DECOR 8750: COLORING OUTSIDE THE BOX (CANYON)

27 Feb DECOR 8750: COLORING OUTSIDE THE BOX (CANYON)

I have to admit a topic for Décor 8750 this week was not easy. We at Tweed always have lots to say about stripes and color and tile, etc. but my design partner and I seem to have the same discussion  over and over about why people don’t like to take risks when decorating. Everyone feels safe I suppose with the off-whites and creams and the same old Travertine and granite, but we like to try to get our clients to think outside the box. In fact we believe it is our job to be creative and introduce people to ideas they never would dream up on their own. Interiors say a lot about their owners, so why not push your creativity?
This being a leap year,  we urge everyone to, well, take a leap. When choosing between something within your comfort zone or not, we strongly suggest the “or not.” Go for something that pushes your envelope and we guarantee you will be happy. Go for color. Color is really low risk because it can easily and always be changed.

To warm you up to the idea, let’s talk about some examples, beginning with baby steps, a conservative “risk”. Ok, so you are trying to spruce up your main living room with built-in shelves. You have reorganized and cleaned out, but the look is still not all that exciting. A safe, but subtle and satisfying move would be to paint just the back wall of the shelves a robin’s egg blue. This color is traditionally used on porch ceilings, but we like it to because it brightens and “excites” the space and the new shelves you’ve invested in.

For a more moderate risk, we turn to the kitchen for ideas from the Tweed portfolio.

Say you have traditional wood kitchen cabinets that have faded from the sun. Maybe they are dirty and worn due to age. Or maybe you are just plain sick of them. Our solution again, add color, specifically Benjamin Moore’s Jade Green, in a high-gloss, easy-to-clean finish. Yes, you could go with a safe white, we at Tweed love a white kitchen, but this article happens to be about taking calculated risks. If what we just proposed feels like just too much of a good thing, live a little, but mix up the colors: sample Benjamin Moore Heritage Red for the lower cabinets and perhaps a medium grey (try Farrow & Ball “Plummet”) for the uppers. These looks would work best with charcoal, black, or white countertops. Stainless steel or butcher block would be quite handsome too. You might just end up spending the money that you saved on new cabinets on a new concrete countertop, but so what? The smile on your face every morning when you are in your new and much edgier kitchen making your coffee is something you can’t put a price on.

Now let’s head for into the bedroom, It’s always the most fun in there.

Suppose your current look is something like a wood-framed bed, traditional Persian rug, minimal art, and cream bedding. We have to say it: Lose it all. Paint the walls and the ceiling a gorgeous shade of turquoise in a matte finish (Farrow & Ball Blue Ground).  Complement this rich serene shade with hues of pink, rose, and red, in the bedding. Find a vintage suzani that ties together walls and bedding and serves as an anchor in the room, the thing the eye will be immediately drawn to upon entering. Now paint the old and worn floor in a high gloss white (Farrow & Ball All White) and layer on top a cool grey cowhide – yes I said cowhide.

Come on people, take the leap and follow our (very) blue print for adding some color – metaphorical and literal – into your life.