Anatomy of a Paint Color Consultation in Seattle, WA

These Clients Were Crazy for Color!

Initial Consultation

Matt and Julia were crazy for color. They had booked a color consultation with me at their newly remodeled Craftsman in north Seattle. They wanted to create a warm and inviting color scheme – where each room had its own identity, personality – and yet all flowed together. During our first discussion we explored the colors they love in exacting terms, while knowing that “to love” a particular hue is one thing, and to make it work in your home is another.

Sources of Inspiration

Firstly, we looked to the source of their inspired colors. Often it was, an admired swatch of fabric or a favorite piece of art. Gradually we narrowed down our options. Many things played a role; overall color harmony, existing furnishings, paint quality and finish, and the architectural style of their home. With so many options it was important to narrow them down and this is where an interior designer/color consultant comes in.

The Overall Ceiling Color

We started off by establishing SW 7013, Ivory Lace as the overall ceiling color, as it is often my “go-to” color for ceilings. Step by step, we moved from this first discussion to the idea of using “mood boards,” to communicate color samples, paint finishes, and top coats.

Color Me Blue

Matt and Julia’s color affinities include the beautiful satin Prussian blue finish on Matt’s vintage 1956 Chrysler, and the Indigo sky in a Maxfield Parrish print. This deep blue became a spring board for the overall color palette, a hue already being used as accents – the custom enameled fireplace, and the exquisite, hand-blown glass kitchen cabinet knobs. These deep blues were eventually used for the mural in the kitchen niche, becoming another outstanding feature in the house.

Master Bed and Bath

We treated the master bed and bath as a suite of tones, pinpointing the perfect Lilac for the bedroom by reproducing the color of Matt and Julia’s porcelain bathtub from the 40s. With the lilac bush outside the bedroom window acting as added reference, Julia’s talent for scouting out antique lighting fixtures on EBay came to light and she purchased several lilac porcelain fixtures with soft green accents that were ‘to die for!’ This green was the precise color of Sage in the garden and became the wall and tile colors in the master bath. Accents of Antique White Gold (from Julia’s wedding band) added to the master suite color palette, making it sumptuous and fresh.

The Sunroom

The sunroom faces south where Matt’s antique upright piano sits. The natural light washes over this room morning, noon and night. We watched how the color changed around the clock and painted three of the walls in the sunroom a warm and glowing yellow, a Sunflower Yellow, or the color of school buses. For the fourth and main wall in this room we created a three tone color wash, with a satin finish topcoat. It is beautiful and provides a major hit of sunshine!

The Kitchen

Julia spends a lot of time in the kitchen and her color associations are those of food and flowers – Butter Cream, Turmeric and Marigold. The kitchen, at the core of the floor plan, reflects the color harmony as a whole, and we landed on the delicious color of Butter Cream, and as the paint went on it actually seemed like you could eat it!

The Living Room

In the living room we applied a smooth and luminous metallic copper finish (Modern Masters ME195) on the large accent wall, providing an impact upon entry through the front door. We worked with the fabrics of Matt and Julia’s furnishings to come up with this rich tone and the paint itself was handled with finesse, so that the iridescence of the paint particles remained in tact. Adjacent to this wall, in the dining room, we selected Antique Rose, mixed closely akin to the undertone of the metallic copper, also in comfortable harmony with the Butter Cream in this open floor plan.

The Guest Room

As we built our color plan to flow with unity from room to room, we mixed Mocha for the guest room, a color in sync with Matt and Julia’s vintage travel posters and lovely soft brown, art deco carpeting. When you look into your cup of mocha with cream in the morning, that’s the color!

The Bathroom

A bungalow style bathroom was on the agenda, and we studied authentic images of just that! We chose a Naples Yellow wall color, to offset the aqua bathroom tiles. A true “bungalow bathroom” has lots of tile work, bulbous polished chrome or nickel fixtures, and often has a complementary color scheme. This is exactly what we created in Matt and Julia’s bathroom!

Final Thoughts

Matt and Julia went all the way with their color!… and we tailored our approach to fit their lifestyle and budget. Your project may include all or part of the above. Whatever you choose, the value for your home is priceless!