.  Staying put?  You can pick up a copy of the latest home magazine brimming with advice on the hot new colors and bring it to your local paint store.  Or, heaven forbid, you can have a nice conversation with your spouse about paint preferences and see who wins. 

My wife, Judy, usually has a color direction in mind when she’s ready to paint a room, but makes the final decision by having a half dozen quarts of varying shades mixed with which she splashes the walls, creating large splotches like she’s covering graffiti, and lives with it until one of them speaks to her.  (Another way to do this would be to buy large pieces of white board and paint them with your alternatives rather than defacing your walls, but that’s one of those battles not worth waging and I don’t want to mess with tradition.)  But if you want your home to be warm, or bright, or make a statement, and can’t make a decision, call your designer.

There’s usually a reason somebody is really good at what they do and sometimes it goes beyond passion or desire.  Ted Williams, arguably baseballs greatest hitter ever, said that he could see the pitch so clearly he could tell you if he hit the ball on, over, or under the seam.  Pretty amazing when you consider the ball is traveling nearly 100 mph and is spinning.  Talented designers have a similar ability with color.  I’ve heard that they have highly active or sensitive cones in their eyes, allowing them to see color at a much higher level than us mortals which explains why I’ve seen designers return to our studio from a client’s house and pull their colors out of a paint palette with perfect accuracy.  Do you have any idea how hard that is?

So, why all the stress?  Certainly nobody wants to go to all the effort of painting a room only to be unhappy with the results.  It’s not always obvious to predict what will happen when an entire room is painted based off the color selected from a little sample chip.  I think that’s why some people are more comfortable borrowing colors they see on the walls of a friend’s house.  But that strategy isn’t always foolproof and the reasoning lies tangled in the web of color theory. 

Without getting all professorial, the same color can change appearance depending on its environment.  Did you ever do that experiment in art class where you took two swatches of the same color and surrounded them by two other colors, or black and white?  The very same color could be made to look remarkably different when given a new background.  They call this spontaneous contrast, I think.  So maybe your neighbor’s walls looked really cool painted in a crispy Pinot Noir, but that may have had something to do with the color of their furniture and carpet, the amount of natural light, the interior lighting, the shade of tinting on the windows, the window coverings, the wall color of an adjoining room, blah blah blah.  More stress.

Speaking of lighting, did you know that there are many choices of fluorescent lighting all using various combinations from the color spectrum?  We have some in our studio that seem blue and they match the color of natural light.  They use a different color at a butcher shop, probably with more red, to enhance the color of meat.  Seriously!

Oh, and the color of natural light in Georgia can be different than, say, Colorado.  In the summer the skies are white here and crystal blue there.

Back to your walls.  I haven’t helped much yet, have I?  If you are going to paint a room and not change anything else, your job should be easy if you are wide open to color selection because the right choices should reveal themselves when you look at the tonality of your carpet, furnishings, window treatments, etc.  A designer or an expert at your local paint store should easily be able to help.  The key is not to fall in love with a specific color and force it into your home, but rather to choose a general color and allow the room to determine its perfect shade and tone. 

If you are redoing a room, please fight the urge to start with the paint.  Paint should be THE LAST decision you make.  Moving into a new home and need to have fresh new walls to erase evidence of the previous owners?  I don’t care.  Arrange your furniture and then choose your paint.  If you have money to burn, go ahead and paint the house neutral, arrange your furniture and paint again. 

Many designers start a new room by choosing an area rug.  Can you believe that?  Then they choose the upholstery fabric, then the window treatment fabric, then the paint.  Why?  It’s easier to move in the ascending order of choices available.  What?  There is a finite selection of rugs, much narrower than upholstery grade fabric, so it would stand to reason that you would have better success finding a sofa fabric to match a rug than the other way around.  There are even more fabric options available for window treatments which make it easier to marry them to the new sofa.  Paint color options are infinite, which is why you should make that choice last. 

As my dad would say, “thus endeth the lesson”.

Bar Stool 101

Since nearly every home has bar or counter stools and about every third person strolling through our showroom is looking for some, I thought I would give you my two cents on the subject.  First, you can just about name your price.  Second, the choice is nearly limitless.  Third, the best ones are rarely seen in your average furniture store.

It is safe to say that most people do not plan to spend much on bar stools, but just like anything, you get what you pay for.  Before you tune out because you think I am going to try to get you to open your wallet wider than anticipated, just think about the following.  You’re having a dinner party and you are doing the cooking.  Where are the guests?  Hanging around the kitchen and sitting on the counter stools.  You have a custom basement with a nice bar area.  Where are the guys sitting?  AT THE BAR!  You bought a gathering table for your casual dining.  What are you sitting on?  You get the idea.

It’s just my opinion but I swear there was a great local watering hole that shut down because the bar stools were awful.  How long are you going to sit there if the stools aren’t comfortable?  I’ve sat in bleachers that felt better on the backside.  Whoever makes those things should sell them with a tube of Icy Hot.

When it comes to styling, the sky is the limit.  We regularly order stools with the clients’ choice of finish and fabric or leather.  They can look like something stolen from a pub in Dublin to the most elegant seat in the Ritz Carlton lounge.  I’ve seen stools that look like the fishing chairs you lash yourself to when catching marlin.  I’ve seen stools that look like tractor seats, for goodness sake.  The point is that you can have stools that make your guests check their watch, or have stools that say something about who you are, and are comfortable too.

So, how much should a stool as easy on the eyes as it is on the tushie cost?  You can spend $200-250 on nice stools that are reasonably well made.  They will be relatively simple and your finish and style choices will be limited, but I’ve placed plenty of them in the fine homes in the area and they look great.  The $400-600 range will get you a lot more choice.  We work with a line out of New England that makes custom stools from maple in your choice of finish and seat fabric.  They exude Yankee durability and sensibility.  The owner works in the plant in the morning and goes mountain biking in the afternoon, which is a fun thing to know.  The best of the best hover in the $1000-1500+ range.  It sounds like a lot, but when you see them you’ll know why.  The detailing and customization will be noticeable.  If leather is used, it will be top quality.  They will make a dramatic statement in any space.

Before you go shopping it would be good to narrow your choices by thinking about whether you want arms or no arms, stationary or swivel, or fabric, leather, or a wood seat.  We tend to recommend stools that provide a nice contrast to the other wood tones in the room rather than trying to match the bar, for example.  Lastly, know there’s a difference in height between bar stools and counter stools.  The seat height for a bar stool is usually 30″ from the ground, and for a counter stool it’s 24-26″.

Who gets to set trends?

Do you ever wonder how trends are set or who gets to set them?  The sources of some trends are easy to spot.  When the TV show Friends was popular it seemed like all the girls were getting the Jennifer Anniston hairstyle at the salon.  But who gets to decide that shag rugs are back in style or what colors we should paint our walls?  Hey, I just tore out my wallpaper and applied a faux finish and now you tell me wallpaper is coming back?   Is this just a big conspiracy to make us buy new stuff because what we have is out of style, or is it some internal drive to continually alter our environment for personal pleasure or perhaps to vainly stay one step ahead of the Jones’s?

I heard someone say the other day, “history does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”

I remember when we mercifully left the 70’s behind us I was sure it would be the last time we saw bellbottom jeans and that avocado green that still makes my gag reflex kick in a bit.   Of course we all know that look started coming back a couple of years ago whether we wanted it or not, like another installment of the Halloween movie series.   The colors were not the same rust and green of the Carter years, but they were close.

There are two big shows a year in High Point, North Carolina, where all the home furnishing manufacturers showcase their wares and unveil what’s new.  The spring market is in April and the fall market is in October.  I spoke to one of my upholstery manufacturer reps last week who just returned from a meeting where they were selecting the fabrics for the spring market mere weeks after the fall market closed!  Conspiracy!

To be ‘in style’ is a decision you must make and, once accomplished, must be actively maintained else that status will be lost as fast as a New Years resolution.  It’s much easier to pick one of the established traditional (or not so traditional) styles and stick with it.  For those of you who have to be on the cutting edge, here are a couple of sources that can be used to keep you the envy of the neighborhood.

Pantone is a company that makes its livelihood through color.  You can go on their website and see what is predicted this fall to be the hot colors for spring.  Print out the color spectrum.  Keep it around until March and compare it to those gorgeous “I wish I had that room” photos in your newly delivered home magazines.  My guess is that you will be stunned, and then feel really cool that you know something most people don’t.

Understand that the new colors presented each season are typically not a fresh and random selection, but rather an evolution with perhaps one or two new introductions.  The aqua that was so hot with chocolate a few years back has mellowed, gotten dusty, and separated into two colors, green and blue.

Pantone makes predictions of what they expect to be future color trends, but there’s another organization just down the road from the CIA in Virginia that makes predictions of what colors should be used to sell products more effectively. (CIA?  Conspiracy?)  The Color Marketing Group is a not for profit collection of experts that help decide what color car you are going to want to buy three years from now, or more accurately what color the automakers should use that we would find more attractive.  They make predictions for nearly every segment of the marketplace.  (How the heck do they do that?)

From what I understand, the cosmetics and fashion industries are the first to jump on these trend predictions, but the home furnishing industry isn’t too far behind.  Actually, the edgier accessory companies are right in step with the fashion folks and if blue iris is the new hot color you can bet there will be blue iris lamps and pillows pumped out of the factories around the world.  Even the more traditional manufacturers will incorporate hints of the newer colors in their product offerings, but it may not be as obvious.  If a new product gets hot in the marketplace, they throw gasoline on it and let the fire of desire burn until it runs out of fuel.  Then the committee meets to decide what you will buy next.

Thinking of buying leather furniture?

Ahhh…there’s nothing like the rich scent of new leather.  Smells like…luxury.

Before you inadvertently buy one of those big poofy things or something you stick to, here are a few things to consider.

If the price of that new sofa is too good to be true, there’s a reason.  Read the fine print.  ‘Real leather everywhere the body touches’ is one of my favorites.  How do they know where I am going to touch it?  What’s the rest of it made of?  Real leather stitched to fake leather doesn’t work too well over time, and if the visible part is made of mystery materials can you imagine what’s on the inside? 

‘Genuine leather’ is another line to give pause.  I don’t know about you, but the word ‘genuine’ in my mind has devolved into something along the lines of ‘in a court of law we could argue that technically this is really what we are representing it to be, but barely’.

Without going into too much detail, you want top grain or full grain leather.  The hide of the cow is split twice and the outer layer is the good stuff.  It has all the markings (if you are into that) and is more durable, up to five times they say. The inner layers are called splits.  Any quality manufacturer uses the top and full grain.

Leather is tough, tough enough to hold the inside of a cow, um, in, and keep the elements out.  It’s funny that many clients are worried about leather durability under family conditions.  Maybe they didn’t have the right kind of leather for their lifestyle?

You will have two primary choices of good leather, aniline and protected. Aniline leather is dyed all the way through but done in such a way that you don’t lose the characteristics of the hide, and it stays very soft which you will appreciate every time you sit on it.  It marks more easily, which to some of us adds character, but could quickly resemble a poor wildebeest savaged by jackals if you own a Jack Russell terrier.

I’m told that the color of leather prior to dyeing is a light blue.  If your leather is not aniline dyed, that’s what will beam through when scratched.

The protected leathers, which should also be aniline dyed, are treated on the surface; ‘painted’ might be a good way to look at it.  You will lose some of the softness and individuality with a protected leather, but gain durability and stain resistance.  Industry insiders call it ‘pizza proof’.  The color will be very consistent.  This might be a better choice if you have kids, pets, or you are the overly analytical and orderly sort.

You will also have the option of doing some really creative things with protected leathers as they can be found stamped with patterns, such as stripes, crocodile, or even paisley. Most of the vendors we work with use leather from South America that is tanned in Europe.  The South American leather can have cool markings like tick bites and scratches from barbed wire fencing.  I’m told some of the finer unmarked leather comes from Germany where they must have more careful cows.  Now a lot of leather you see on furniture found in bulk is coming from Asia, but I haven’t noticed the better custom manufacturers using it.

Well made leather furniture should be passed down through the generations.  Even if that’s not the plan, you don’t want your furniture to lose its shape or start coming apart before you are ready to put it in the neighborhood garage sale.

We’re not saving the planet in the ‘burbs

If anyone out in the ‘burbs is thinking of going green I haven’t seen them.  Anyone?  Anyone?  All the manufacturers are putting a lot of effort in putting their best environmental foot forward but it hasn’t trickled down to our local buyer.  I think people feel good if what they chose happens to be eco friendly, but they aren’t asking for that first.  I guess we’ll leave that to the west coast for now.  I do know a lot of commercial space is currently being built with energy saving and renewable resources in mind.

Downsizing?

I was meeting with a regional developer the other day and he used a new term that I liked.  Empty nesters are no longer “downsizing”, they are “rightsizing”.  Tomato, toMAHto perhaps, but I like how it sounds and it could be an effective marketing strategy.  Downsizing sounds like the party’s over, but rightsizing sounds like you’re making a solid fiscal decision.

Wine dinner? Sign me up!

Rainbow Village is such a breath of fresh air.  It’s a group of people making an actual difference in people’s lives.  I don’t sense politics and bureaucracy like I have seen in some other charities.   My friend Jon Agri is hosting a benefit dinner November 9th for Rainbow Village at his restaurant that is going to be killer.  Great food and lots of wine (sense a trend here?), followed by a wine auction.  You can get some great labels for your cellar, and he has a wine club where after a nominal fee you can buy wine at just dollars over cost.  Such a deal!  If you sense a feeling of happiness and contentment while at his restaurant, we picked the paint color .

www.rainbowvillage.org
www.quantobastaus.com

Christmas decorating

Our ‘strategy meeting’ at Ananchel Fine Photography was a tremendous success as the set for the Santa photos is coming together nicely.  Suzanne selected the paint color for walls and put together the floorplan.  Karen showed her wizardry by making window treatments for the background right on site that looked like they came from a workroom while Shelley worked on decorating the tree.  Sundra snapped a few photos for us.  She’s so talented!

Ananchel Fine Photography

Suzanne and Shelley had a lot of fun yesterday as I took them on a field trip to Ananchel Fine Photography, a fantastic photo studio in an old house off the town square in Cumming.  Loved it.  One of my favorite things I saw was an old peeling door they use as a prop.  We are going to put together a Christmas set for their Santa photos.  The best of all the great ideas exchanged was to set an afternoon appointment in a couple of weeks so we can crack a bottle of wine and get creative.  It will be a ‘strategy meeting’.

Custom great room

We love working with clients who have imagination.  People who cant fathom the idea of custom ordering because they “can’t buy something without seeing it or sitting on it first” really cut themselves off from the good stuff.  The contrasting fabrics and leathers in all these pieces work together to create a room that is truly one of a kind.  Love the starfruit ottoman!