Color Marie

Modern Colors and Inspiration for a Bayside Kitchen Remodel

2012-01-05T20:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

As promised, I'm starting the year off with a post about kitchen colors. Much of what I seemed to work on this past year involved helping clients select colors and materials for kitchen remodels. We're not just talking about repainting and adding a few new appliances. All of the kitchens I've worked on this last year were ripped down to the studs and redesigned to fit the homeowners tastes and provide better space utilization. Exciting stuff!

One of my favorite projects involved a bay side condo. The owner was fortunate enough to own two lovely condos in this condo community and was able to live in one with his family while working on remodeling the other unit.

This is what we started with!

Although I always prefer to work with colors in a completed kitchen, this is almost never the case. Many decisions are being made and most homeowners prefer to start thinking about colors as well. Luckily, the cabinets and counters were already installed and I was able to see the hardware and flooring that had been purchased for the rest of the remodel.

The lovely Caesarstone counter tops were a high contrast from the deep, rich cabinets. The floorplan is open to the living room so the entire great room has to be considered in this situation so colors flow.

My client had some wonderful inspiration pieces we initially worked with. The first one was a wine label on a favorite bottle of wine from Napa Valley. After much consideration, my client agreed that working around the purple/silver combination was not going to easily allow for the other colors he wanted to bring in.

Another inspiration piece he brought out was a colorful leather purse he had purchased for his wife in Italy. The lovely deep burnt orange was the direction I was hoping we would go in. He also had a business card from a taco bar in San Diego which had a similar deep orange/red he liked as well as a deep grey. A small sample of tile he had picked up recently contained more colors he liked. Although we considered the tile for the column on the left side of the kitchen, it was ruled out budget wise.

Colors used were Concord Ivory, Amherst Gray, Cornsilk and Fireball Orange.

Inspiration pieces:

Fast forward and I returned to see the result. My favorite part! Although my clients are still working on the rest of the condo and have not moved in yet, they are thrilled with the outcome. They love to cook and entertain so this modern kitchen compliments this perfectly!

A huge thanks to them for letting me help them realize their vision!

How Flowers Can Be the Perfect Addition of Color for Your Home

2011-12-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

The busy rush of the holiday season makes blogging a challenge to fit into the hectic days. As a treat, I'm happy to have London based florist, Patricia Hall, take over for me this month to discuss the importance of flowers in adding color to your home. I'll be back in January to show you one of the many kitchens I worked on in 2011. I'm excited to show you the inspiration that my client and I worked with on the path towards the color palette for his family's dream kitchen. Until then, happy holidays and enjoy this lovely post from Patricia!

No matter what the decorating style of a home is, adding the touch of flowers brings a new feeling of freshness, cheerfulness and peace.

Each variety of flower and way of arranging fresh cut blossoms has its own touch of flair and way of setting the atmosphere. They bring a splash of color and brighten the appearance of any room in a simple, natural and unpretentious way. Instead of worrying about redecorating or repainting a room, focus on bringing flowers into your home to add the desired pop of color.

Flower Personality - Use the Common Impressions of Color to Create Atmosphere

For centuries, flowers have been prized for their beauty and color. Whether from the formal Language of the Flower, which attributed certain emotions to each variety, or simply from hours spent in a grandmother's flower garden, flowers have come to have special meanings. Much of this has to do with the unconscious part of the mind that attributes feelings to colors and shapes. Sunflowers give people an impression of cheerfulness because of the big size and bright yellow petals. A bouquet of baby's breath and white roses is romantic and subtle. These associations with certain flowers makes choosing the flowers to display easier, by turning the focus on the desired feel for the room.

Keep these common impressions of flowers in mind when you order flowers for your home. What atmosphere do you want the room to have? Do you want to keep in style with the decor of the room or would you rather spice things up a bit? If you aren't sure, try lots of things.

The wonderful thing about the short lifespan of flowers is that it gives you lots of room for change and different arrangements. To add excitement or cheerfulness, order flowers that are red, orange, bright yellow or hot pink. For a more peaceful atmosphere, choose soft pink, pale yellow, purple and blue arrangements that have lots of white and green in them.

For a room that feels bland and boring and that needs a touch of cheery color, choose arrangements of bright, big flowers. Simple, symmetrical bouquets of daisies in bright pinks and oranges are stunning in the minimalist, modern room. If your decor isn't quite as simple, pick arrangements of flowers that are big combined with a few other varieties of complimenting blossoms.

Placing Flowers - How to Use Bright Color to the Best Advantage

Once you've chosen your flower arrangement, it is key that you put it in a place in your home where they can shine. Pick a central location to display the flowers. The middle of the dining room table or a coffee table is a great choice. To let the flowers bring their perfect splash of color, clear clutter away so the eyes are naturally drawn to the arrangement. Think about pulling a few buds from the arrangement, cutting the stems and putting them in a tiny vase in the bathroom or on a windowsill. Having flowers in more than one place around the room spreads the color and warmth.

If you don't want the flowers to be the centerpiece, pick a dull corner. Balance the color in the room by putting the flowers where there isn't much brightness. Keep in mind that they'll flourish more near a window and the light will shine through the petals, but don't be afraid to brighten a darker part of the room with colorful flowers.

Instead of stressing the need for a change in decor, enjoy the effortless beauty of flowers. Flowers bring bright spots of color to rooms that need change. The freshness and natural beauty adds life and interest. Taking note of the atmosphere desired and flowers' natural personality will simplify the process of choosing flowers and changing the feeling of a room. Knowing where to place the arrangement will make the flowers change the room completely. Whether you want to brighten your own home or send flowers to a friend to share some color, don't settle for the first choice, but think about what feelings you want the fresh picked decor to bring and how you can make them a beautiful focal point in your home.

About the Author

Patricia Hall of Serenata Flowers works part-time for a London based florist but loves to surround herself with flowers at any given point of time. Even in her free time she loves to involve herself with everything flora and fauna. 'To me there is nothing more beautiful and global as the language of flowers - it is the easiest to understand all around the world in the same way. That is one reason why I truly admire flowers for what they represent in some ways - unity of all mankind!

New Color for Unoccupied Commercial Buildings

2011-11-10T14:19:00.001-08:00

The economic downturn has obviously had far reaching effects in local communities. One of the noticeable signs of the recession is the number of unoccupied retail/commercial spaces I am seeing in towns all over the Bay Area.

Even upscale shopping areas are having trouble keeping and leasing out store fronts. In my home city of Oakland, there are shocking numbers of unoccupied businesses and buildings all the way from the Montclair District down to Alameda. A side effect is that long term vacancies tends to produce deferred maintenance and vandalism issues on buildings that bring the entire area down.

Rather than feel helpless when I encounter some of these buildings month after month or even year after year, I decided to see how they can be recolored to be a little less depressing.

This unusual building has been unoccupied for the pretty much the entire decade I have lived in Oakland. Right down the street from the prestigious College of Arts and Crafts, it has an interesting facade of navy and burgundy tile. This picture doesn't reflect that it's also currently tagged with graffiti.

I chose this building, first of all, because I've seen it nearly every week for 10 years! Also, it presents an interesting challenge with the navy blue and burgundy fixed elements of tile that need to be worked around.

My main feeling about this building was wanting to keep with a more neutral palette of grays and a few details to support the tile colors. I played around the the architectural details for bring in different types of contrast.

I also had fun doing one outside the box by adding a more unexpected color into the mix:

This next building is another unusual building. A building wanting to be Deco but again with tile that needs to be considered. Here is how it presently looks:

Another great challenge working around the turquoise tile and also the fact that Miami Deco type colors can look pretty strange in the Bay Area light! With that in mind, I did a more subdued palette a little more in context with the area:

Again, I wanted to fit in one a little more colorful:

A fun exercise in what can be done with run down, unoccupied buildings. I often wonder if more attention to these exteriors could play a role in getting spaces leased and occupied faster. In that case, a little paint can really go a long way as well as ease the eyesores for those of us who encounter these buildings.

Orinda Mid-Century Modern Jewel

2011-10-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

I know Mid-Century Modern is The Bombthese days, but I've been a fan long before it was the current flavorof the design world. Through the tunnel, as we locals say, lies the small town on the other side of the Oakland Hillsknown as Orinda. I usually think of cute 60's and 70's ranch houses andnewer "executive" homes when I think of Orinda.

Driving wayup to the top of the hill, to an area of Orinda I'd not been in, todiscover this jewel of a client and her mid-century home was a true wonder. "Lucky me, Lucky me!", I said pulling into the round driveway

Back View

Itreminded me of something you'd see high in the LA hills. Look at this view!

As if the views weren't enough, you can enjoy them from the pool:

This homewas built in 1950 and has only had a small handful of owners. Manyof the original features were intact including lighting and built inbookshelves.

My client had certainly done her homework. She hadamassed a folder of furniture/home pictures of similar homes and wasready for change. The strong, teal blue had been there since she andher husband had purchased the home many years prior. While thisbright blue may work for more of what I think of as a Palm Springstype of mid-century home, this was overwhelming all of the home's naturalbrick and wood.

Before

The homeowner didn't want to lose the teal completely. So while we batted around the idea of adding in a grey into the mix, she really liked Deep Creek from Benjamin Moore, she decided to back off from that. The yellow is Waterbury Creme HC-31.

After

The entryway was another fun project. We ditched the teal again and highlighted the door framework with Sangria and Quincy Tan from Benjamin Moore.

Before

After

After painting was complete, she purchased new furniture and arranged it around this spectacular Roman brick fireplace.

Before

After

Next on the list for this jewel is a guesthouse and an update for the early 90's kitchen. A huge thank you to these homeowners for letting me come along on the journey!

The Colorful Interior Design Inspriations of Artist Susan Seegert

2011-09-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

In a sea of beige/neutral interiors,it's exciting to see bright, Technicolor exceptions. You can always counton the artists of the world to color their own worlds unique and bold.

My mother-in-law, Susan, is one such lady. She's an artist and expert in many different mediums, a lover of allthings San Francisco (her hometown) and grandma extraordinaire to mykids. Down to her red hair and fun loving personality, she is anything but boring!

Susan, her husband, Bob and my kids, hanging out at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)

My family had a chance to visit her recently at her townhomein Vancouver, Washington. We hadn't visited for a coupleof years and I was eager to see if she had added more colors anddetails. Sure enough, there were even more bold touches and color. I think one of the reasons that we have clicked for the 25 years I've been in the family is our unique, "color outside the lines" approach to life.

The living room was a cheerful mix of oranges, reds, greens and yellows. All kept within relatively the same values with touches of white for visual relief are what make these colors sing for me. The artwork on the back wall were both painted by Susan:

Each day we came back, I noticed new, fun details I had not noticed before. The curio cabinet had been around for years, but she switched it up by painting it a bold, glossy red.

Susan has many fascinating collections which she switches out. A somewhat newer one is vintage, metal dollhouses displayed in her family room on glass shelving salvaged from a local Mervyn's after the company went out of business:

Wall of Mirrors-Using stairway walls are a great way to capture often ignored display space:

Desk area with vintage typewriter and Hummel collection:

Downstairs, her art room is brimming with creative supplies and energy. I was in awe of how organized she is:

I left Vancouver and Susan's townhome with so many different creative ideas for my own home. Maybe this will be the kick-start to get my home office in better shape? What a treat to see bold color embraced and used so well!

Guest Post: Amazing Outdoor Color and Ideas From Susi at DesignShuffle.com

2011-08-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

I'm one of those firm believers that summer is NOT over until I put on my Halloween costume in October.....OK, maybe just a little earlier. Those of us in California are lucky enough to enjoy our outdoor spaces well into late October. In fact, here in the San Francisco area, September and October is when we get our best weather! I am excited to introduce a guest blogger for this post. These photos really capture the kind of outdoor color I LOVE! A big welcome to Susi from DesignShuffle.com! OK Susi, take it away:

Hi all! I’m Susi and I write as a guest blogger for DesignShuffle.com, a fabulous social media site that promotes interior designers from around the world and their work. My writing focuses on things I'm passionate about: interior design, decorating ideas, home furnishings, gardening, travel and art. I get to look at gorgeous things all day and write about them—I'm a very lucky girl.

I was excited when I saw Marie's topic for me to write about. Let's Go Outside and Color sounds like so much fun! We're not talking sidewalk paint or chalk, but colorful outdoor living spaces. Inspired by the riot of colors in a perennial garden or even kitchen garden, these colorful outdoor living spaces are bursting with color and interesting. I hope you are inspired to go outside and add color to your outdoor living areas. Thanks to Marie for letting me guest blog at Color Marie!

House of Turquoise (via)

Outdoor fabrics have come a long way in the past few years. Great patterns and bold colors in upholstery and pillows add color to outdoor living spaces.

Coolest Gadgets (via)

Not only is this outdoor furniture colorful, it glows! So even at night you can have a colorful outdoor living space or personal outdoor movie theater. Very cool.

Plain Air (via)

Fantastic, colorful outdoor furniture from Plain Air that looks more like mid century modern living room furniture than patio furniture. I'm thinking this might inspire some decorating ideas for living rooms inside. I do love the colorful planters too.

Pinterest (via)

Bright, bold colors cover the walls of this porch. Love the blue, green and rose pinks. They feel so tropical.

Pinterest (via)

What a glorious riot of color! This outdoor bed and yellow mosquito netting would liven up any garden or outdoor living space.

Pinterest (via)

Even an urban roof top living space benefits from bursts of color in aquas and greens. Rich green plantings create a living wall and help soften the city view.

Design Sponge (via)

A single bold color, like this apple green, can make a strong design statement outdoors. Break up the bold color with accessories and plants to add more punch.

Maison Marigold (via)

A colorful outdoor living space can be created with textiles, an colorful outdoor rug and even colorful lanterns. It does not have to cost a lot to make an outdoor space colorful and interesting. Think about taking some of your favorite living room design ideas outside.

This post comes courtesy of Design Shuffle, where you can find top tier interior designs from around the world – from New York interior designers, Los Angeles interior designers, and more, check out the latest at Design Shuffle.

Color "Assignment" from Huntington Beach

2011-07-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

My toes getting friendly with the beach

Our trip to Huntington Beach is over and I have colorful results to report back from my “assignment”. My biggest failure is not getting in a surf lesson which feels like blasphemy when you are visiting “Surf City”. Also a word of advice; Make sure when you rent a vacation home that it's not next door to one of these guys!

Yes, it's an oil well. There are many in HB but this was the only one in this particular area of homes. Yes, they smell like oil, and sometimes people show up to loudly work on them at 7am.

We tried to visit a few cities in SoCal that we've never been too. That's getting to be a challenge. Having been to San Diego and LA so often and appreciating the generous use of color, I guess I was expecting the same throughout all of SoCal.

Biggest joy at HB was riding bikes along the Strand during the day and to dinner in the evening.

The immense beaches such as Bolsa Chica were sparsely populated. The water was warmish and the waves were the best ever for boogie boarding. Lovely! Also there are fire pits to use at night which is a rarity in California.

I really appreciated the creative touches of color I saw in unexpected places.

Half wall by parking lot at Bolsa Chica Beach

The disappointment was the lack of architectural color near the beach. Taupes, beiges and pale terra cottas abound with only occasional glimpses of anything else. Granted, the homes near the beach are newer, larger homes.

You are not likely to see wild, colorful palattes on homes of this size but some contrasts would be nice. This IS possible using only neutrals. Yikes, what they must cost!

The homes like we were staying in further away from the beach were older and smaller. Occasionally, you'd see a little pop of color, but not often.

Although neutral, I enjoyed riding by this home everyday because it had some style and flair! (Sorry for the picture quality as these were "drive by" shots from my bike)

We spent a day in Newport Beach. I was amazed at the tiny ferries carrying cars over to Balboa Island!

Waterfront ferris wheel. Too bad I'm too afraid to ride them!

Newport Beach was a pleasant surprise with some nice drive-bys of great architectural color more in line for what I was expecting to see.

My poor family endured another long ride around the area so I could go back and take a pic of this intriguing blue home with a pale lavender door and rocking chair. It fits in perfectly here!

Lovely.......

While this would look strange or tacky in the wrong setting, it's small size and location near the ocean made it appealing to me. In this situation, it looked hip and fun. I think there was a small business located inside:

Interesting garage door:

This colorful clothing store was exactly the sort of retail I was hoping the run across. I'll take this over a chain store any day! The owner is studying to be a stylist.

Bohemia

San Juan Capistrano was also a colorful adventure on another day. Thumbs up from the whole family for great vibe, loads of flowers and a great Round Table Pizza (we seem to seek out Round Table Pizza Parlors in our travels.) The mission had some walls with incredible, rich patina.

Gorgeous fountain and Koi fish.

Nature always provides us with the best palettes!

And finally, there was some of this:

As you can tell from the pained look on my son's face, one was all I was going to get that day. I guess his root beer just wasn't as exciting. .....and let's face it, watching your parents have a beer is taking away from possible other fun kid stuff.

Since we had the dubious luck of heading out of LA on the much televised "Carmegeddon" (the weekend much of Highway 405 was to be shut down) we headed out early, and to the relief of light traffic through LA on Highway 5, to hit one more stop for our kids. Galco Soda Pop Stop was a colorful surprise set in a once old grocery store in LA. Here is a sample of some beautiful colors from our stash:

Now that we've got the beach covered. We're soon heading up into the Sierra's to log in some time in the mountains and lakes. Vacations are always a great opportunity to notice and enjoy colors, palettes and regional outside your area and comfort zone. I know it gives me a playful push in appreciation and application of color.

Southern Califonia Vacation Assignment

2011-07-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

Kern Erikson

I'm heading off for a few days of R&R in Southern California, specifically Huntington Beach, aka Surf City. I always appreciate the different palettes seen down south in comparison to Northern California. I'll have my camera at the ready to capture local architecture and color inspirations. I've also given myself the following assignments:

..........visiting the International Surf Museum:

..........doing a little surfing (well, perhaps not looking like this!)

.........riding bikes on The Strand........

......watching some of this.......

........drinking a few of these........

........shopping for some color to wear..........

........eating this.........

.......looking at this.........

Forget Me Not Photography

...........but mainly doing this.........

C.Curtiz Photography

I look forward to "working" and reporting on this colorful assignment here soon!!

The Colors of Dad

2011-06-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

Do you ever find that you associate certain colors or palettes with a special person in your life? I identify strongly with certain color combinations in association with my parents. With my late mother, it was always hot pink and gold. She was quite fond of this flashy, yet feminine combination and I'll forever think of those as "her colors".

Sadly, my father passed away last week after many years of poor health. In honor of Father's Day, I put together a palette that reminded me of him. It's always interesting to think of what makes us associate colors with a certain person. Is it their clothing choices, personality or hobbies that make us see certain colors in relation to them?

My dad was part of the small generation sandwiched between the World War II generation (nicknamed the Greatest Generation) and the Baby Boomers. I like to call it the Mad Men generation after the hit show that takes place in the early 1960's.

They were too young to fight in WWII but too old for Vietnam. True to form in alliance with the TV show, my dad remembers that his years working for the Federal Reserve Bank in the early 60's were filled with 3 hour, 5 martini lunches!

My dad had that Mad Men look and I think I associate his colors with some of the business shirts he wore during his working years. He never gave up the formal attire, music and sensibilities of that generation for the more casual styles and tastes later adopted by the Boomer Generation.

Dad in the late 1960's:

Dad's Colors:

So here's to all dad's out there and my dad in particular. Their colors will always live on.

Decorative Storage Ideas Using Vintage Lockers

2011-05-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

Whitney Ott Photography

No secret I'm storage obsessed and a fan of vintage mid-century. Those of us with older homes know that closet space is at a premium. I'm always looking for unique ways to add storage to my home (and perhaps allow for more clothing!). An idea for tackling both of these issues and obsessions is vintage lockers! A couple of years ago, I decided to look for a set to add to our bedroom. It took a couple of months, but as usual, Craigslist did not let me down.

The lockers I found were vintage bowling lockers from possibly the coolest, hippest eco salvage place I'd ever been to! Sadly, this salvage store in Napa is now gone but the bowling lockers live on. Now my clothes have a fun place to call home and I have a whimsical addition to my room that I never get tired of looking at!

Original goldish paint with green on the sides:

Cute little Brunswisk guys greet me each morning!

Some other great uses for lockers:

More Bedroom Ideas:

Living Etc. Magazine

Crafts Room or Office:

Sandy Stone

The Guardian Weekend UK

Fringe; Sacramento

Kids Room:

Syd and Harper

Even the kitchen!

Fresh Home

Vintage lockers have become quite popular over the last few years and can be pricey! A bit of looking around, patience and researching is needed. Sources include Etsy.com, Ebay, local salvage companies and, of course, good 'ol Craigslist.

Wishful Re-coloring of a Legendary High School

2011-04-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

Oakland is home to so many historical architectural gems. When I first moved here, I had to really watch my driving because of the distracting amount of stunning architecture in every direction. I also love that Oakland doesn't shy away from color!

Fairyland:

photo: QT Luong

One of many colorful murals:

Photo: Marie Brady

One the flip side, it's no secret that Oakland has had it's share of rough times. Much of the industry such as shipbuilding, auto production and other various factories that provided jobs left just as legions of people arrived in search of once plentiful jobs after World War II. Like many urban cities, Oakland has been struggling to reinvent and revitalize itself as the decades have challenged it's past identity.

Downtown Oakland 1946 via archives:

I get a case of the sads when I see so much of the rich architectural heritage of the city shuttered, neglected or poorly redone. One can almost hear the buildings protesting, “ Hey, I was once lovely and something to behold.”

Tile lined WC Morse building across from Tech High:

Photo: Marie Brady

I'll save some of these stunning landmarks for another post as I dive into a sub category of Oakland Architecture, the public schools. Some refurbished landmarks like the Paramount and Fox Theaters having us residents jumping for joy and hopeful at this direction of urban renewal.

One of Oakland's schools that has always fascinated me is the nearly century old Oakland Technical High School. It's alumni include Clint Eastwood, The Pointer Sisters, Frank Oz and baseball great Ricky Henderson among many others. This neoclassical sprawling building is set along the busy street of Broadway which leads into downtown Oakland many blocks away.

Vintage Postcard:

Just up a few blocks up the hill is the stylish, hip Rockridge district

.......while heading into downtown Oakland is the Paramount Theater and many new, exciting restaurants. This part of Broadway, however, is doted by shuttered buildings many of which I've never seen open in a decade alone with many closed car dealerships.

I've never seen this restaurant across from the school in business in the last 10 years:

Photo: Marie Brady

While Oakland Tech has had a reputation in recent decades as a tough inner city school, it's newer engineering and technology program has become the darling of the school system and is attracting many students away from local private high schools by the droves. Admission to this program is hard won but colleges eagerly snap up their graduates.

Photo: Marie Brady

I noticed Tech was painted a few years ago and I am less than excited about the outcome. While the historic pictures show that it has always been pale in color........

Oakland Tech in it's opening year of 1914 via archives:

Oakland Tech in 1940 via archives:

........the institutional looking white with the baby blue details leaves a lot to be desired. To me it looks depressing and cheap. Bad white and playing up details could have really made this building sing again!

The massive, financially strapped school district has a set group of about 6 color palettes which they must feel make maintenance more cost effective and streamlined. (more about this in a future post on dealing with school districts and institutional color). I really believe that when you give an already challenged group of students a handsome, well maintained building to learn in, they will rise to the occasion and feel proud of their school.

Neoclassical architecture is often painted white or in stone types of colors with occasional colorful flourishes. This school has some inlayed blue Greek fretwork near the roof line as well as green leaf tile accents and medallions above the columns. I have to wonder at what's possible for this school so I played around with options for color.

I took a little creative license moving away from the white but I still believe the correct white would also do wonders...... I also have a selfish reason for dreaming of seeing what has been declared a local landmark freshened up. My older son may well be attending their fabulous engineering program in 2 years.

Which is YOUR favorite?

Color Changing Paints and Materials

2011-04-04T16:28:00.000-07:00

Choosing colors for architecture, finishes and materials involves so many variables. Obviously, that is why we colorists are here to help.

Dornob.com

Now add to the mix the option of color changing paints and materials. Feeling too indecisive to pick just one color? Well, there are more and more products coming on the market that let you avoid just one choice. Granted many of these, to me, can easily cross the line into gimmicky. But with a little creativity and careful use, I can see the beauty and interest in some applications.

This company, Moving Color, has a wide range of color changing tiles. They respond to heat or touch and react a variety of ways from simply changing color to having painted landscapes change seasons.

Color changing paints, such as a line from the company, Eclipse, make paint that changes from one color to another.

Italian designer Roberto Cavalli used color changing paint on his yacht.

No small price tag at around $500 per gallon. Yes this is the same designer who has a color changing house in Italy as well!

Italo Rota and partners

Other applications under consideration are for the use of road paints that change colors to alert drivers of changes in road conditions such as the presence of ice.

As for me, I'm waiting for the car that changes colors with the push of a button. Yes, a way has been developed in which a car can change colors in seconds with the flip of a switch using changes in electrical charges to produce a full spectrum of color choices. Imagine how much fun this will create for the DMV keeping track of all these color changing vehicles!

Gizmodo

The Ignored Master Bathroom

2011-03-15T21:24:00.000-07:00

What is it about master bathrooms that make them the hidden sad spots in a home? This room is one of the first rooms we enter first thing in the morning and one of the last we see at night. We spend a significant amount of time here and it presents a prime chance to capture the mood we wish to start and end the day with. I don't often get the chance to focus on a clients master bathroom. Even when choosing colors for their bedroom, the master bath too often sits neglected.

I am, embarrassingly, guilty of this. My husband and I were thrilled to get a master bath when we purchased this home. Many older homes we looked at did not. Master bathrooms aren't terribly common in this area for a 1949 era home. Having re-painted most of our home when we moved in 10 years ago, this little bathroom retained the original, cold white color.....everywhere! I called it my hospital bathroom.

Before pics snaps just as my painters were setting up. Don't forget to document your own home remodels/repainting!

After an inspiring consultation on a client's two bathrooms in San Francisco, I was starting to feel like the tale of the cobbler who had no shoes! Although I would like nothing more than to rip out the white porcelain tile, it wasn't a budget possibility. I enlisted my fabulous painter, Carlos, to help me fix this sad situation. I really was leaning towards a spa like blue-green sea glass color, however, this bathroom always feels cold to me. One of the great gifts of color is the ability to change and correct temperature perceptions. Since I adore deep yellows and golds, I set to work with my color samples and chose

Benjamin Moore's DaVinci's Canvas for the walls/cabinets and White Dove for the trim.

Repainting a bathroom, or any room for that matter, also presents the perfect time to reorganize and add details. The mess of bathroom products was sorted out. A trip to Anthropologie was in order to replace the original white knobs for cabinets and drawers.

Hello mercury glass knobs, buh bye sad white knobs........

A fun jolt of color for the drawers.......

The lone framed piece of mass produced art was changed out for something a little fresh and colorful:

My love of butterflies was indulged with a small plate at West Elm:

Old, peeling, worn window casings repainted:

New mirror added to wall space behind door made available when unattractive shelving was removed:

For tiny spaces, such as this bathroom, god is really in the details. Switchplates, towels and bathmats can all contribute to the mood of a bathroom.

If your master bathroom, or any room in your house has been neglected, please contact me for expert color guidance so you can wake up to happiness: Marie@ColorMarie.com

Antique store and estate sale finds

2011-02-28T21:21:00.000-08:00

I don't often have the time to go antique shopping on a weekday or estate sale browsing on the weekends, but it's always one of my favorite things to do. This gives me an extra appreciation for smart phones as I can simply take a picture if I see something I like and want to think about purchasing. In the past, I never seemed to remember to bring a camera. I especially love being able to send a pic immediately to a friend if I need feedback or I find something I think they may like. Yes, I realize some of these pics are poor quality, but I wanted to show you what I have spotted lately.

This stop was Alameda Antiques:

This amazing pair of lamps had an block ice glass like quality with an interesting texture. Great for a modern living room. I believe they were $225 for the pair.

Close up of fine cross texture:

So sad this pic was especially poor. I call these Mad Men glasses. Very fun. If I wasn't already inundated with glasses, I would have scooped these up at $22 for set of 6!

I wasn't sure what I'd do with this old desk, but it caught my eye. Very sweet for a kids room.
A bargain at $50 and the base was heavy wrought iron:

Over the weekend I went to the Hudson Warehouse sale in downtown Oakland. I'd gone to a few of their estate sales and always found a few items. This turned out to be a small cramped warehouse. This made me cranky. There was a wait to be allowed inside due to lack of room. As I arrived late after getting lost, I could only stand in line helpless as antique dealers and stylish folks came out with items I coveted. I soon turned to my little IPhone companion so I didn't have to face more torture of seeing all this cool stuff come out of the warehouse in other people's arms! When I finally got in, disappointment.

Much more people to navigate and much less fun stuff for me. I was originally drawn to the sale as they were clearing out the estate of an unnamed long time interior designer from San Francisco and I recognized his items from the preview pics online. Of worthy note:

Leopard print black with gold gilding settee for $200. Gorgeous. I just about killed myself trying to do mental hoops about finding a place for this in my home. Alas, it stayed.

Older Lucite chairs, scratched and overpriced. Thought of the stool for a side table. Again overpriced and I already have a set of Lucite chairs in my home office. Overkill.

Leaving in disappointment, I came across an estate sale by another liquidation company at a home near mine. Scored two gold loopy line mid-century bowls for $5 each. One for me and one for a friend.

However, my biggest recent thrill find has to be this sweet little yellow china cabinet. I'm taking an uneducated guess it's from the early 1960's. Found this deep in the basement of Alameda Antiques and couldn't stop thinking about the color and bamboo detail. Two of my favorite things.

So it ended up coming home, got cleaned up, left original paint intact and but put some initial accessories inside. Never mind I had to move all of the furniture around in my living room to accommodate this baby. It was worth it!

Close up of bamboo details:

By the way, for any of you Northern Californians. The Mac Daddy of all garage sales is happening next weekend. The Oakland Museum's White Elephant Sale. While I once again showed up too late last year to score much, I did find a sweater that won me first place in an Ugly Sweater party!

http://www.whiteelephantsale.org/

For the Love of Chrome Chairs and Craigslist

2011-02-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

Vintage Memorex ad with classic Le Corbusier chair

Style cycles are funny animals. What we once loved in fashion and design suddenly goes from looking wrong to completely outdated to hot once again in relatively short order. Some styles manage to transcend time and remain classics. Take chrome chairs. The classic Le Corbusier chair always looks great. The 1970's Milo Baughman style chairs to me, not so much......until recently.

Apartment Therapy

In my daily reading of blogs, I've been wooed by the pictures of chrome chairs used in design. Must fit one of these in somewhere in my own home!

Design Pad

All The Best Blog

For the Chrome Shy, just a touch of Chrome:

Let's Buy It, UK

After many years, I finally got the time and courage up to rearrange my living room. Out went the slipcovered white slipper chairs that were never really that comfortable. My beloved faux mohair sectional got split up into two components.

I fell in love with a yellow bamboo detailed china cabinet from the early 1960's found in an antique store (more on that in another post). But one thing was missing. One of these 70's chrome chairs. On Craigslist I searched and searched, and finally found one such chair.

Though I love the light blue velvet, it doesn't quite mesh in this room. Hopefully the future will see it in Navy, slightly deep teal velvet. For now it's happy in it's place and has many admirers in my friends who have been by to visit.

An Exception to the "All Greens Go Together" Rule

2011-01-30T19:59:00.000-08:00

Just a little giggle and some food for thought to start off the week. I've never been much of a rule follower, more like a rule questioner. When it comes to rules for color, I tend to use some of them more as guidelines.

Like most rules, there are exceptions and gray areas. One of my favorite looks is the layering of different greens.......yellow based greens with bluer based greens can be so lovely together.

Tobi Fairley Interior Design

One of the general sayings is to look to nature for inspiration. The rule: All greens go together. All greens in nature work together in harmony so they do in design as well.

Love the color play of moss, leaves and greenery:

This is lovely:

1912 Bungalow Blog

Yes!!

Rosalie Fienes Design

A Modern Twist

Lyrics Dramatics

As always, I love finding an exception to a rule, even one I use and believe in. It keeps me on my toes. Coming back from a recent long bike ride, I think I found an exception to the green rule.

This building was practically screaming at me when I drove by so I had to document it as my idea of a rule breaker. Maybe it's just me, but perhaps the lower green just doesn't exist in nature?

Have a fantastic week!

The Colorful Music Inspired Art of Tim Bavington

2011-01-20T09:07:00.000-08:00

Image: Mark Monroe Gallery

A little eye candy for your enjoyment. For anyone like me who is a color junkie and rock music lover, Las Vegas artist, Tim Bavington has managed to meld both into astonishing works of art. Bavington uses auto paint spray guns to visually create songs from bands such as the Rolling Stones, Guns and Roses, The Clash and Jimi Hendrix. Matching the 12 tones on a musical scale with the 12 main divisions on the color wheel, he translates the songs into abstract neon colored displays which practically vibrate with the music they are transposing.

Long May You Run-Neil Young

The process is more emotional and suggested rather than rigorous interpretations. While the color patterns appear sharp at a distance, the bands of color blur dramatically as one takes a closer look at each painting. The boundaries of color blurring and layering like the notes in a song.

The End-The Doors

Judy is a Punk-The Ramones

Bavington at one time was involved with drawing for The Simpson's on everything except the animation (comic books, etc.) But he was drawn towards mid-century abstract art as well as music spanning the ranges from jazz to alternative rock. He likens the starting point in each piece to that of a guitar soloist fleshing out a simple song and adding layers to it.

Blue Monday-New Order

He currently has an exhibition at the Mark Moore Gallery in Culver City, California. Many of his pieces are part of collections at many museums including the New York Museum of Modern Art.

Love on the Rocks-Neil Diamond

Bold as Love-Jimi Hendrix

Up in Suze's Room-Paul Weller

Physical S.E.X. by Darkness (collection at MOMA)

An Architectural Color Quandry in Carmel-by-the-Sea

2011-01-07T19:57:00.000-08:00

Handout Photo

I'm sure I'm not the only one who uses the week between Christmas and New Years to totally check out, am I? I simply stop reading e-mail, doing blog posts, exercising, etc. The one thing I've always done since childhood is to visit Carmel by the Sea sometime during the holidays. The last few years it's been after Christmas. We'll rent a house near the ocean and play around on the beach as well as sight see for a few days. (See my post last year on Storybook architecture and Carmel here).

My husband is very patient about going to Carmel each year even though there are no “guy stuff or stores” there. He patiently drives me up and down each street to ogle the homes and see which remodels got finished from last year, what colors we like and don't like, guessing about the price tags of such homes. Even my two sons have gotten into offering an on the spot critique!

Although the rest of me is on vacation, my eye for looking at colors seems entirely unable to rest. Picking up the local paper, The Pinecone, I noticed an interesting story involving architectural color. It was about a color quandary the city planning commission was having with famed Tiffany's Jewelry. Tiffany's is a newer business to Carmel and is anchored at the street end of their outdoor mall called Carmel Plaza.

Riez

Called into question was the desire by Tiffany's to put up awnings on some of their windows in their trademark and iconic blue.

This clashed with the strict color code for Carmel. The code states: Color must be....

"Muted paint colors which blend with the natural surroundings. Bright and primary colors should be avoided. Contrasting colors should be saturated and earthen."

Very specific design/color codes are not unusual for historically unique tourist areas such as Carmel. They also have detailed guidelines for windows, landscape, doors, roofing materials and so on.

Tiffany trademark blue was custom created by Pantone and given the number 1837, which is the year Tiffany was founded.

Not all storefronts possess the decorative awnings as seen here.

Manhattan

Vancouver

Madrid, Spain

Beverley Hills

Notice the beige awnings instead of blue here?

Union Square San Fransisco

Newer designed stores like this one in Seattle, below, are departing from their well known storefront design and doing away with the blue altogether on the exterior. This is said to be in an effort to feel more accessible and less intimidating to shoppers.

Here is a picture of the storefront in Carmel. Sorry for the poor quality. As you can see, they have a decidedly low key profile with just a smallish sign out front. .... All of which are dictated by Carmel design codes. Outside the Plaza, there are very few chain stores with one of the exceptions being Coach. Obviously not all of the windows would have awnings as some of the windows are too tall for them.

Here is some of the feedback from the commission on the matter:

Plaza operations manger Jim Griffith said his company was OK with the departure from the center’s design rules.

“We support the color, even though it’s a bit of an exception,”he said. “It is their marquis color, so it’s hard to consider any other options.”

But Carmel planning and building services manager Sean Conroy disagreed, reminding commissioners that the town often contends with businesses that have signature looks they want to include on their storefronts. “The city has tried to avoid these kinds of notice-attracting features,” he said.

Commissioner Steve Hillyard agreed the teal would be too eye-catching, and commissioner Steve Dallas, who said he appreciated the store’s presence in town, suggested OKing just a couple of the awnings.

Chair Janet Reimers liked the color. “I think the color is fine,” she said. “I like looking at it, especially on little boxes. I don’t see them very often.”

The commission ultimately voted 4-1 in favor of the blue awnings, with Hillyard dissenting.

By the way, did you have any idea there were so many types of awnings?!

I think a great alternative solution would have been a silver or grayish awning with Tiffany's blue just in a stripe around the base. Not quite as noticeable but still in line with Tiffany's corporate branding. Thinking along the lines of the "Bullnose" stripe style above but in Silver/Blue.

If your city council has a color dilemma, if you own a company that requires some color branding or architectural color solutions, I'd like to help! Please contact me: Marie@ColorMarie.com

Gratitude and Welcome 2011!

2011-01-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

The New Year rites of reflection, celebration and resolutions are obvious parts of stepping out of one year and into the next. I also add to that a healthy dose of gratitude. I've had fun watching my small blog grow as well as meeting other bloggers and color enthusiasts.

I learn so much from reading other design blogs and coming up with inspiration for my own posts. I may not blog as often as other bloggers are able to, but I enjoy that you check in and I appreciate your kind words and feedback.

My colleague, designer extraordinaire Kelly Berg, was given the Stylish Blogger Award from The Decorologist.

She went on to name three of her favorite blogs and I was honored and flattered that mine was mentioned in these three! Kelly's blog is always fresh, visual and thought provoking. Hope you will check out Kelly's Arte Styling Blog and see for yourself.

I hope 2011 is a year of amazing creative growth for all of you! I look forward to bringing you more posts on color and it's use in design and architecture. I'm also hoping to revamp the design of my blog and thinking of changing over to Wordpress (any thoughts or insights on that?)

Our family in Maui celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary in November

Happy 2011!!!!!!
Walk into the New Year and be open to the wonderful opportunities that are waiting!

Color and Design in Corporate Party Planning

2010-12-22T20:56:00.000-08:00

Party planning on a big or small level invites a level of creativity that leaves behind the restraints of everyday design and color rules. Nowhere are you more free to pull out all the stops in visuals than with planning a party. The idea of large scale party planning seems intimidating and exciting to me. The more successful and carefree the event seems, you can bet the more planning and organizing it took to pull off.

I remember back in the tech boom hey day of the 1990's while I was living in Silicon Valley, the promise of a lavish company holiday party was assured. Didn't matter whether you worked in high tech or not, big company parties were a perk you could count on. In those days, I was working in the medical field for a small hospital. They never failed to provide a venue for dressing up and partying during the holidays. Music, dinner, dancing, music, drinks and maybe even a photo with your date. Fast forward through the last decade. Holiday parties seem to be a rare bird these days. Talking with my friends, it seems most companies or departments may throw an afternoon party at the office or a boss's home.

The Office

Maybe a lunch out with the co-workers. Today's economy has taken the punch out of the creative dreaming of wannabe party planners like me who envision creating an event where you can check out of the harsh realities of the working world for a few hours.

Luck has it that my husband works for a large company that is still able to throw a holiday bash for it's hardworking employees. This San Francisco company obviously employs or hires an agency to organize their parties. They happen to mirror my idea of what fun you can have with themes, color, design and whimsy. My husband has had no luck with detective work in finding these creative geniuses. Each year, I'm on pins and needles as to whether the tradition will continue and to see what they have dreamed up! It is definitely a guilty pleasure to enjoy such a party during terrible economic times but for one night a year, we all check out and just enjoy.......

Photo: Reklam Yonetmeni

This year's theme was loosely based on Alice in Wonderland's Mad Hatters Tea Party. I'm sadly aware that my point and click camera was no match for what I was trying to photograph. I realize the pictures are grainy so I hope you can bear with them and visualize the spaces.

After passing an Elton John impersonator at the door, we entered the enormous convention center through a long, dark hallway lined with servers bearing trays of all varieties of wine.

We emptied out into a black room where artists were busy at work painting body models. Many artists were set up and waiting to paint guests faces/arms with any number of artistic additions.

Me with my artist and work art:

Onto the larger room, we entered into an all white room with mirrors on each wall, banquets, tables and an array of different food options set up at various tents. White rose petals and candles were along all of the tables.

Giant capize shell lights-sorry for the blurriness but you get the general idea!

Some amazing floral/fruit arrangements:

Good food:

About an hour into the event, a bartender let me in on the fact that there was a larger, hidden room to be unveiled. Soon enough, a large curtain at the back of the white room opened and revealed an even bigger “red room”.

A band played at one end, while a stage was set up at the other end for headline act, Cyndy Lauper! This was the desert/dance room.

Tables of candies, chocolates and cupcakes were everywhere. On a split upper level were long tables dressed for an tea party.

Now the rose petals and candles were everywhere again, but red.

Large gold and silver chairs were at the ends of each table. Photographers were there with green screens ready to take your picture with a faux backdrop of San Francisco. I was taken by the flower arrangements and paper lanterns as well as the large red trees that adorned the space.

Even Cyndi Lauper came out, surveyed the room from stage and remarked on how cool it all looked!

I so appreciated all of the thought, hard work and creativity that went into this event. It was really hard to leave and head back into reality and the rainy night.

Happy Holidays!!

Photo: Cal KT

Have Yourself an Untraditional Little Christmas

2010-12-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

Happy weekend! Is your tree up? I thought I'd share a few fun images with you to inspire you over the weekend. During the holidays, I always appreciate some out of the box, push the envelope thinking when it comes to trees and holiday decorating. Why not get out of the red/green rut and do something a little more original?

While I'm not a huge fan of pink, this is gorgeous!

Blueprint magazine

Simple and modern:

Apartment Therapy

Or you could go the other way and turn Christmas completely on it's head:

John Lewis, UK

Goth Christmas anyone?? A black tree:

ChristmasTreeForMe.com

Even the traditional green or red can be reworked:

LivingEtc. Magazine

I'm always on the lookout for exceptionally unusual public trees.....and I found them:

I saw this one the other evening in Emeryville while out at dinner, it's shopping baskets!

Oakland Tribune

My husband is an old school gamer, so this one's for him....Pacman tree in Madrid:

My favorite, a Murano glass tree in Italy:

.........And then there are trees I love for just beauty or nostalgia:

No holiday is complete for us without a trip to see the giant tree in Neiman Marcus, Union Square.

.....or any tree lit in the snow.........sigh...........

......Or trees in tropical locations,

Have a great weekend and don't be afraid to challenge your holiday design ideas.

For bold, soft, traditional, or out of the box architectural color, please contact me: Marie@ColorMarie.com

Repaint vs. Remodel

2010-11-18T20:36:00.000-08:00

One of the last places people have money to spend during economically turbulent times is on a kitchen remodel. The price of new mid-range kitchen cabinets alone can run $10,000 to $20,000, ouch! When my husband and I wanted to refresh our time warp kitchen of many different decades, we learned how to tile and put in new Marmoleum flooring ourselves. The obvious fix for the cabinets was a fresh new coat of paint, but that project will discussed more in a future post.

A client recently recommended me to friends of hers that wanted to refresh their kitchen and entertain in it more. They also decided to go the route of new paint rather than breaking the bank for a kitchen remodel.

As with most couples, there was a little color fear with one half. The other half wanted to downplay or paint the large odd beam running through one area of the kitchen. We discussed the difficulty in painting or "killing" the large knots in the wood that would probably keep showing through the paler paint they wanted. Also, the rustic nature of the wood would probably not end up looking great when painted. The mass whiteness of the kitchen was not helping and, in fact, was making this dark beam more of a noticeable detail due to the contrast. In the before, you can see the dominating wood beam that was the subject of much discussion.

In the end we agreed that adding a bit of color and warmth would help balance out the kitchen and detract from this large beam holding court over the kitchen.

I agreed that their plan to move a wall of books and file cabinets into another room was a wonderful idea and would give them more room to entertain and enjoy their kitchen. I introduced the idea of reclaiming a window bench from storage, and painting a touch of green around the window bench wall to beckon in the lovely backyard.

The owners wanted to warm up the kitchen since it didn't get a great deal of natural light except from a small southern window in the kitchen, morning light from the patio window to the east and indirect evening light from the neighboring room. White is often chosen in the notion that it will lighten up a darker room, but it usually ends up making it appear colder and throws shadows. We decided on Potters Clay from Benjamin Moore for the backsplash, Sandy Brown from Benjamin Moore for the cabinets, and Dried Thyme from Sherwin Williams for the window bench area.

When I returned a few weeks later to see the kitchen after painting, I honestly have to say that even I was shocked to see how different the kitchen looked! It was transformed into a warm, inviting space. The power of paint wins again.

Their painter did a terrific, detailed job. He even sanded and refinished the beam and now it echoes the wood trim in parts of the kitchen without dominating the room. A win-win situation for the couple.

The bookshelves and file cabinets were banished to another room in the home to become the home office. The visual weight was lifted from the room while more space for entertaining was added.

Although one part of the couple expressed worry over the green bench, it ended up being something they both loved. They are looking to have a custom cushion made for the window seat so they can truly enjoy the tranquil view to their backyard.

Hidden Color in the London Underground

2010-11-09T11:35:00.000-08:00

The London tube system is a huge maze of subterranean underground stations, platforms and rail-lines. Many areas are abandoned and not accessible to the public. I found myself getting constantly lost and turned around during my two visits to London and came to appreciate how massive this system is.

There was recently a surprise uncovered at the Notting Hill tube station in London. A time capsule of mid-century posters was rediscovered during modernization work on the station. In 1959, the old lifts were taken out of commission in favor of escalators. The passageways to the lifts were sealed off and the posters sat for fifty years untouched.

A look back at the cheerful pop color posters of yesterday give a great view into mid-century advertising, color and style. The public does not have access at this time to the posters or this part of the station.

The photos below are all credited to Mike Ashworth who is the Underground Design and Heritage Manager. His Flickr photos can be seen here:

The Notting Hill station opened in 1868, with the underground area opening up in 1900. Sadly, these posters will be resealed back up after modernization work if completed and left for future generations to discover.

I guess we can't tease the Brits for the stereotype of having bad teeth. Advertisers were trying!

A 1956 version of this popular story:

The graphics on this poster remind me of Disneyland, It's a Small World, colors and graphics from that era.

Can you believe that this home exhibition has been going on since 1908 and is still an annual event! Wish I could step into a time capsule and go back to take a look at the latest in mid-century homes.

A view of the posters grouped on one of the subway walls. They all date from 1956-1959.

This poster was designed by Daphne Padden who came from a family of artist/illustrators. I love that pop of blue and yellow. Very much part of the visual graphics of the 1950's.

You would have been seeing this Alec Guinness movie in the theaters in 1958

This poster was made by renown designer, Victor Galbraith, for the London Transport

This discovery makes you appreciate the world's hidden urban gems and what is still waiting to be uncovered!

Respect Thy End User

2010-10-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

It should really be the first commandment of design. Isn't it? Well, it's my first commandment. Know your end user and respect their needs. My renown professor, Frank Manke, stressed this over and over. Yet, I come across so many situations where this has clearly not been the case. I know in talking with my colleagues that they frequently run across this issue with their clients as well. How many of us in the color/design world have been hired to redo something for a client because the color or design did not suit the client's style?

Give a colorful hand but know your limits

One client had a lovely home and their designer did a fine job with the furnishings but simply handed the clients a list of paint colors at the end of the project. They felt the colors were muddy and dull. Another felt railroaded towards using colors didn't suit her home or style.

Is a soft flow of colors what your client wants?

The Sky is the Limit Design

Is a little shot of color going to bring the room alive and capture their attention without overdoing it?

House and Home Magazine

Perhaps the color design process can be a little intimidating or mysterious to some and people feel a little nervous to speak up and reject color that does not feel like a comfortable fit. I've had clients feel nervous that they are picking out “boring” colors that won't be respected. Others feel pressured by color fearless friends who encourage them to choose racier colors that simply don't work for many people. A good designer/colorist will take the mystery out of the process.

I find my first goal in starting a project is often what is lacking in our fast paced world right now, to listen. Whether it's a large scale project with many end users or a single client's kitchen, the first step in starting the process is to listen. We are often similar to tightrope walkers, walking a fine line between specifying colors that look best with architecture, furnishings and other surroundings, introducing new concepts and respecting what our clients want and can live with.

Sometimes a red pillow is as brave as they wish to be. That's OK!

Philip Sinden Design

Color tolerance is such a personal characteristic and is a key to understanding your client. I was struck by Frank's advice again recently when I started hearing complaints about the school office where my younger son attends school in my neighborhood. A couple of people, who know what I do for a living, even asked if I had been responsible for this. A well intentioned decorator had come in and wanted to assist in choosing paint colors for the office.

Those of us that work with color know that many visual ergonomic principals and other factors come into play when specifying colors for a work environment. This decorator chose a color she thought was pretty and, without testing it or asking the office staff, had the district painters put it up. We now have a strong green office that makes the staff feel ill. The green itself is not bad and may be pretty in a residential environment, but not in an office. The first comment the office staff had when I asked about them about the process was, “We were never asked!”. Know and respect your end user. Don't sell a fuchsia room to a person that gets nervous around beige.

Relaxing or irritating? It all depends on your color tolerance.

Domino

My clients are great about how far I can push the envelope as far as suggestions outside their requested palette and it's certainly fun to see the spark in their eye when a new idea I suggest takes hold with them. Many welcome and want a dose of color education, suggestions, ideas and placement options. That is my job, obviously, but it's also important to know when a client really just prefers you to help them pick out the best white, yellow, gray or taupe for the job and respect that.

ArHZine

So we colorists and designers move forward though the client world and continue the supremely wonderful, happy job of walking that tightrope for our clients. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Alameda Mediterranean Make-Over

2010-10-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

Alameda has really grown on me since I moved to the East Bay. I seem to find myself over there for one reason or another quite often. There is a vintage/retro vibe that charms me; With bike/pedestrian friendly streets and a bay front area. The architectural gems are astounding! On any given street you can see Victorians of all eras as well as Mediterranean, Craftsman, Spanish and Tudor homes all living comfortably together. It's a real who's who of styles.

Mediterranean architecture is one of my favorites, so I was thrilled when the owner of an Alameda Mediterranean Revival home contacted me. Better yet, she happened to request a color range I was secretly hoping to work with. This young family's home had so many architectural features, it was a shame that the worn paint was not letting them shine through. My client and her family were ready to showcase this jewel while still being respectful of what colors fit into the scope of their neighborhood.

Benjamin Moore's Vintage Vogue-462, was responsible for this transformation:

We're still figuring out the stairs as the gray color we tried ended up being too cool. We are leaning towards a deeper stone brown to tie it in with the beautiful terra cotta roof.

Since we were using such a deep color for the main body, the use of white was rejected because we didn't want to have too sharp of a contrast, which can often give the final look a cheap quality. Instead we went with Benjamin Moore's Monroe Bisque, HC-26 around the arches and Toucan Black 2118-20 on the window casings. I experimented in Photoshop on different window variations with the placement of black, beige and other color options, but this one seemed to capture the best balance for the clients and I have to agree.

How Do You Paint a Rainbow?

2010-09-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

My colleague and fellow IACC-NA (International Association of Color Consultants, North American) member, Belinda Hallmark, had what I consider an ultra cool project this last year; specifying colors for the repainting of the rainbows on the Waldo Tunnel on the south side of the Golden Gate Bridge! Belinda is a color and finishes consultant in Novato and has worked on many large scale projects. When I first heard her mention this project, we were attending IACC seminars in San Diego together. I spent every moment I could talking with her on how she approached such an unusual large scale project.

These tunnels connect Marin County with access to the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco. The tunnels existed sans rainbows for many decades until they came under the whims of one person. The rainbows went up in 1970 after Alan S. Hart, former director of the San Francisco District of Caltrans, then known as the state Division of Highways, ordered it. He was retiring and made a last-minute decision to have the portal arches to be painted in a rainbow without his bosses approval. Although this initially caused huge outrage in Sacramento with those in charge, it quickly quieted down when the public embraced the new added colors. The tunnel was featured in at least two big films, Dirty Harry and Dark Passage with Humphrey Bogart(pre-rainbow).

In 1981, there was a movement and some money was raised to use mosaic tiles to replace the paint, but that never came to be. Time, weather and traffic pollution gradually took their toll on the paint and the landmark rainbows were looking faded and sad. Some local residents started asking CalTrans if they could raise money to repaint it but CalTrans fianlly stepped in to restore the colorful tunnels. But it turned out they were in need of some color consultation! The following is an interview with my colleague, Belinda, regarding her approach to restoring this iconic landmark.

Marie: How did you first hear about this project and get involved?

Belinda:
I was reading the Sunday Marin Independent Journal, having coffee with my husband. The cover story was on the history of the waldo tunnel and how Caltrans was considering repainting the rainbows after years of wear and tear. I read the article and said to my husband, "Do you know how many times I'll read an article about something that I could get involved in and say to myself, wow that would be fun!" I got up and said, "You know what, I'm not going to talk about it, I'm going to see if I can make this happen!"

I sent an email to the person who wrote the article, another to Cal Trans and left a message with Cal Trans on the phone. I never expected to hear back from them, but to my surprise, Cal Trans called me within a few days. However, they called to tell me that they went to their archives and found out what kind of paint was previously used and they were in the process of selecting their colors. I asked them if they had the color names or numbers for the original colors and that information was nowhere to be found. I offered to help them select their new colors by donating my architectural color consulting services and that I think I could even find a way to donate the paint, and that the brand and quality would be far superior to what was previously used.

I live in Marin County and do a tremendous amount of work in Marin County. I saw this as a perfect opportunity for me to give back to my community. They agreed to meet with me a few days later where I was able to share my vision for the color direction and what I could offer them in terms of my professional services and the best paint for this project.

Photo: Craig Filpott

Marie: Did they have a specific way they wanted you to approach specifying the colors or were they open to your method of working with color?

Belinda:
This region of Cal Trans is responsible for the highways, tunnels and bridges for most of Northern California. All of the paint colors have already been predetermined, ie; the Golden Gate Bride. They never had to select new colors or design a palette that worked together. They were completely open and very appreciative. They had no idea what went into selecting colors.

CalTrans getting paint ready for the rainbow

Marin Independent Journal

Marie: Did CalTrans put up the samples for you once you determined the colors you wanted to test?

Belinda:
Cal Trans was so great and patient with me! They painted up every color I asked for and we tried several different ranges. They even painted on the walls of their cement office building first to get an idea of what they might look like. They also played with airbrushing the stripes to feather them out for a softer effect. In the end, we all preferred hardlining the colors, as it felt so much cleaner. The hard lines also made the colors pop more.

ABC7 Photo

Marie: I imagine you had to go back a few times and view the samples. How did the weather and time of day affect the sample?

Belinda:
With the bay on one side of the tunnel and the Pacific ocean on the other, the weather conditions can be quite extreme. I went up to the tunnel at least two to three times each time the samples were painted. I had to see them in the morning when the fog was still hanging over the tunnel with mist and sometimes rain, and in the middle of the day when the sun would shine directly onto the rainbow, then again at the end of the day when the shadows would appear before the fog returned again. The colors would change dramatically under the various conditions. In the end, the palette that really worked was the one that looked great under all conditions. I would also go up there on the weekends so I could watch Cal Trans paint. I was also constantly getting feedback about how Benjamin Moore's Aura paint was working.

MoreMarin.com

Marin Independent Journal

Marie: What was the most challenging aspect of this project?

Belinda:
The most challenging aspect of this job was the monumental responsibility I felt to make everyone happy. The local people have such a connection to these rainbows, it's a historic landmark. I didn't want to let anyone down. And, especially during these challenging times, it was really important to me that each and every time you looked at the rainbows, it would lift your spirits and make you smile.

The rainbows shine again:

Photo: Elaina's Blueprint

Mid-Week Color/Art Therapy

2010-09-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

Just a little color therapy for your mid-week blahs. Australian photographer Mark Mawson captures otherworldly images using paint dropped into water. These are just a few of his phenomenal works of art from his collection, Aqueous. His fashion, resort and celebrity photos are stunning as well! Enjoy and happy Wednesday, you're almost there!

In Praise of 1950's Bathrooms

2010-09-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

Women's Wear Austrailia 1951

In the Oakland area, we have no shortage of funky, cool mid-century bathrooms. It's a source of joy to see the colorful, sometimes wild combinations of tile and fixture colors. These bathrooms will wake you up in the morning before the coffee even hits your system! My own mid-century home retains the original features in only one of the three bathrooms and they are disappointingly muted and restrained. Although these colorful bathrooms sometimes inspire groans and “what were they thinking?” comments from their current owners, I have been itching to get in and work some color magic on one of these gems.

The opportunity came in the request from one of my friends to help her sort out new colors for most of her ranch home built in 1955. In the mix was her fabulous aqua/salmon mid-century bathroom!

Laura and the Post family are lucky enough to live in a little slice of rural heaven in the Oakland Hills. They are heavily into 4H and have goats, pigs, roosters, chickens, rabbits and, before Thanksgiving, turkeys on their property! Until they install their new master bath addition next year, this is their only bathroom. It has to work for not only Laura, but husband Ron, daughter Kendall and son Garrett. My marching orders were to “class it up”. Laura was tired of the wall colors and felt there needed to be something done to calm things down a bit. First off, I pointed her to blog site, Save the Pink Bathrooms.com, to reinforce a sense of pride in owning an original piece of history. She loved the site and came to a new appreciation of the aqua/salmon vision in her home! You can even take their pledge:

"I hereby pledge to prevent the pulverization of period perfect pink potties and to persevere over pressure to part with my practical pedestal where my pint size prince and princess piddle…I Promise!"

The bathroom currently had white cabinets under the vanity and pinkish walls. The direction we decided to go in was using a neutral gray on the walls to calm things down a bit, gray of course was huge in the 1950's as well. We looked at samples of cool gray that threw up too much purple or blue and ruled those out one by one. Then we eliminated ones that went towards warmer grays and gave off green undertones.

We finally settled on one of my favorites, Vapor Trials by Benjamin Moore. In looking at the vanity, we felt that uniting the unit with color would give it a more put together look. The two tone aqua with tiny crackle in the tile made using a custom blended color the best option as none of the aquas we looked at we just perfect. Remember, if you ever custom blend a color, get enough for touch ups as you will never be able to exactly duplicate it or have it duplicated (no matter what the paint stores tell you about matching.) Finally we just went two down the color strip from Vapor Trails and landed on Fieldstone for the window trim.

So how did these fabulous bathrooms come to be? Until World War II, most homes were happy to just have indoor plumbing and one bathroom. By 1950 only 64% of homes had complete plumbing in their bathrooms (hot/cold water, flush toilet, etc.)! However, with the post war sprawl into suburbs and the baby boom, the idea of the master bath and multiple bathrooms quickly became popular.

Some popular companies were American Standard, Kohler, Mott and Co, Eljer and Briggs. Wild combinations of yellows, orange, rusts, pastel blues and greens and especially pink were thrown together in unique ways.

Maybe the girl is saying "Gee, Jack, there sure are a lotta colors goin' on here!"

I fondly remember my grandparents mid-century bathroom with lots of bright yellow, chrome, gray specked Formica counters and an ice block glass window. Keep in mind that this was in rural Oregon so that tells you the latitude that these colors and styles reached across the country.

I think I found a cousin for Laura's bathroom!

Back in the day, when you gave children baths while wearing a dress........

By the mid-1950's, stylish advertising really took off and bathroom design advertising brought fresh, new ideas to homeowners.

Black/pink became a run away hit by the late 1950's, however, the black walls were quite daring here!

So what is the wildest mid-century bathroom combo you've ever seen?

Santa Monica

2010-08-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Photo: Santa Monica Magazine

On a recent whirlwind trip to Santa Monica, I had a short list of things I wanted to do and see. Shopping on the third street promenade, check. Visit the Santa Monica pier, check. Bike ride along the beach to Venice and watch some world class skateboarding, done! Always at the top of my list when traveling is seeing the architectural landmarks and curiosities of the area. June gloom hung on well into July during our trip but we lucked out the day we visited #1 one my list, The Annenberg Beach House, which encompasses 5 gorgeous beach front acres!

Photo: Marie Brady

In 1929, William Randolph Hearst commissioned Julia Morgan to design a stunning 3 floor, 34 bedroom Georgian mansion, 3 guest houses tennis courts and 2 pools on the beach for his mistress, Marion Davies, For 17 years they threw elaborate parties with all of Hollywood's elite of the era. One docent told me many of these parties were often fundraising efforts to help during the great depression and WWII. She still has a children's wing at UCLA named for her.

Photo: Library of Moving Images

In 1947, after a property tax disputes arose, Davies sold the home for $600,000 to private investors and then to the State and finally the City of Santa Monica purchased the property. It had initially been turned into a hotel called Oceanhouse . There were not enough rooms to make a go of it as a hotel, however. The main mansion was demolished in 1956 while a private club called the Sand and Sea Club remained active until 1991. The city opened up the road in front of the club which had previously been closed to the public. Many scenes from the show, Beverley Hill 90210 were filmed there. After the Northridge quake in 1994, the property was further damaged red tagged . The city pondered what to do with this landmark and where the money would come from to bring it back to life. The price tag on the rehabilitation was put at 18 million dollars.

Remaining, restored guest house
Photo: Marie Brady

In stepped Wallis Annenberg, daughter of Walter Annenberg and member of one of the biggest philanthropic families in the country. Annenberg had been a member of the Sand and Sea Club for 30 years and had many wonderful memories of her days at the beach club. She wanted the club to be reborn as a place for the public to enjoy. She contributed 27 million of the 35 million dollars needed for the project.

The city and historic groups also rehabilitated the remaining guest house. The house was is open to the public for tours and has some really cool interactive features!

Photo: Marie Brady

The upstairs rooms are available with WiFi for laptop users to hang out in.

Photo: Marie Brady

Original detail in one of the upstairs bathrooms.

Photo: Marie Brady

This original detail had been painted over at some point, requiring extensive restoration to uncover the metal inlay.

Photo: Marie Brady

The architects, Frederick Fisher and Partners, approached designing a modern set of buildings around the existing pool, rehabilitating the original pool tiles. 16 white columns stand in place to signify the ghost of an outline that was once the original mansion.The new additions host an event building for rotating exhibits, a gym, changing rooms, gardens, and snack bar. The project received a Gold LEED rating from the Green Building Council. Thanks to Ms. Annenberg, the pool club is the only public beach club in the US!

All photos below by Marie Brady

On the way out of town, I was finally able to locate and drive by architect rock star, Frank Gehry's house! Turned out it was just a few blocks from where we were staying near Wilshire Blvd. Never one to blend in to the crowd, this house is typical of his deconstructionist post modern design.

Photo: Marie Brady

The one that got away: We spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to locate this last minute find from our mobile phones. In some posts, it was misidentified as one of the libraries in Santa Monica! It is in fact, one of the nations first LEED parking structures (Oxymoron's aside) and is the 29 million dollar, solar powered Civic Center Parking Garage for city employees.

Maybe next visit! I'm sure we missed many other must see landmarks before we headed out to San Diego but that just means we'll have another excuse for visiting Santa Monica.

Color for Colorphobes and the Commitment Shy

2010-07-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

Quite often, I run into a situation where I'm playing referee/marriage counselor and sometimes even parent/child counselor in the arena of color. Everyone has different tolerance and comfort levels for color and this comes to a head when it's time to paint. Strong opinions about color usually arise when one client feels the need for some fun, punched up color, whereas the other partner or family member feels uneasy outside of comforting neutrals.

I hate to draw predictable, clean lines down the sexes and single out the guys for color fear ( I've certainly experienced male clients who push for more adventurous color at the consternation of their partners!) but this is quite often the case, (sorry guys!) I for one, am married to a man who loves vivid, bright, might I even say, loud colors-so I know you're out there, men!

My job as a colorist is to bridge the desires of both and find solutions that they not only can live with, but love. Sometimes, choices can be ruled out based on furnishings, finishes or other elements in the room. Other times, compromises can be made in other ways. The first rooms I turn to for areas of adventurous color are the smaller, less used rooms in a home such as the laundry room (if you're lucky enough to have one!) and powder rooms or guest bathrooms. Tiffany Blue is a fun color I've seen and had requests for in laundry rooms.

Cottage living

Not only are these out the flow with the rest of the home, they are seldom occupied for long periods for time. Also, they don't require a great deal of paint and can easily be repainted if one tires of the color.

Some people are intrigued with the idea of color but have commitment issues when it comes to painting an entire room in an adventurous color. This is when a pop of color in a closet, cabinet or even a drawer may satisfy that need.

Apartment Therapy

Wow! A great way to embrace a little red!
I could see this in my dining room built in cabinets.

Domino

Martha Stewart

Color can fit in anywhere. Even a tiny medicine cabinet!
Also a great way to use wallpaper or contact paper.

Design Sponge

I love the concept of recapturing space in a home and using in new ways. A burst of color personalizes it.
Closet office anyone?

Country Living

What creative ways have you used to introduce color or use it in harmony with a color phobe in your home?

If you need a color referee or simply some color consulting done for your home or businesses - interior or exterior, please contact me: Marie@ColorMarie.com

Guest Post for Hue Consulting-Car Color Trends

2010-07-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

I was thrilled to write a guest post for my lovely colleague, Rachel Perls, who is enjoying her maternity leave. She has a fantastic blog, Hue, which enjoys a large following of devoted fans, including me! Since I have two car crazy boys, I thought it would be fun to explore the world of car color trends.

Hope you'll swing over and visit:
HUE

Summer Design and Mantelscapes

2010-07-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Summer 2010!
What fabulous plans do YOU have?

Do you like to seasonally change things up in your home or bring out accessories to reflect summer? I have a large stash of seashells, old coral and other items collected on travels over the years. Careful editing means not all of them are hauled out of the basement anymore. Some end up on the dining room shelves and in apothecary jars around the house. I had fun putting together the mantel this year with a mix of blues, coral, starfish, shells and modern graphics.

Photo by me!

Did you know these are often referred to as "mantelscapes"? Definition: Mantelscapes are a unique blend of decorative accessories tastefully arranged on ones mantel, also known as mantel decor. I guess this is the cousin to the design term "tablescapes"? Kind of a silly word but I'll go with it.... Whatever your designs are for the summer, make every second count. Don't forget to go outside often and enjoy the actual landscapes awaiting you!

Here are some more inspiring summer mantels:

Photo from Enchanted Treasures

Look at this amazing DIY project from Georgia Peachez Blog! What a great idea for a beach house where it's seashells all years round:

Georgia Peachez

Housedressing Company

Scale, color, variety and not too symmetrical groupings are key for getting that casual summer look

Jenny Sisney

Summer can also be more urban and understated

Kara Butterfield

......or whimsical and thrifty!

Apartment Therapy

Inspace

The summer season inspires more whimsical, carefree decorating. A great time to hit the thrift stores and garage sales! What are your favorite decorative items for the summer?

Color Study Changes Devo's Iconic Hat

2010-06-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite bands from back in the day, Devo, has finally put out a new album after 20 years. Never what you'd call a traditional band, Devo decided to employ focus groups and color studies to make many of the decisions for them. The album is aptly titled, "Something for Everybody". The biggest outcome was a change to their iconic red hats which have now changed to blue. Frontman, Mike Mothersbaugh, had this to say on the color study:

We've employed focus groups to help us choose a color. There are advantages and disadvantages we've found. We've gotten letters from people that said that they had problems with red hats. The color red, they felt, was unsafe. So the energy dome, I'm pretty certain it's going to change color.

The color study not only gives you your Devo color but asks such thought provoking questions as “Which color for the car makes you dislike this man more?” or "If you were a color, you'd mix yourself with which of the following colors?” You are sometimes given a choice of 6 colors and your choice is pasted into the picture.

Fans and the public also decided which tracks made it onto the album and gave costume decisions as well. On the idea of using focus groups, Mothersbaugh comments:

We always felt that we never got used to our full extent. We had ideas about TV programming before there was an MTV. We were creating products in that medium six or seven years before that, but we weren't marketing students, we sounded like crazy artists.

In the last four years, I've worked on films and I've watched focus groups and sat in on them. They've made decisions that made me change music, even if I didn't agree with it. But they allowed the directors and producers, who were hyper-focused on certain problems and couldn't see the bigger picture, to have a fresh view.

Warners allowed us to choose Mother to do the marketing, which was great, because record companies can have 200 bands and if half a dozen are successful, they high-five each other at the end of the year. Ad agencies, they have a few clients at a time and they can't let any of them not be a success.

It was a fun idea, poking fun, and it eliminated any arguments within the band, because we could all put up our choices for things like the album title and put them to a focus group. We let the public choose the title.

Take the Devo color study yourself if you need a few minutes of entertainment:

Devo Color Study

On the Colbert Report last week, Stephan Colbert donned one of their new hats and commented that he felt the new outfits had a certain Kim Jung Il look! But as always, what I love about Devo, whether band members are working on their own unique projects or working together, is they are still managing to evolve and keep us entertained after 30 years.

Coral Inspirations

2010-05-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

As we head into Memorial Day weekend, I'm struck my the irony of listening to the rain pound away while I take out my summer decorations of sea shells, coral and other beach bric-a-brac. The wettest spring in memory has me yearning for a color always makes me smile-Coral !

Coral colored jewelry, coral motiff decor, coral paint and accessories!
Ballard Designs

This color holds a small place in the color palette right between red and orange. Too far one way and you have "rose", to far the other way and it's "peach". Coral can be pastel and soothing or bold. It make your skin glow and colors flow. Favorite corals that come to mind are:

Constant Coral by Sherwin Williams:

Sunlit Coral by Benjamin Moore:

Coral Spice by Benjamin Moore

Coral Buff by Benjamin Moore:

Constant Coral by Benjamin Moore:

Beyond paint for the die hard coral lover. I would find a place for this!:

Modwalls Tile

Retro anyone? Formica has your coral boomerang surfacing!

Some truly inspired coral interiors:

Martha Stewart

The pink table is a huge dare! Do you love it?
Elle Decor

LOVE the play of complex, complementary colors here:

Domicile Design

Image source

HGTV

Image source

Southern Accents Interiors

How about taking it outside?

Image Source

What do YOU like to pair coral with?

As always, nature is the greatest inspiration for color!

Image source

Have a colorful Memorial Day weekend!

Art Deco Heaven at the Paramount Theater

2010-05-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

Are you an Art Deco junkie like I am? If you're living or visiting the San Francisco Bay Area, you're never far from a Deco fix! My favorites are the movie theaters. In fact, if I can, I try to stay out of the multiplexes in favor of these gems. I'll give up state of the art sound for the architectural experience any day-even in a dark theater.

Photo from Library of Congress

I recently took a 2 hour tour of the Paramount Theater here in Oakland. Two hours may seem like a long tour, but for the obsessed, it means there is time to cover almost every detail AND time to pick the brain of the knowledgeable tour docents. (Sorry if some of my pictures don't do justice)

This was one of the last of the large Art Deco theaters to be built during the boom era of 1920's of Art Deco theater construction and one of the few on the West Coast from that era. It opened in 1931 to much fanfare before the Great Depression hit. Technically, the theater has some of the more streamlined elements of Art Moderne design with less emphasis on the conventional, geometrical design of pure Art Deco but it retains much of the floura/fauna popular with Deco. Architect Timothy Pflueger designed the Paramount as well as having a far reaching hand in much of the design in the Bay Area. He designed other nearby theaters such as the Fox Theater in Oakland and he even influenced the Bay Bridge design. His architecture also endures in some of the more fascinating buildings throughout San Francisco and surrounding cities. He wanted you to have the feeling of being in a redwood forest with waterfalls and stylized greenery when visiting the Paramount:

Going to the theater in the 1920's and 30's was a huge affair that often started out in the early days with a silent movie and Wurlitzer organ accompaniment. The Paramount also boasted a 16 piece orchestra!

Wurlitzer performance at the Oakland Paramount

Sometimes there was a vaudeville or acrobatic act, followed by Newsreel footage, a cartoon and finally a movie. The movie started to take over the live acts in time and sound came into the movies. After the 1930's, the great theater era slowly passed. TV became popular heading into the 1950's and the Paramount fell into disrepair. It closed in 1970. Others like its sister theaters, the Paramount and Fox Theaters of San Francisco, were simply demolished to make way for office space, condos and parking lots.

Theater Ceiling:

Painstaking work was done during it's restoration in the early 70's..... and again recently, to see that every detail was restored to it's original glory. My father tells me that he took me to see Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at the Paramount not long after it re-opened in the early 1970's but I'm saddened that I was too young to have any memory of this!

I love Art Deco colors and enjoy the often unusual combinations. Art Deco colors usually are described as being rich and cool. Even the warmer earth tones are cooled and muted down. You often see navy blues, mustards, tans, black, gray, orange-reds, sea greens and lots of metal, etched frosted glass and mirror. The pastel colors you see in Miami and other areas are a regional variation and associated with tropical Art Deco. Pflueger brought in a wealth of skilled artisans to work on his buildings including Diego Rivera. Although Rivera did not work on the Paramount, it is thought that his work was the inspiration the much of the color palette seen throughout the theater.

The main woman's powder room with hand painted designs was one of my favorites:

Even the men's restrooms were given the grand treatment:

Floor detail of Men's Lobby:

A fascinating detail of Art Deco design is the ever present Egyptian accents. This was due to the obsession with Egypt in the 1920's after the discovery of King Tut's tomb.

New carpet was recently replaced using the original 1930 pattern. Its original copyrighted pattern had expired so they were able to use it.....unlike the slightly different version from the 1970's whose now defunct carpet manufacturer still holds the copyright.

This mural had to be painstakingly recreated due to extensive water damage. This was the women's smoking room. Women still did not often smoke in public in the 1930's so they escaped to this darkly lit room to light up!

My son's friend peeks through one of the fanciest portholes ever imagined to view the lobby level:

It's nothing short of breathtaking to walk into the lobby and into another world and era. Amid the sad tales of demolished or closed Deco gems, a success story was the recently remodeled and reopened Pflueger designed Alameda Theater (where I see most of my movies since the Paramount is mainly now a concert venue)......but more on that in a future Deco post! If you wish to tour the Paramount, you can on the first and third Saturdays each month.

Paramount Theater Website

Let me know if I can make your space come to life with color.....color to reflect your style!
510-381-3688 or ColorMarie.com

When Even Your Best Guess Requires a Do-Over!

2010-05-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Photo by Kyle Jordre

It's a well known fact in the color community that we color professionals either experiment excessively with our own homes or ignore them until we can't bear to look at them anymore. I have until recently, fallen into the latter category. It's also a fact that even we can misjudge a color. When our family moved to Montclair Village almost a decade ago, I had the entire interior repainted. While I had some education in interior design, I was a stay-at-home mom at the time. I had not yet stumbled upon the incomparable training of the International Association of Color Consultants (IACC-NA) nor had I any interest in going back to work. I quickly picked out colors for each room and ended up without any major disasters despite the fact that I did not know how to test colors and was in a hurry-well, I was 7 months pregnant with a toddler under foot! It took awhile to find the perfect glossy red for my dining room but other than that, I was very motivated. I was eager to cover up a house of wall paper; wild jungle paper, flocked paper, wall paper with waterfall pictures and dingy, dingy paint everywhere else. At first the painter was dismayed and angry about all the colors I picked out and couldn't figure out why I wanted each room a distinct color. After he finished, he saw the end results of my strange choices and asked me to do color consulting for him! With baby number 2 on the way, I politely declined. Guess it must have planted a seed in my head for future days! The jungle wallpaper entry and hallway was painted a warm white at the time because it was my answer to flowing things in regard to the other rooms meeting up with it. I also thought it would make the heavy wood presence throughout the entry and hallway calm down a bit.
Fast forward nearly a decade. One son is now in middle school and the other is more than halfway through elementary school. I was about to host a school fundraiser recently and looked in dismay at my now blotchy, dirty white entry and hallway. Although people are frequently over to our home, this dinner set me on edge as many of these folks had not been in my house........ yet they know I'm a colorist-yikes, what poor advertising! I set about testing and imagining new colors. I settled on gold-green Henderson Buff (HC-15) from Benjamin Moore. I loved how it modernized the overwhelming oranegish oak paneling. I was also intrigued by Bainbridge Blue (749) and took a leap of faith on this deep blue for a bold accent. My trusty painter Carlos showed up and within a few hours my hallway was transformed! Carlos and I agree it looked lovely! Then as night falls, I am shocked as my hallway slowly turns bright greenish! This didn't show on my test boards. While I realized this color has a lot of green, I underestimated how that will amplify in a small, dark room where it will reflect off itself. Aha! I've heard of this happening but now I'm seeing it! Also, my husband mentions that he had changed out all the bulbs in that area of the house to compact fluorescent bulbs. So we are basically adding a layer of blue to the yellow which equals more green. Even my kids express surprise at the color shift!
While I distractedly attended my Photoshop class that night, my dear, patient husband went out and picked up a few different packages of incandescent bulbs. Don't get me wrong, we are quite environmental-but the compact bulbs will have to take up residence in other rooms for now. While the Henderson Buff definitely looked less green under new lighting, it still looks like a stronger color than I had anticipated, even the next day in natural light. I still love it, just not on ALL the walls. More testing and planning.....I decided to redo two walls in Revere Pewter to cut down on the strength (much grayer than pictured here).
Carlos patiently returned and finished applying the new paint within an hour. It immediately made a huge difference! I still get the strong colors I want without the intensity. I am reminded that picking and testing colors is taking an educated guess, no guarantees. Glad this guess ended up a win. Next to go is the taupe in the adjoining living room, stay tuned!

Playful Color and Design in Hotels

2010-04-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

During spring break, I had the pleasure of staying at a very hip, newly remodeled hotel in Santa Cruz on the Northern California Coast. A couple of friends had forwarded me their link over the past year...... so the kids, some friends and I finally decided to check out whether this place was a cool as it looked on their website. Those of us in the color/design biz can be pretty fussy about our lodging and wary of slick websites using creative photography.......only to be disappointed when we see the site in person. In today's climate of precious little vacation/out of town time, it's frustrating to see an expensive hotel miss the mark on color and design. When I find an exceptional hotel, I really have to give it a shout out. This hotel has been here for about 40 years but I understand it was a certified dump prior to it's renovation. It's got a unique location in being actually ON the beach, near Santa Cruz pier and just down from the fabulous, historical Santa Cruz Boardwalk.

It was interesting to dig up some history on this little gem. Originally called the Dream Inn, it then became the Coast Hotel. It's now back to it's original name. The hotel created a stir back in the early 60's when it was built into the side of a beach cliff. Outcry banned all further building of this scale and location in the city.

1963-Front of the Dream Inn; Are they running from the bad architecture?

The Dream Inn Today

We reserved one of the suites and within seconds of walking in the lobby I was impressed with the use of bold but well placed playful color.

Lobby-Dream Inn

Huge, colorful rocking chairs in the lobby let you know you're here to have fun! The rooms incorporated colorful splashes of whimsy in using oversize bean bags, light up seats and rock album cover art for the walls. I love that the splashes of citrus throughout the suite were balanced with the appropriate neutrals and some interesting textures.

The overall look was kind of a hip Palm Springs feel. The new parent company, Joie de Vivre, reportedly uses a form of “brandscaping” exercises to help set the theme and design goals for their properties. Among other things, they chose two consumer magazines to represent their theme. In this case, they chose the now defunct Domino magazine as well as Surfer magazine. So many interesting hotels around the world are coming out with some very far out candy hued designs. They understand that some of us want a more modern, colorful version of the traditional hotel. What is YOUR hotel style? What makes hotel color design over the top vs. balanced for you?

Dream Inn

More Colorful Hotels:

BelleChasse Hotel, Paris, France

Hi-Hotel-Lounge, Nice, France

Hotel Missoni, Scottland

Dara Hotel, Thailand

25 Hours Hotel, Frankfurt, Germany

Vanguard Hotel, Chicago

Hotel Colorful Days, China

Exterior, Colorful Days in China

Color Hotel, Paris, France