color post: green and grey

A while back I did a grey and pink post, 

and asked which other combos you'd like to see,

and the most common response was green and grey.

This surprised me a little,

as I've yet to have a client request this combination in their home.

That said, the rejuvenating effects of green work perfectly to counter the sometimes dulling effects of grey,

making this a fabulous combination to both relax you and uplift your spirits.

I think the saturation of the green is the key to getting this mix right.

Pale greens will be better enhanced by warm neutrals,
which flatter by intensifying green and making them appear fuller.
Cool greys require more vivid greens that have enough strength for a rich and balanced palette.



Grey - softened:
here, the warmth of greyed down woods bridge the gap between sisal floors and grey walls.
The emerald green accents add a punch to the otherwise neutral space.

This is my favourite look, where a bit of warmth keeps things from being chilly.
An incredibly liveable space, right?

High Drama:
the coolest grey on the walls is a good choice to complement the white and black in the space,
but I'm curious to see if you would find this palette welcoming.

I suspect this grey is almost solely comprised of black and white, with very, very little undertone.
If you removed the green curtains and chair,
 it would almost appear to be a black and white photo, wouldn't it?

Grey Love:
When you are ready to make a commitment to grey, but are trying on green.

The question is, how much green do you want?
Grey furnishings, white walls and green accents -
or grey furnishings, green walls and white accents?

A flexible look for the no-house-is-ever-truly-finished-decorator:

grey walls, white furniture, and green accents.

With grey as popular as it is, the walls will last you a few years of palette changes,

and the green accents are simple to change when you tire of them, say, next year :)

source 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 

Some of you asked if I could list grey paints for you to try,
and I was going to begin including my favourites in my posts,
but the truth is, the paints I like may not work for you.
It would be awful for you to paint your home a certain color because someone said how beautiful it was,
and then end up really unhappy with the finished results.
The light and existing finishes in your home, and your personal preferences,
mean that every home is unique, and every home should have it's own personalized color palette.

Colors that YOU love, not colors I love!
(you may not know it but I do on-line consults now, they've become quite popular,
and if you'd like a hand choosing paint for your home just drop me aline and we'll get started)

So, after all that :) ...


what do you think about green and grey together?
Is it a combination you would try out?

color post: which pinks love grey

For so many years beige, or some form of warm neutral,

was the go-to backdrop for every space.

Now, with grey at the forefront of design,

many of us are trying to make the switch from warm neutrals to cool ones...

Concerned about creating a space that feels "cold", 

my clients usually want to incorporate some colorful accents when using grey on the walls.

 A question I am constantly asked is what colors work with grey.

If you read my post on clean color,

you'll know that almost any hue works with grey, 

what's important is that it is a pure hue that has been mixed only with white, black, or grey.

but one of my favourite combinations is grey mixed up with pink and it's cohorts...

and when I saw this living room, I swooned, because the color mix is exactly right.

 grey wall and sofa + with fresh garden hues - how about that lush emerald?

(and note how the pillow on the right, sconce art and side table 

pick up the the warm tones found in the wood floor and allow for a harmonious mix.)

Black adds glam to the combo, 

and although I may have chosen a slightly cooler tone for the walls,

those chairs are showstoppers, aren't they?

Turquoise plays well with fuchsia against a serene dove grey backdrop, 

because they are equal in saturation.

Just as the palest of pinks pairs perfectly with the palest of greys to create this tranquil space.

The pink is fairly dominant in these living/dining rooms at first glance,

 but it's actually only the sofa and flowers that are pink.

So much impact from one piece of furniture!

Look how differently the paint and sofa color appear in the different photos.

This is why you should never choose a paint color based solely on a photo!!!

(hmm... I smell a future post :)

and some pretty bits of high contrast...

so want that painting, top left.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 

What do you think?

Would you ever use this combination?

Since they are so popular right now,

I think I'll do a few posts exploring grey based color schemes...

any particular one you'd like to see explored next?

Does Your Budget Affect Your Color Choices?

After reading through the blogs,
I realized I may be the only person who missed Million Dollar Decorators...
but truthfully, wasn't really interested.

I heard it was full of pretentious, obnoxious behavior...

since the whole show is based on "bragging-rights" budgets,
it seems natural that it is packed-to-the-rafters with people who are focused on that sort of thing,
doesn't it?

There may be some valuable design lessons, but how much sifting will have to be done to get to them?

All the discussions, however, got me thinking about budgets...


The clients I am usually working with do not have unlimited design budgets.

They are usually looking for a design that combines old and new

 into one, cohesive, shiny ball of fabulousness :)

What I do find, when the budget is more realistic,
is that my clients regularly want to go neutral with the bulk of their choices,

 because they know they will be living with them for some time.

When this happens, I tend to guide them toward color through paint and accessories.
Then they can have their cake, and eat it, too - isn't that what we all want!!!


I'd like to know how you all do it..

Do you refrain from buying that to-die-for red velvet sofa

because you don't want to commit to scarlet fever for the next 5 - 10 years?

Even though it makes you tingle all the way down to your toes...

but bring home the lush red pillows?

Do you stick with white, black, grey or - gasp - beige
(which I like, by the way - in small doses!!)  

because it will be less expensive to pack up blue and white pottery
 than change out that exquisite navy toile wallpaper
once you're over your mad blue and white crush?

or do you revel in your chosen hue?
splashing it around with abandon....

 Does your budget affect your color choices?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Yay! It's done! Celebrating with a GIVEAWAY!

Between color consultations, those dandelions
and building the new website I've been away from blogging for a bit...

I miss reading about your exploits :)
There's going to have to be a day in the near future filled with tea and blog reading...


But, BIG NEWS,  as of today the site is officially launched, WOOHOO!!!

since you aren't here to share the wine, figs and prosciutto,
I thought maybe you'd like to try out one of my new online color consultations...

I'll help you choose paint colors for any room in your house, and it's on me :)

In order to win, just follow the blog, and check out the new 10 Rooms Design headquarters...
then come back and give me your feedback!

Please be honest,
if you think there's something that needs changing,
just tell me..

it's not like I spent hours on the design...
 sweating each link and picture, engrossed in color and font choices, lol!

But really, if it could be more functional or pretty I do actually want to know :)

pics from here here here




The comments will be open until next Monday, May 30 and Tuesday I'll post the winner..

Hope you guys are having a fabulous day - x

Getting White Right

Make a cup of tea or grab a glass of red -
this is a long one!

The more I tried to condense this post the more it grew -
there is so much that goes into choosing any color,
but especially white.

If you manage to make it through let me know what you think!!!

source

Those gleaming white spaces dazzle us all.

source

White walls offer a clean backdrop, showcasing furnishings and art beautifully.

source

White highlights architecture, and wrapped onto the ceiling, enlarges your space dramatically.

source

source

source

So how to import a little of this white magic into your home?

There are a few important factors in achieving those perfect white walls.

Most importantly, 

do you have good natural light in your space?

If your answer is no, stop and consider this.

The reason white highlights architecture so spectacularly is that it reacts dramatically to light.

Color is light reflected, and white is every color in the spectrum reflected,

so remove the light and white becomes grey.

1 2 3 

That means if you put white in a space with limited light, darker areas will always become grey,

 no matter how warm the white.

That means the proportions of the room are highlighted,

and if your desire is to "brighten up" a small, dark space

white will have entirely the opposite effect.

 Is your home a bustling mecca of children, visitors, or pets?

If yours is a home filled with these,

be aware white is a bit of a diva - she requires maintenance.

Use the BEST quality paint, buy extra and skip the matte finish -

you'll be washing and touching up those walls frequently.

1 2  

Finally: what condition are your walls in?

White reflects the most light of any color, and will highlight any surface imperfections.

Usually going white means doing some terribly boring prep work, 

but if you are willing, the results will be worth it.

If after all this you still want white all that's left to do is choose the perfect one :)

I'm not going to give you a proven formula, because it doesn't exist!

There are infinite combinations of conditions that all combine to

point in the direction of a specific white.

I will however, tell you how I go about it.

First off, you need to determine the exposure of your room - 

that is which direction the light is coming from.

I explored this in an earlier color post,

How Natural Light affects Color Choices.

This is the number one deciding factor as to whether you will need a warm or cool white. 

source

Next you will need to consider the existing finishes
 and furnishings in the room.

The undertones in these help to determine which white work best.

If you want to enhance your existing finishes without making the color more intense,
choose a white with some of that color in it.
For example, if you dislike that green sofa, but it is staying,
using a white with some green in it will minimize contrast.

If you would like to bring out the color of your existing furnishings/finishes

choose a white that contains it's complement on the color wheel.

For example, if you want to make your oak floors appear richer,

 a cool, blue-based white will pull out the orange tones.

Beiges will have a red, orange or yellow undertone.

Greys will have a blue, green or purple undertone.

The existing finishes and sheen level you choose will also determine reflected color.

Rarely considered, reflected color is a huge factor with white.

Read my post about reflected light here.

source

Consider the use of the space,
 it will help you to decide how much color you want your white to contain.

Is this somewhere to relax or somewhere to entertain?

How do you want this space to feel?

Some people embrace the energy of a brilliant, pure white,

and some people prefer a white that borders is almost a neutral and embraces softly.

1 2

Next you want to consider placement in the home.

This has to do with flow.

With very pure whites, I prefer to see continued use throughout the home.

One intensely white room in a home filled with color can be jarring.

source

If your home is based in muted ("dirty") color,

then a warm white will prevent the walls from appearing stark and cold.

Conversely, if you have filled your space with clean color, 

a cooler white looks fresh (whereas a warm white would look dingy).

If you'd like, read this post about creating flow with color
 to determine whether you are working with clean or dirty color 

(less naughty than it sounds, lol!).

1 2

If it sounds like a lot of work that's because it is :)
but you're almost done!

Once you have determined whether you need a cool or warm white, 

and then gone on to determine the undertone that you would prefer,
make yourself a cup of tea and congratulate yourself because you've finished the hardest bit!

 Now comes the fun part:
finding that
slightly-cool-green-based-white-that-will-work-with-your-red-pottery-collection
or a
warm-orange-based-white-that-will-warm-up-a-north-facing-room-with-blue-sofas...

All these different "whites" are, in fact, very pale colors.

Bring home a heap of the largest white paint chips you can in your chosen brand.

A really great trick is to lie them out on a piece of white bristol board,

which allows you to see clearly what undertone each has.

You can arrange them into a sort of color wheel, 

and it will be easy to spot the cool whites (blue, green, purple and grey tones)

and the warm whites (red, orange, yellow and brown tones).

I would suggest choosing three - one that you feel is ideal,

one more lively and one more subdued.

Bring home some sample pots and go to town. 

Be sure to look at your choices during different times of the day,

and simply choose your fav!

source

Some inspiration...

Color appears very differently on a screen than it actually does on your walls,
so I would advise against choosing a color based on something you've seen online.

However, here are some stunning examples of the most popular BM whites...
(see how differently they appear in each picture?)

1 2 3 4


1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 



I am a big fan of the new Martha Stewart paint line at home depot.
The range of choices is smaller,
but each and every color is something that could actually be used in an interior.

I LOVE how Martha does white!

I used her "Popcorn" in my master bath,
 which isn't quite accessorized to the point of being photographed,
but I will show it to you once it get's there :)

The color is absolutely gorgeous - a very pale grey-white with just a hint of yellow.
I will recommend this one again and again.

Her Picket Fence and Tailors Chalk are classics in my book.

source

Mention white walls at a dinner party and watch the opinions fly!

It seems we either love them or hate them...

What side of the fence are you on?

I'd love to hear about your success stories (and your battles) with white paint.

and yes, I'm done now :) if there's anyone left, thanks for reading!