Don't put gold on top of beige

Just put new carpet in basement - which is kids playroom/hangout - Paint color is a Donald Kaufman but definately reading grey/green - I think the trim is fine, but think I need to paint the walls to warm up the room & not have the colors fighting. The carpet guy just left, so the room is not put back together at all - lots of stuff up will be put away more to move back in.
I think I need a paint that reads gold, SW Golden fleece?

Colorman says:
Please don't put gold on top of beige. My first suggestion would be to change the carpet. But since you just did that...
This room desperately needs some constrasting dark colors. The trims perhaps? And then I would balance out all the beige with some complementary hue. Here's my suggestion. (Click the picture to read the colors)

New England-ish exterior makeover

My son & his wife just entered into contracts on this lil house in Ma - Their 1st home. They have been searching a LONG time - This is in a great area, lovely street, good schools - they have a little boy that just turned 1!  

As most 1st home buyers, they have very limited funds & will fix as they go - it needs A LOT - inside & out. I know it wouldn't take all that much on the exterior to make this house more appealing - They are getting new windows so we can change the configuration - rip out shrubs, put in steps by kit door (side), new paint.

Colorman says:
I have a bold yellow look for you. But personally I wouldn't look too far for suitable colors, so I've added a second, darker look, more or less similar to the current colors. (Click on the images to read the colors)

Newly done kitchen done again

 

I'm almost afraid to send pics as this is newly 'done' and I don't have the thickest of skin - but here goes... "What colors???" Backsplash is painted (fake) brick. It's still the OLD kitchen color. What color should I paint it now? Thinking a shade lighter than Ivoire. But am tempted to try a bit more *color*. But what? Or do I have enough variation going on already?

Colorman says:

Too much beige. Too much browny colors. I'd suggest going the opposite: a greenish color for the wall to create a more balanced image. Don't worry about the backsplash. Just make it light.

Color makes one space into two rooms

I am seriously considering painting my dining and living room a color. In the rest of my house (besides bedrooms) I am using BM Navajo White on my trim and ceilings, which is a match to my kitchen island cabinetry. Any thoughts??

Colorman says:
If see two rooms in the picture. If you paint the two in different colors, you will see two seperate rooms instead of one space.

Click the picture to read the colors.

A dark color to brighten up a foyer

I've been looking at various paints trying to find something more cheerful and "enlightening" for my foyer. With the dark walnut floors and the current beige paint, it just isn't working right now - ie depressing! If you have any ideas I'd appreciate it..thanks!

Colorman says:
This may sound counter intuitive, but how about a dark color on the wall? It seems to me that your foyer has lack of contrast, rather than lack of bright color. The dark color brings contrast and makes the light colors stand out much brighter.

Click on the image to check out the color.

Windham Cream toooooo yellow

I was hoping it would be more Cream instead it's more yellow. Is BM Rich Cream's this yellow? I almost feel like it's Easter between the blue and yellow.

Colorman says:

Never pick a single color on its own. The Windham Cream works the way it works in this very environment. So it's not the color. It's the setting. I colorjived the picture, but left the Windham Cream (in the middle) intact. I'm not saying you should paint it this way (in fact the colors I painted are pretty ugly) but do you notice how the Windham Cream has changed? Believe it or not, the Windham Cream is about the only color that hasn't changed in my image. Amazing, isn't it? In this case the effect it due to contrast of complements. Remove the contrast of complements and the yellowish effect is gone.

So go back to the paint store, but this time take a sample of the blue color to put it next to the yellow.

Click on the image to play with the colors.

A staircase from busy to boring to lively

This is my own fault - I stripped some really busy wallpaper (the kind with the tiny flowers and shells everywhere, ugh!) and I was so determined to get rid of the busy-ness that I intentionally chose the blandest paint color I could find. But now it's so bland and boring! I have a few decorating ideas, but I'd love to hear yours also.

Colorman says:

This should spice it up a little. (Click on the picture to read the colors)

The case of identical colors coming out way different

I bought 3 SW paint pots. I have painted them on white paper and they are 100% true to the color swatches and look great. I did a quick swipe with a paint brush on the old wall at my home (which has an off white color on it currently). The colors are coming out WAY different. My SW Sea Salt color is going from green to periwinkle blue and my amazing gray is going to purple brown. These are not just close changes, I am talking it looks like I chose to paint my room purple. I have spent countless hours picking out these samples to be this disapointed is unbelievable. I don't know what to do.

Colorman says:
I see two possible issues here:
1: The current color affects the new layer of paint. This can be solved by painting a second layer.
2: But more likely this is a case of metamerism. 
Meta what?
Metamerism means that colors perceived in a certain light will appear exactly the same to our eyes. But under another source of light, say an electric bulb, they will come out different. So if you change the light, two colors that first looked the same, may now appear different.

There's not that much you can do about metamerism. It's just a fact of life. However, you can deal with it by always evaluate your color under the same sort of lighting that you'll eventually use. Also, if you want to copy a certain color in your house in paint, most modern paintshops will be able to take metamerism into account. So if you take a sample of the color to the paintshop and have it measured there, metamerism shouldn't be an issue.

Moevenpick Hotel

So the hotel was ready. Then some manager suggested that the logo should be visable on the facade. '"Make it huge", he said, "we want everyone to see it."
"Which color? The color of the logo, obviously."
Duh...

Green Kitchen

I've selected paints for every room in my new (old) house...except the kitchen. I've been putting off making a decision, but I'm just about out of time. My husband really thinks we should just paint the kitchen white (Monterey White or Navajo White), at least for now, while we have to live with the bright green counters and dark appliances. Help?

Colorman says:
I tried playing with the window frames, but it doesn't work. This might do the trick. But it could be lighter too. Click on the picture to see the color and change it if you like.

I hate blue, how about you?

This is totally off the wall and honestly, I've only had one glass of wine tonight, but it's occured to me that I have no blue in my house. I know blue is a very popular color and I see blue rooms all the time that I think are beautiful, but it's just not a color I think of when decorating. I was just wondering if you have an aversion to a particular color, especially the primary ones. 

Colorman says:
I have no colors that I particularly like. Nor are there colors that I hate. Having such predilections would be a tad difficult in my line of work. But frankly, I only consider color combinations, never a color on its own. I do have a personal preference for bold, complementary combinations. But I am able to keep that under wraps, if needed.

Red Kitchen

I've been waffling on whether to paint our kitchen a deep red. We have medium brown oak cabinets, window and sliding door trim, cream colored countertops and almond appliances. Do you have a red that you really liked? Also, will this make our kitchen look too dated? Colorman says: One color is no color. As a result the 'red you really liked' means nothing. It depends on the individual and the setting. If you choose a red, it should be YOUR red for YOUR kitchen.

Don't let this space intimidate you

Here are some pics of our living room. Please offer any suggestion on what we should do with all the wall space above the TV. This is very frustrating for us. Please Help!!!

Colorman says:

This is a great space. Don't let it intimidate you. Live with it. Breath it. Accept it. Show it. The high wall needs a bold statement. Bold color. Or perhaps an XL work of art. The space above the TV isn't awkward. The TV is. It's such a shame to fill that space with a TV. I'd hang the TV lower. Or find another place for it. I colorjived your picture. Click on it to apply other colors.

Dark Ceiling Can Make Space

On Rate My Space they are always painting the ceilings of every make-over they do. Why is that? Does it make the room look larger?

Colorman says:

The notion that a dark ceiling will 'drop' on you is a cliche. But it's not always true. Human perception is a funny thing. I, for one, have a rather small kitchen which I painted dark blue, almost black. The effect is that it makes the space look larger rather than smaller. The trick is that dark colors can make walls and ceilings disappear, rather than coming to the foreground. But it very much depends on how it is used. Here's a nice example of the use of dark color in a German underground station. See how the walls and ceiling seem to disappear?

To Paint or Not To Paint

We have a very open floor plan on the first floor. Kitchen, living room and dining. I was thinking about painting the two main walls of the kitchen (above the sink and above the stove) but have no idea what color. Any thoughts?? As you can see from this pic, the kitchen walls are beige (as well as the hallway), the dining room is a dusty green and the living room is a kind of a mushroom color. Thoughts?

Colorman says:
Have a bit of courage and try a bold color. The trick is to let the color of the wall blend in with the cabinets, else the image will become chaotic. That makes any cool color off limits. Here are 3 examples of colors that might work. As you can see, a bold color creates a seperate cooking corner.
Benjamin Moore 0007

Benjamin Moore 1356

Sherwin Williams Gambol Gold

I feel a sickness coming up

Four years ago we redid the fireplace. At that time I was loving color. Now I think I would have been better with a neutral - but the bluish color is what I have. I just think I need to bring more blue elements in.

Colorman says:
Oh my! I feel a bit sick all of a sudden...
This room needs, no this room SCREAMS for contrast. Currently this is a rare collections of beiges and browns. PLEASE add a dark color at the very least. Here are two suggestions. Click the images to see the colors that I used.

Wrong Question

Hi, I got this pic from "Foyer/Hallway eye candy" and luv this color. Can you tell me what color would this be?

Colorman says:
Wrong question. One color is no color. You need to take the rest of the image into account. The color of the wall works the way it works because of the dark brown furniture, lamps and stuff. Not to mention the rug. You could try SW lemon Chiffon. But to be honest, when used in another setting all bets are off...