Multi-colored sign saying Be You that I found while visiting a Los Angeles County, California beach town. ©Cristina Acosta

I won’t. I won’t tell you the colors I think you should have, because the first thing you need to experience when choosing colors is the freedom to choose any color that catches your attention. And…I don’t live or work in your building. Choosing colors is about you.

Color consultants have many different processes they use when advising about colors, so I’m not speaking for anyone else. When I work with clients, the first hour of the appointment is crucial so that we both see which colors they are attracted to.

Most clients choose about fifty to two-hundred colors during the initial phase of our appointment. Looking across the color samples on the table, we both get the true non-verbal reality of their color likes and dislikes.

I included the word “dislikes” because invariably, some of my clients color choices move to the “hate-it” side of the table.

Choosing colors can be a deeper process than just decorating. Surrounding yourself with colors that resonate deeply for you is emotionally satisfying.

Cristina Acosta

Residential, Commercial and Institutional Architectural Color Consultant

www.ColorConversations.com

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In the real world of mixing paint, it takes more than just one or two pigments to make every other color in existence. The reason is that each pigment whether natural or human-made is rarely “purely” a red, yellow or blue. And, the carrier or “base” solution the pigment is in can affect how the color appears.

Yellow, Red and Blue are the three foundation colors on the color wheel

In the art world, the carrier or base solution could be oil, acrylic, gum arabic (for watercolors), etc. In the world of house paint, a base is “tinted” (it has a color) and is different depending upon what type of house paint it is (interior, exterior, semi-gloss, eggshell, etc).

Color mixing can get pretty complicated.

But that’s nothing to worry about. Any professional paint store employee has a computer to help out with the color mix, and the most well-trained staff understand the science of mixing so that they can be sure the computer gets it right.

So…if you want to say, “Primary colors,” to define brights, that’s fine, most everyone will visualize the usual Sesame Street kid’s colors and know what you mean.

On the other hand, if you say that to an artist or other type of color professional they will guess that you really mean pure primary and secondary and tertiary colors that have not been mixed with any white (pastels) or dark tones. (Which is why we’re paid the big bucks!)

www.ColorConversations.com

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I put together this color grouping of Benjamin Moore paint colors for a client looking for strong colors that would work in her small casita Spanish style home. Trims throughout the home stayed a natural wood finish.

Wall paint color ideas to help you create a sense of spacious flow in a small home or room.

Paint colors for a small house or little space (“casita” means “little house” in Spanish) can range from light colors to dark. Despite any color or design rules you may have heard, light colors like white, don’t always “open” up a room.

How the wall and ceiling paint colors you choose interact with the architecture is what gives you the feeling of flow that makes even a small home seem spacious. Here are some color ideas for small rooms and houses that will help you create a sense of spacious flow:

• Choose colors that look great together. When a home is very small, the color choices for each area must work together as one pleasant grouping of color. (Pleasant to you).

• Consider painting the walls and ceiling the same color. Ceiling colors that contrast with wall colors can create strong focal points that “break” the space of the room. The result is that you notice the line of contrast between the ceiling and walls before you notice other nice things about the room.

• Select glossier paint finishes for darker colors: Glossy colors reflect light better than matte or eggshell sheen colors. When using dark colors in a small room a semi-gloss or high-gloss sheen will increase the feeling of light in the room.

Cristina Acosta

Color Consultant  www.ColorConversations.com

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Mid-Century modern open floor plan accented with shapes of bright colors balanced with earthy golds.

Mid-century modern homes typically have an open floor plan that blends the communal rooms of the home: the kitchen, living room and dining area. This arrangement of communal rooms is typically called a great-room. Ceilings in the great-room are often vaulted and intersect at interesting angles with other parts of the architecture.

These intersecting architectural spaces demand a cohesive color plan that looks great from every angle. Here is how I made the color choices for the home pictured. The home is mine, so the colors are some of my favorites mixed with some of my family member’s favorites. Built in the late 1980′s with a mid-century sensibility I sought to enhance the mid-century aspects through the color choices as I updated and resurfaced the home.

Stairwell with contemporary mid-century modern design and bright wall paint colors

The primary color chosen for the home was the floor color, as the flooring is the same through most of the house. I chose Wicander floating cork flooring in a light golden hue that coordinated well with the existing natural wood baseboard, window and door trim. Cork is also a classic mid-century material that is considered modern, cool and environmentally sustainable, so it was key to setting the conceptual tone of the home.

The interior doors are natural wood (another type of “gold” color). With that earthy gold “anchoring” the home, I chose a gold paint color that I would use in various parts of the house, as a “connecting” color, thereby enhancing the visual flow of movement throughout the home. With that strong foundation of warm golds repeating throughout the home, the remainder of my color choices where predominately the warm colors of red and purple with a subordinate palette of cool green and blue.

The resulting palette of strong bright colors anchored with earthy golds created a happy, contemporary feel to the home.

www.ColorConversations.com

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Choosing the accent wall colors is one part of the process, but choosing which wall should be the accent wall is just as important.

Here are some accent wall ideas to get you started:

• An accent wall focuses your attention on an area of architecture in the room. Choose a wall that deserves the attention such as:
• Reading nook wall or TV wall.
• Short wall at the end of a long room or hall.
• Wall that frames a dominant window or door (a beautiful door, such as French doors opening into a garden or deck
• Focal wall behind a dining table.
• Fireplace wall

Choosing the right accent wall colors can be fun. Accent wall paint is a small investment in a big pop of style and color, so be bold with your choice. Here are some color choosing tips for accent wall paint:

• 

  I love experimenting with bold paint colors. The accent structure is my fireplace and wall. The accent wall color combination of blue and purple cross-pollinates the similar colors from the kitchen and dining area. This is an effective color decorating technique to use in a great room.

  Select a paint color that is at least 2 or 3 shades darker or lighter than the surrounding room wall colors.

• An accent wall color can cross-pollinate the other colors in a room or a visible element from a nearby room. Ex: Green dining room accent wall is repeat of the awesome green cooktop range in the adjoining kitchen.
• Choose an accent wall paint color that continues the room color theme – such as a dark chocolate brown accent wall in a taupe colored room, OR….
• Choose an accent wall color that contrasts with the surrounding room color theme – such as a tangerine orange wall in a white room.

Link to another post about choosing Accent Wall colors

Color consulting nationally on site or on-line.          www.CristinaAcosta.com

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Painting your bedroom dark red can really work. (If you love red.) Be brave and use the colors you love in your home.

Drive by most any fast-food restaurant and you’ll most likely see red. Not because you’re upset (unless you are), but because red is understood to be a color that stimulates the appetite. KFC, McDonald’s, Burger King, and In-n-Out are some of the national fast-food companies that use red in their marketing.

Red has such a reputation as an appetite stimulating, passion rousing color that I’ve had clients insist on putting red in a room for that reason, or insist on not using red for that reason.

This was the case for a business that wasn’t in the food industry. After putting together an office color scheme with a company CEO, I was approached  by an upset employee who was sure that the dark cranberry red color we had chosen for the conference room would exacerbate arguments and increase dissension.

I assured the employee that red was going to work beautifully in the room and stimulate conversation rather than direct it. He wasn’t that sure of my advice, but he accepted his boss’ choice. The boardroom walls became cranberry red and everyone deemed it a success.

But all reds aren’t equal. Red-oranges, blue-reds, pinks, magentas, deep reds, bright reds, dull reds, dark reds and light reds are some of the variations of red that most any national paint brand offers.

And just like the many varieties of reds, there are just as many reactions and beliefs  surrounding the color red. Passionate, powerful, stimulating, argumentative, sexual, life-giving, playful, decorative, deep, are just some of the concepts that people attach to the color red and/or feel from the color red.

Whatever you feel about the color red, if you are attracted to it, I encourage you to use red in your room. As a room color or as an accent wall color, if using red scares you, putting it on your wall is a worthwhile risk. Whether you love it or hate it, facing the color red will leave you feeling stronger.
www.CristinaAcosta.com

The post Is Red the Color of Desire Gone Wrong? appeared first on Color Conversations with Cristina.

Start randomly choosing colors that attract you and after you’ve made 50 to 100 selections, there will be a pattern to your color choices. Guaranteed. I see it with every client.

Following the inspiring color choice can entice us to try a new flavor. The Nespresso company has made an artform out of color choice as it affects product packaging and display placement. (And I love the coffee!)

You can’t escape your own context whether you know it or not.  No matter how “objective” we try to be, or think we are, our perceptions of color are contingent upon who we are. We can’t escape it.

And no matter how forward-thinking or retro-minded we may be, we are still in the present moment. Which is why we need to repaint, remodel, re-brand, etc. Time is marching on and change is inevitable. Colors go in and out of fashion because pushing the changes of fashion is the flow of time and perception.

That said, can a color choice be out of context for a particular project or a particular room? Absolutely, if that project or room already has a defined color scheme. Choosing colors that integrate into an existing color plan has a different set of parameters than creating a completely new color plan.

If you want to know what you really think and feel about color, pay attention to what inspires you and look for patterns as your choices add up. Inspired, sensational color can be yours!

www.CristinaAcosta.com

The post Choosing Inspiring Color is All About You appeared first on Color Conversations with Cristina.

Paint color sample swatches can be overwhelming. Take time to create a color plan and choosing all of your paint, textile and surface colors will be easier.

There is nothing wrong with white walls. Let’s just get that out there. Though white isn’t a “color” on the color wheel, it certainly is a paint color, and one that many people love. But if the only reason you have white walls is because you’re afraid of color, you may have a touch of chromophobia or “fear of colors”.

Or maybe you just have a fear of making expensive mistakes with paint color. That’s more often the case.

Although paint is often touted as a cheap and easy interior design fix, in reality painting your home can be a big and messy project. With paint prices between $20 – $60 per gallon, plus the cost of application, color mistakes add up fast.

And now is where I usually say, “Which is why you need a color consultant.”  But not everybody can afford or find the right color consultant.

So, what should you do if  you are determined to create your own paint color plan? Here are some color choosing tips if you’re looking to freshen a room with color:

• Take time collecting samples of colors you love. Look outside of paint store swatches to the ordinary things in your life that you enjoy. The color of your morning latte may be your best soothing warm brown color.
• Assemble your samples of the colors you love with samples of the colors in your room that you have to live with, like that ugly tile or flooring you can’t afford to replace.
• Now, using a paint store fan deck, look for a way to bridge the colors you love with the colors you are stuck with. A “bridge” color is my way to describe a color that is a version of what you love, that will work with what you have.
• Give yourself time with your color choices before you ask for anyone elses opinion.
• Life is short, live with the colors you love.  (And that includes white!)

www.CristinaAcosta.com

The post Afraid of Color? Is it Chromophobia or a Fear of Expensive Mistakes? appeared first on Color Conversations with Cristina.

Some paint brands like Benjamin Moore have thousands of colors to choose from.

The Benjamin Moore line alone has over 3,600 colors in their paint line. Paint companies have developed marketing tools to help you choose color,  but you’ll quickly discover that placing those colors in your home can result in a new level of confusion. Calling a expert color consultant will help you cut through the confusion and get to your best color plan.

Most people have a lot of questions around hiring a color expert. If you don’t have a personal referral, you might wonder if the person you’re calling is qualified. Hiring a color consultant to choose paint colors for your home can feel like a toss of the dice. You might wonder: Will their sense of taste and style be one I share? Will they boss me around? What if I hate their ideas? Etc.

I’ve heard all of those concerns (and more) from my clients. Here’s my advice:

1. Do your due diligence and find out about the color consultant’s education and experience.
2. Call them up and ask them about their process.
3. Ask to see photos of their projects so you can get an idea of their level of expertise.
4. Ask for testimonials or references.
5. Ask them about their pricing and how they estimate the time and cost of the consult.

Remember, anybody can call themselves a color consultant. Just because somebody “loves” color or happens to be standing in a paint store, don’t presume expertise.

Read more about what to expect from a color consult with me.

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I mixed acrylic paint with water to create the neutral color of these suede shoes. The original suede was a light pearl gray. Notice how the paint settled after a few days to reveal the amount of identifiable hues in the taupe color. Shaking the jar resulted in the neutral shoe color of these oxfords. See the note below for directions.

Tan, taupe, beige, mushroom, sandstone, putty and stone are just a few of the names for light neutral colors. Think of a neutral color and if you are new to color mixing, you might think of a neutral as brown mixed with white. And you can get a typical version of a neutral from that combination.

But here’s the thing about a neutral color. Neutrals can be the result of a surprising blend of colors. And a “good” neutral, one that works with or complements a wide variety of colors often has some distinct colors as part of the mix.

The photo of the suede shoes with a bottle of paint shows you the neutral paint color I obtained after mixing together a variety of colors then painting them on the suede.  After painting the shoes I saved the remaining color in a bottle. A few days later I was surprised to see how much the colors had separated within the water mixture. Note the small layers of red and gold at the bottom, then the majority of green-brown earth tone with a blue layer topped by a beautiful light bright layer of sky blue.

This example showing the color ingredients behind a neutral paint color is a visual explanation of the mixture of colors that can be present in a lovely neutral. This quality is especially important for neutral wall paint colors as they are exposed to different levels and colors of light throughout the day and their base colors can become more or less prominent depending upon the light quality.

____________________________________________________________

Directions to Color Suede Shoes at Home

Note: Embrace the randomness of this process and hope you like the result (or learn to) as it is PERMANENT. You may get permanent water stains or blossoms (as some watercolorists call them) on your suede item.

You will need:

• Artists acrylic paints (in the tube or jar)
• palette knife (for mixing paint)
• stir stick or kitchen whisk (for mixing it with the water)
• water
• painters tape to mask off areas you don’t want to paint (find this in any hardware store)
• a large soft brush and a fan brush for applying the color (or whichever type of brush you prefer)
• Note: Acrylic paint colors I used are: White, Cadmium Red Light, Thalo Red, Ultramarine Blue, Yellow Ochre, Quinacridone Gold, Thalo green, Burnt Sienna
• New (or very clean) light-colored suede item.
• Hairdryer to dry shoes.

What to do:

• Use the painters tape to cover and protect any areas of the suede shoes you don’t want to paint. This only works on things like the soles or hardware. The color will bleed under the tape if you try to section off parts of the suede.
• Mix together a color you like. I began with artists acrylic paint, creating about 3 or 4 tablespoons of color. I mixed the final color with about 20 ounces of water.
• Note: when mixing the color, keep in your mind the color you are covering as it will effect the outcome. Do a small test if possible.
• Saturate your brush with the watery color mixture and apply from one end of the suede item to another. BE SURE to not be too wet as this may cause watermarks. Too dry and the color won’t be even on the item. Applying the color is tricky. The idea is to not go back and retouch an area, but to get all of the color down the first time and dry it all at the same time.
• NOTE: The paint MUST be very watery to not negatively effect the texture of the suede. Too little water will result in smoothing out the texture of the suede.

That’s it!! Hope it all works out. I’d love to hear from anyone who tries this.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

The post The Colors Inside Beige, Taupe and Other Neutrals – Dying Suede Shoes with Acrylic Paint appeared first on Color Conversations with Cristina.