What Comes First: The Furniture or The Paint?

It's the age old question that homeowners have most difficulty with- what comes first, furniture or paint? And you'll find many different thoughts behind your logic- like, if I am just doing a tan on the walls I can do that first because then anything I pick for furnishings will match because it's a neutral...WRONG! I realize that seems logical in theory, but if you understand base colors, you'll realize that all colors have tints, tones or shades in thousands of levels that alter the "true" color, resulting in some sort of undertone. Let me explain...

Not so long ago I had a repeat client ask me to assist them with designing their new home. I had selected every wall color in their previous 5,300 square foot home to perfection and their happiness. When it was time to sell, the house sold swiftly with people fighting over the home because of the paint colors throughout. Even without the furniture, which they took with them, the house spoke to potential buyers. I was proud of that, and having done such a fine job, you would think they had total faith in my color consultations. 

This time they wanted to get away from the neutrals and go into "a color" as the husband put it--- grays. (lol, another neutral) They were excited and we went in search of the perfect sofa. With fan deck in had, at the store I selected coordinating shades of gray for the walls and, as the living room leads openly to the kitchen and then hall, chose similar grays in tints of that same color. (A tint is achieved by adding white to a color). In the store, not only did they love the sofa- which was a charcoal gray with a bluish undertone, but they understood and loved the wall colors as well.

Then came the problem- the painter painted the walls and for six weeks, while they awaited the sofas' arrival, they agonized over the blue in the wall color and how much they hate blue! BUT THEY LOVED IT ALL TOGETHER AS A WHOLE and when the wall color and the upholstery is together they do not look so blue. It just so happened that standing alone they were able to see the undertone. I begged for their patience because I knew they would love the end result but it's hard to get over a preconceived notion that you dislike something, especially a color. (I'll tell you the end result of this story in part 2).

Tan can have any variety of undertones. A shade of tan ( adding black to a color) can have a yellow undertone, while some tones of tan (adding gray to a color) might have an orange undertone. Sometimes a tan can have a pink or peach undertone, while other times it can appear to be a khaki (with a green undertone). A tan is never really just a light brown. This is where the strong eye of an interior designer comes into play. I can't tell you how many times a potential client spent hundreds, if not thousands on having their home painted and the colors simply did not match their furnishings because they painted first and bought later.

It is always easiest to select your paint colors based on your furnishings and then coordinate your window treatments, artwork and accessories with the combination of what you have selected. Paints can be altered in shade, tint or tone to achieve a match to a fabric, but despite the hundreds of upholstery choices you have for a "custom" sofa, you can't simply create a fabric to match the exact undertones of a wall color. Not only that, but purchasing your furniture first might open you up to accent and wall colors that you might not have ever considered. It's amazing what colors you can pull out of a good print and throw on your walls to produce stunning results and a great big AHHH when your friends come through the door!

How To Add Pantone's Color of The Year 'Honeysuckle' Into My Decor?

For us designers, it's like the Oscars! We impatiently await with ears, eyes and mouths open in anticipation to hear the announcement of Pantone's colors for the coming year. They are the Holy Grail of our world. All textile companies rush to design new upholstery fabrics in the top trending colors, which are then snatched up by the best furniture manufacturers who use them to create desirable pieces of furniture which us designers then clammer to place in the houses of our most trendy homeowners. And while that's a mouthful, without these vital cues, many homeowners would never move forward, still owning a puffy black leather sofa and hunter green and mauve cushions with white washed cabinets in our kitchens. (if you still have any of these, please call me immediately!)

Although Pantone's Color Of The Year is appealing to most women, some men might be hesitant of just how to incorporate Honeysuckle into their homes in a way that doesn't make their room into a girly girl space. Honeysuckle has actually been a trending color for several years. A derivative of the corals, rusts and fushias we have been seeing peeps of throughout the last few years of design, it has finally made it's way to the forefront as THE in color for all things in the home. I was shocked to see that my husband- the ultimate man's man, said he liked the honeysuckle chandelier in this picture to finish this spaces decor, above the other two. I have to agree, but I still selected three to show the versatility you have when playing with this or any new color trend that you want to add to your space.

Color trends are more than just the latest fad in design, they are the inspirations for the future of the home industry as a whole. And while there are some radical colors that enter into the mix from time to time, for the most part the new colors are an indication of where colors will stay for a small extended period of time. I say this because so many homeowners do not dare to follow the trends for fear that they will become outdated the very next year. It is the job of your designer to make sure that the pieces you add into your home's current decor will stay current for years. This is done by carefully incorporating just the right accents pieces and base colors into a space, allowing these new color trends to highlight the room and not takeover it. In five to seven years (when most homeowners update their main room's decor) the items selected (if done right) should easily either fall into your decor's background or be easily replaced by the next color scheme that appeals to you.

If you notice the mood board here, you'll see that the basis for this room's decor is the gray and cream color scheme. Gray has been a trending color for the last four years and continues to be popular in all things fashion and home design. It shows no signs of leaving yet. The pieces here, from the sofa to the accent chairs and accessories work well together, but can also be separated and broken up into other rooms. So can the honeysuckle pieces shown in the space.

Accent pillows are all the rage and you can never go wrong by tossing a few in the newest trend into the mix. For anywhere from $10.00 at a discount store, to $40 at a home department store or even as much as $200 in a high quality furniture store, they are still cheap enough to cover or discard after five years or so!

Lighting options in a trending color are another great way to infuse your decor with what's in the now. If you love the style of a chandelier or lamp, down the road you can always have the base refinished, add or swap out the shades or have other things done to alter the appearance of the piece to accommodate the newest style.

The best way to add a jolt of adrenaline into a lack-luster room is to add a single accent chair with a print in the trending color. Again, consult a designer in order to get this right. It takes more than just matching the print's colors to your existing decor in the room. Attention to detail, size, shape and scale of the piece are vital when attempting to incorporate a new member into your furniture family! When done right, however, your room becomes a WOW when it was once an ugh!

Need help with any of these design ideas??? Consider hiring a great design firm- 480.227.1832

New Year- Time to Give Your Business New Style!

So you have a business and it's surviving the times. Your office is office-like, your waiting room is...well, Ok- it's waiting for a change. The truth is, you spent the minimum, opened your business and it's been doing well, so you have reason to be happy! But, now that you are taking a look around, you realize that some updates can be done- AND THEY SHOULD. Nothing says thriving business like the persona that you are a WELL THRIVING BUSINESS. Business is all about establishing trust. A customer has to trust you in order to give you their money, and in this slowly upward- bound economy, trusting that you will be there in 6 months from now, is a major part of that. A well-done interior shows a potential customer that, not only are you here, but you are present in the moment with your updated space, you have invested in your company and they will want to invest in you as well!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS- The most important, AND I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH- the most important (had to say it again, lol) space in your company, whether it be a salon, a restaurant, a night club, a medical center, an office- is the space right behind that front door. It's the first thing they see when they enter your company for the first time. This is the room that says "I care about my customers" by making this space appealing to look at. Your wall color should be attractive and welcoming. It should also help to establish your BRAND, and this is one of the most important things that I do for a company when working with their design. Your company's interior should either directly reflect your branding (i.e. color, fonts, logos) or indirectly (through mood or theme of the the product or service you offer). Furnishings in the waiting room should be fresh and current! If you still have that puffy leather couch in your front entry- that says I've been around since the nineties and haven't changed a bit- that's not a good thing, when there have been such innovations since two decades ago! Even more than that, customers nowadays expect more from the companies they patron, they want creativity. Don't just think outside the box, but outside the hemisphere. That's where a good interior designer (like me) comes in with exciting, UNIQUE details that make your company stand out from the average. Companies need to be noticed to be successful. And don't just think that painting your entryway and waiting room a nice tan and adding neutral accents will get the job done. Nothing says snooze-fest more than neutral. Even neutral needs a punch of bonafide, kick-butt color!

INVEST LARGELY IN ONE MAJOR DETAIL- The obvious granite countertop at the reception desk is...well, obvious and not all that creative. There are SO many products out here for wall treatments, appliques, veneers, furnishings. A grand entrance, whether a contemporary space or a Tuscan villa feel, needs texture and drama and the newest products out there offer that for you, if you take advantage of them. I can't count how many new, super-hot, unique products I have that have been gathering dust because of a lack of a good place to put them or a good client to use them on. Take this waiting room wall, for instance. Yes, it's a typical 4" x 4" honed and tumbled travertine tile, but we used in a more modern way- with a butt-joint (no grout and laid together with no spaces) configuration. Then I took a fresh new serpentine glass tile in complimentary colors, that lifts off the wall in a waving pattern, to give the wall 3-D interest. The result was amazing and didn't cost my client an arm and a leg. By taking an expensive product- the glass tile, and using it intermittently throughout, the overall result was not expensive and gave the client a unique atmosphere and conversation piece while customer's await their service.

CREATIVE ORGANIZATION- This is where custom pieces usually come into play, especially in very small or massively large spaces. They both need to hide the excess or storage or even just paperwork. Sure metal file cabinets are suitable in a back room, but if your file cabinets are in areas where clients can see them, the old standby simply doesn't do your company justice. Neither does mismatch office furniture. Nothing says pieced together more than three different tones of wood laminate desk sets. Putting enough effort into coordinating your office furnishings, even in an eclectic, but professional manner, will go a long way with the perception of your customers. And in the end, isn't it ALL about perception? If customers perceive your business to be successful, you will be.

Customers drive our success or failure by making the decision to use our product or services. Make it an easy choice by putting your best foot forward for them. Get your business interior fresh for 2011 and upgrade your customer's perception of your company. Even if you just change to a vibrant new color scheme, it can go a long way to impress those who hold your bottom line in their hands!