This unusual mid-century modern style property is a rare gem on the Westside of Bend, Oregon. A few blocks from the Athletic Club of Bend and the Cascades Lakes Brewery and only a mile from town, the spacious lot hosts the quiet of country life with the convenience of city living. Views of the Cascade Mountains contrast with a lovely natural rock ridge behind the home that gives a feeling of privacy.

Head down the driveway and you can be walking the Deschutes River trail system in a matter of minutes or riding on the local mountain bike trails. Launch your kayak or stand up paddle board at the nearby Riverbend Park. Hop in your car and head into the Cascade mountain range on nearby Century Drive. Nordic skiing at Meisner Snow Park is only 10 minutes away. . . READ MORE

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

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.
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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

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!)

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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.

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.

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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

Are Blue and Green BFFs?

The other day I was listening to the streaming radio station Kink FM out of Portland, Oregon  and heard an ad for Northwest Natural Gas. It’s official. NW Natural Gas company has co-opted the color blue, even renaming natural gas “Blue”.  And the characteristics they’ve assigned “Blue” are many. According to the NW Natural website “Blue. . .Hates Wasting Energy . . . .. Blue is Reliable . .  Blue Despises High Bills. .  (and).  . Blue and Green are friends.”

Is blue now a responsible, conservative color that also happens to be the environmental movement’s new BFF? The gas company would like us to think so. Especially now that  the marketing kudos for environmental sensitivity are a big positive in the world of commerce.

It’s nothing new for a company to use color to relate both subliminal and overt product and marketing ideas to their potential and repeat customers. It’s a smart thing to do. Ask someone in a roomful of people to describe the color Coca-cola red and you’ll soon find somebody who can. Color and marketing are natural partners.

But a color has more than one personality, despite any one expert or company’s declarations. And when a company uses mainly color to define itself and it’s product, they are also declaring themselves the most pertinent and contemporary interpreters of that color.

Taking that position with a product or a color invites comparisons. If a product is clearly a greater good, comparisons are welcome. But natural gas isn’t one of those products. Like all petrochemical energy sources, there are defined environmental disadvantages to natural gas. Those product disadvantages don’t go away with a re-branding, regardless of the color assigned to it or any of the attributes that color may possess.

Calling natural gas the new “blue” doesn’t turn it green (or make it green’s new BFF) no matter how many times anybody says it. And when the gas company insists that it does, their efforts to tint the green movement into a shade that they wash their product with takes green-washing to a new low.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Taking a walk through the Portland, OR, city neighborhoods I found this example of color choice confusion. ©CristinaAcosa

Have you ever found the perfect house paint color only to put it on the wall and discover that it isn’t so perfect after all? Then, you try again, and again . . . until maybe you just stop trying.  Choosing exterior paint colors can be especially scary. Your process and progress is there for all the world to see. Not only do you have to decide what you think about each color choice, well-meaning neighbors may feel compelled to offer their opinions and suggestions. It can be  nightmare.

So how does a person pick exterior paint colors? There are a variety of color solutions to this question ranging from the custom to  off-the-rack choices. As a color consultant, when I work with a client to choose colors, the process is completely custom. Together we build a color palette that works with their personality, architecture, environmental setting and possibly the local neighborhood association.

If you don’t have access to a color consultant or color coach of some type don’t despair. Most paint lines market groupings of exterior paint colors specifically to homeowners. If you are completely without an idea of what you want, studying color sample groupings is a good place to start the color choosing process.  You can find these samples colors at any paint store or building materials store. The paint store employees can usually send you home with samples.

If you aren’t shy, check out a paint color fan deck from a paint store and start cruising neighborhoods looking for color schemes that appeal to you. When you find colors you like, stay in your car and find an approximate match. In my quest for a perfect color I have been caught red-handed with a color fan deck against a garage wall by surprised homeowners. I wouldn’t recommend that method. I’ve surprised more than one sleeping dog!

Here are a few exterior paint color choice tips:

• Pick three to four colors for your house: The Body color (main color). The trim color (around doors and windows). A fascia color (the fascia is the board that edges the roof).  And a door color.
• Paint the garage doors the body color of the house (unless they are natural wood) so that they don’t stand out and compete with your front door as a focal point.
• Use good quality paint that has built in  UV protection.
• If you paint your house yourself, ask the paint store employees for a few application tips, you’ll almost always learn something useful.

Enjoy!

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Traveling to Germany and not knowing German, I wondered how easy it would be to read the signs and get around. I laughed when I saw this sign my first day in Heidenheim, Germany. The language of color spoken internationally! Photo credit: ©Cristina Acosta

Color communicates. Any color expert, designer or artist will agree with that statement. But ask those creative types what exactly a color is communicating and the answers you get may have surprisingly little in common.

Here’s why: Color is a language that continually evolves with the cultures that contribute the shades and tones of meaning each of us sees. And, each individual brings their personal biases and perceptions to the mix, further complicating things.

Yes, you can open most any home decor magazine and read at least one color experts’ opinion based on a study about the calming effects of green – or beige – or . . . whatever the next color may be. But the truth is, the focus group that decides green is calming one year, may decide that mauve is calming next year. And, one more thing to keep in mind,  the experience of an individual and the particular mix of individuals in a focus group is always changing.

Consequently, the meaning of a color is a moving target. One person’s irritating red is another person’s energizing red. It’s all about time and place, people and perception.

So what do you do with this information when you’re standing in the paint store looking for an idea or some advice? Here’s a few tips:

• The first thing to do is to choose a group of colors you love that you think might work for the project. For example – If you’re choosing exterior home colors and are looking for 3 colors, pick at least a dozen that you think will work.

• Then (ideally, take some time with this step) clip the color samples into individual pieces and spread them on the table. Start choosing your favorites.

• When you’ve narrowed it down to at least 4 choices, THEN start choosing where the colors go. Such as this color for the body, this for the trim, this for the gable trim, etc.

Remember that when you are choosing colors, you are bringing a lifetime of experience to the process. Respect that first with a little exploration, then listen to the advice you get from friends and professionals. You’ll have a better feel for the color choices that are right for you.

www.CristinaAcosta.com