Remember Ann from Friday?  She was kind enough to respond after I posted the answer to her paint color question with pictures of her home.  Here is my response:

Ann, your new kitchen is GORGEOUS.  The Sahara Mélange glass tiles paired with the Sierra Madre Silestone countertops and the natural tones of the wood cabinets are very good, very livable choices.  You should be very proud of your decisions.  I do agree with your plan to extend the wood tiles to the kitchen as well.  The current white squares are not in balance with the open feeling to the space. 

The reason you are having trouble finding a color from the-ahem-multiple swatches of colors you have used is because all of these colors are too saturated.  They are competing with the wonderful elements you have, rather than enhancing them.  Choose a color that allows the combination of the tiles and the counter to be the center of attention in the room.  The Behr Winter Wheat (the longest and largest swatch at the top to the right of the table) is probably the closest to what you should aim for, but even it is too harsh. 

Tyler Taupe may work, and I can see by your inquiring about it that you, too, are realizing the need for a calmer, softer color.  I like the idea of working with a color with a green tone, which will serve as a nice compliment to the red accent wall opposite the kitchen and will contrast with the brownish tone in the new addition.  Your thought to paint the entire entry area an orangish color is also a good one. This would give you the punch of color you are looking for. 

Since you mentioned the Affinity colors from Benjamin Moore, let’s keep it simple and choose a few from this palette.  My first choice would be the grayed green, Elemental.  Of course remember that I am looking at snap shots on my monitor, but sitting here at my desk in Virginia, this looks like what you need –not too much green and not too much color, but still deep and rich and luxurious.  The color seems to coordinate well with the Sahara Mélange tiles. 

A bold choice for the entry would be Buttered Yam, but honestly, Etruscan, a much more mellow brownish orange, may serve to better balance the Elemental and still allow the red accent to be the focal point. 

Finally, I would not add a chair rail to the entry area, or anywhere in the pictures you sent.  There are already a lot of breaks in the wall spaces. Your home appears to be more contemporary.  Thick base boards would be a better use of trim and would harmonize better with the style of your home, but these are not necessary. The vaulted ceilings?  Leave ‘em white. 

Good luck and remember to update us as you make progress!

This email has been sitting in my inbox for a while now.  Melissa sent me her dilemma  for me to answer here on my blog.  I asked her for a few more pictures and some additional information, but perhaps a cyber monster ate it up because I haven’t heard back.  I’m going to address this email anyway and use it as an illustration for what a decorating “typical” Decorate Your Space consultation looks like. (If there WERE such a thing as typical.)

 Here’s the email:

 ”Hi

I have a decorating issue. I’ve attached a photo. I am leasing this house, but I hate the color pallet. There is emerald green tile in front of the fireplace and in front of the door. What color paint should I use if I want to down play the green, and what kind and color of furniture would go as well. I currently have big red furniture, but I am afraid it will look like Christmas all year round, so I am willing to buy something new.

Thanks a bunch.

 Melissa”

Melissa,

 Thank you for reading Design Strategies.  I love it when someone tells me about their decorating dilemma and gives me the chance to solve it. 

If you had hired me to come into your home for a consultation, I would ask you a whole lot of questions.  (I do hope you read this, and answer!) 

1)   What changes are you actually allowed to make?

I am assuming from your email that the owner of the home you are leasing is ok with you painting.  You will be doing her a big favor by bringing this room out of the 80s, but sometimes owners intend to move back into their homes one day and they don’t want anything changed. This is especially true where I live and work, as we have a high number of military families who will one day return to the area.  

The wallpaper border really dates the house.  The first thing I would suggest is to remove it. Now we need to decide what color to repaint the walls.  The high contrast between the tones above and below the chair rail also screams “twenty years ago!”

2)   How old is the current big red furniture?  Does it fit well in the space?  Are you looking for an excuse to buy new?  Is red a color you would choose again? 

If you love your furniture, let’s make it work.  From the picture, the room looks large and will give you plenty of configuring options.

3)   How many people are living with you?  What will the room be used for?  How many of those people will actually be using this room? (I told you there would be a lot of questions!)

4)   What is your style?  Are there other pieces that you own that you want to highlight?  What are your favorite colors?  What colors do you hate?

A lot of these questions I never need to ask.  I can get plenty of information from the client by having them show me around their space and talking to me about the things they own and how they acquired them.  I try to always ask about what the client absolutely does not want as well, as that can be as revealing as it opposite question. 

Since I have none of the answers to the questions, I am just going to wing it.  I am going to give you a palette that suits a variety of tastes, can blend with most shades of red, and will downplay the green in the tile.  I hope your “hate” is not….Neutral.

Without further information, and taking into consideration that you are leasing this house, I will suggest a rich but safe neutral scheme.  Aura Paint in Affinity Colors by Benjamin Moore is my personal favorite right now.  The palette is limited, but gorgeous, and good for situations like this.  (Normally I need every single swatch from the three separate manufacturers’ cases that I would bring to your home to find exactly the right color.)

 Try Carob AF- 160 below the chair rail and Pensive AF-140 above.  These colors are pretty, and will prevent you from having to paint the cream trim.

…Oh but I can’t stop before you get your money’s worth. Funky slightly greenish golds instantly update dated tones of green.  A dark brown as a backdrop for reds?  Perfect.

 Try Wenge AF-180 below the chair rail and Anjou Pear AF-425 above.  If you dare.