Colours
Like Ite, I would go for something chalky too...
(But don't forget what is outside you windows too..don't go for anything that fights with all that)
http://www.farrow-ball.com/productlist.aspx?cid=PC&language=en-GB
James..
I think you misunderstood me.What i am saying is that i feel its sad when people have have to be told how to live,they should buy things because they want them and put them wherever they want to because thats where they want them.Re. "snooty" you dont know me but i understand how some things sound so if you want to think that my attitude is snooty then thats your choice.These are my opinions just as you have yours.No apologies.
Fallow Ball
Robert, thank you for the link to Fallow Ball. Ite is right, the neutrals are smart. Swatches are in the mail. A chaulky neutral or two with pale brown undertones will be a home run. I can't thank you all enough for the advice. I've never been thrilled with the decor in my Florida condo. I started removing bad artwork around midnight..looks much better this morning. The place always seems to recieve leftover junk and dated ideas from my other condo (Chicago), and home(Iowa). If it isn't asking too much...(gulp)..I want to post a couple of pictures this afternoon on the same photobucket link above, of some tounge/groove cyprus paneling used on a wall in the den, a wall in the family room, and some in my office area. It is currently stained the same as the kitchen cabinetry(green). Should it be removed? Painted? And if removed, Replacement? Also, I have a pair of the barcelona chairs, with two ottomans in a distressed!! tan leather (chairs are tan suede). I want to squeeze them into the living room somehow. I need to redo the cushions. Should I just bite the bullet and order up new from Knoll? The leather straps are perfect, and are the same color on both chairs/ottomans. The foam seems fine. Recover, or replace??, or ignor? or edit alltogether? or?? And lastly, should the grasscloth accent walls be smoked? or mowed? Waxed? Tweezed? Fertalized? or left alone? Thanks for the help. ps. it must be quite difficult on you professional interior designers, when having to work with a mess like mine. A fresh start would be easier no doubt.
cut back
I agree most with what James posted, especially about your place looking like a mid-century design showroom. I have looked at a ton of books and mags and am at the point where I am saturated with images of iconic pieces. I've seen too many homes where the focus is on the pieces and not on the whole. I look at them and just mentally tick off the list: Eames lounge chair, LCW, slat bench, Diamond chair, Nelson clock, etc. It's just too predictable.
I was kinda headed that way myself but caught it before I got to the saturation point, I think. I have a few very famous pieces and the rest are just good designs by lesser known designers, or lesser known designs by famous designers. Works for me.
I do think that one can develop an eye for design. I don't think you're either born with it or not. There are certain basic elements of design that apply to most everything and anyone can learn what they are and how to work with them. It may be easier for some people than for others but it's definitely a learnable skill.
One more thing---I would work out some kind of color plan for all the walls and trim in the place, probably mostly neutrals. I think Martha Stewart is actually really good at this---having different colors from room to room but they all relate and make a very pleasing whole. I am not a fan of her in general but I do think her color sense is good and I've learned some valuable stuff from her books in that regard. (And she knows a thing or two about modern design even if it's not her main thing.)
I'm not a professional
Just well-practiced.........
it's difficult to tell what colour the grasscloth wall is.. it looks completely different in the 2 pictures of it?? ..my inclination would be to get rid of it though, and the one colour that strikes me as a good one for all your belongings is Ball Green.
I though the mis-matched barcelona chairs look kinda cool..one of the more characterful touches.....
EDUCATING MARK.
Robert, You have a very well trained eye. I have now added the color "Ball Green" to the list of a half/dozen others (string,stoney ground,light stone,bone,old white,and stone white). I saw this paint company in the Merchandise Mart? I think. I'll look for it this Thanksgiving weekend. Now Spanky..you have opened my big brown eyes to something that I hadn't considered. You are so right about predictability. My main reason for mostly buying Knoll/HM/Roche Bobois/bbItalia is for the quality. I don't mind if the table is scratched, fabric worn, etc. "Well loved" quality pieces unfortunity can give the look of a used furniture store, a look that I seem to have a hard time avoiding. So...time to edit some of the classics. A logical choice is to leave the matching barcelona chair/ottoman in my Chicago bedroom. I have relocated the ball clock to the laundry room, I can eliminate a Saarinan black marble side table (not pictured, but left of sofa), and the Platner chair (as much as i dig the orange hopsack) can be put in mothballs, too. The Eames pieces fit my 45 year old body like a glove, so they stay. The b&b sectional (which was a full months pay in 1988) is the most comfortable napping surface known to man and cat...and I don't think that I could part with my FK credenza, as it's such a nice design. I have tried to shop at lesser quality stores for my pieces( z galerie, ikea, DWR,etc) only to be disappointed in the fit finish etc. I am no snob, or anything even close...I just insist on the best quality I can afford, be it my sofa or car. My god it's cocktail hour...Vivienne?? ( I remember watching robin and the 7 hoods sometime back...bring back the rat pack!)
Flamant
I have been using Flamant paint in the past, a range of chalky colors comparable to Farrow & Ball. (Flamant is not solely a paint company, but also has a line of more classic country style furniture for which I do not care much.) I thought this brand was not well known abroad, and perhaps did not distribute outside Belgium. However, I checked out their site, and it seems they are doing export too now. As for some strange reason the paint colors in the (Flamant) neutral range seem to be heading more towards green undertones (while I definitely needed brown undertones for a certain room), I have previously once used a mix of one third Bord de Seine (brownish paint) with two thirds Parchemin (pale paint & excellent as ceiling color) to achieve a beige with brown undertone, and was quite pleased with the result.
I can only say this: testers are a necessity. Luckily most companies sell small tester pots these days. Paint a couple full A4 (quarto) pages (or larger) in the colors that might suit, and pin them to the wall. Leave them to hang there for a while, and try to imagine what this would look like in the whole room & in combination with the other elements (floor color, etc.). Try to repeat this a couple of times, both in broad daylight and after dark. It usually feels different. Then hang your test pages in a different spot on the wall & repeat the whole exercise. Pay attention both to the color AND the undertone present AND to how dark / light the best shade for your room would be. What the effect will be on your room, is already pretty difficult to imagine from such single painted A4 so my advice would be not attempt this from a printed 2 by2 cm (one inch by one inch) small patch especially when you are a newbie. And do give yourself at least a couple of days before settling on a final choice. One person who usually does give very good sensible advice regarding to color is Olive. If your lucky stars shine, she might read your thread.
I would really stick to one paint color for a whole room too, without grasscloth accent wall: just steam this wallpaper off. You can paint over some papers too: but this usually implies a) more paint coats as the grass fibre absorbs paint, and b) one wall will have a different texture compared to the other walls. How prominent this effect will be is hard to predict from here. When in doubt about painting over, ask advice from a specialised paint store with a good customer service / product knowledge & take a small bit of your grass cloth paper with you.
Personally, I am not a decorator either but I have picked some stuff up along the way, especially as there has been some serious repainting going on recently ..
http://www.flamant.com/mainwww/frameset.asp?language=en
FLAMANT
ite, you are a dream come true. Thanks so much for the link. I am so grateful to all who have helped guide me into having a better working space. Is there a school of thought on ceiling colors when attempting to neutralize? And for that matter baseboard/crown molding? My exposure is Northeast, so I only recieve early morning sun/late afternoon sun in the winter. Oh I know I sure could use a visit from Olive. A talanted colorist..organizer..and probably an all around delightful gal with excellent taste.
Hi Daviddc. I like to do my...
Hi Daviddc. I like to do my own prep work/ painting, and will have no hesitation tackeling this project myself. I have always relied on Behr/Glidden paint in the past, always adding Flowtral additive to slow the drying time, and illiminate brushmarks, etc. Now on this project, I want to use top of the line paint for the first time. Asside from the enviromental aspect (which I find important), what differences can I expect? I use a lambswool roller, camelhair brushes...etc, will I need to use something else? Thanks! Mark
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