This client was remodeling a condo unit she and her husband had just purchased. I arrived to find a gutted space, the carpet ripped out, and stacks of blonde floor boards ready to be installed.
Luckily, she brought over a few items to give me some idea of her taste in colors and palettes.She had some paintings and a folder full of magazine clippings. That's all I needed to get started.
Here are some of the results of our coloring adventure.
When I first entered the condo, I was struck by the overwhelming paleness of the space. The architecture was so impressive, with a dramatically-slanted, vaulted ceiling, that it really needed to be emphasized somehow. My client showed me a book cover she loved in a ripe apple green color. I asked her if she were willing to try something dramatic, and she was. This was going to be fun!
Bright apple green emphasized the fireplace wall which extended up to the loft space. The other walls were left a soft caramel color to balance the bright green.
In the back right corner, you can see the dining room with a rooster painting. We matched the yellow from his legs for the wall behind the art. Another punch of color to balance the saturated green and keep the eye moving around the space.
The kitchen was another challenge, as the home owner didn't care for the dark wooden cabinet faces, but wasn't sure she would have them resurfaced. She knew stainless steel appliances were going in, with dark granite counter tops. But how to bring it all together?
To balance out the warm wood, we looked to the other end of the spectrum. How about a steely gray blue? Now, the space felt balanced, and the wood cabinets contributed yet another punch of color to the overall scheme.
The guest bathroom began with a light, too-sweet violet color. My client disliked the space so much she kept the door closed all the time. We chose chocolate brown to give it some elegance. Tiny closet-like spaces such as powder rooms are excellent candidates for deep colors. You can't pretend they are bigger than they are, so why not have some fun, and embrace their tininess. In fact, deep colors can sometimes make a small space feel bigger, erasing the boundaries so walls recede. Finish up by painting out the cabinet in black, and the space is now updated and ready to show off.By using pops of saturated colors around the house, balanced out by less-commanding neutrals, we designed a color palette that really transformed the space. As for how it was received? My client says her neighbors are always bringing friends by to check out her space, and she and her husband are really pleased with how everything came together. I don't often get a chance to return to spaces I've designed, so it was gratifying for me to see the end results.
What do you think?