CasaSugar

Ask Casa: Help Me Choose Paint Colors

CasaSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:19 -0800

Hi Casa,

My boyfriend and I are about to move into our first house and I couldn't be happier! I can't wait to get in there and start putting our touch on things! The only problem is that I am having a tough time picking a paint color for the living room.

A few years ago, I bought a set of three prints that I absolutely love. I want to hang them above the sofa in our new place, but I'm having a tough time finding the right paint color to highlight them. When we first bought the prints, our living room was white and they popped beautifully. But now I'm a little sick of white and want to add some color, but I'm not sure what direction to go. The living room in our new place opens onto the dining room, so whatever color we choose will have to continue into the dining room too.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for the help,
KatieMise

To see my suggestion for KatieMise, read more.

Hi Katie,

Great prints! I love them. This isn't a tough one. When choosing a wall color for a wall with artwork, my rule of thumb is always to choose a hue that's an accent in the art piece, but not the primary color. You should choose a complementary color, too. In this case, the background colors of two of your prints are a greenish-blue and a true blue, and in all three prints there is reddish detailing. So, I think a red or watermelon hue would really make your prints pop. Not only are they on the opposite side of the color wheel from those greens and blues, but reddish walls will make the red detailing in your prints pop!

I made a couple of mock-ups to give you an idea. But the best thing to do is head to your paint shop and grab a few samples in these colors, and then bring them home to see what works with your prints. Then, test the paint on your walls before you paint the whole thing. If a whole room in a red color is too much for you, you can always just paint an accent wall and then leave the rest of the walls white. I think it works with the artwork, too, because red is a really important color in Asian culture.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Casa

Color Theory: Bold, Beautiful Red

CasaSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:00:18 -0800

You can't go much bolder with wall color than red. The color of fire and blood, red is associated with passion, love, power, energy, and determination. Given its intensity, it's sometimes hard to get red just right. Check out these successful examples of decorating with the color red.

View Slideshow ›

Color Theory: Mix Pink and Red

CasaSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

When you're talking fashion, there are a lot of rules about color. No white after Labor Day. Black and brown clash. A lot of these rules have fallen by the wayside now that people dress a bit more bohemian, but for interior design, they've never really applied. You can be more liberal with the colors in your home. There's no doubt about it that red and pink clash, but if you mix them purposefully, it works!

I love the color pairing of these photos from stylist Olga Naiman. The solid red corner headboard and solid magenta bedspread on the left were very clearly designed to be used together, and it looks chic in a bold way. On the right, patterned and textured pinks and reds were mixed in a very playful manner. Since it's a low, lounge-y space, there's no need for those formal rules to apply. You'll see in both images that neutral colors were used on the walls and furniture; this tames the palette a bit. Mixing these colors also gives them a new association. On their own, pink is girly, while red is seductive. Together, they are lighthearted and fun. Try this at home!

Get the Look: Red Gossip Girl Room

CasaSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:30:11 -0700

In last night's episode of Gossip Girl, Blake Lively and Tyra Banks got cozy in their silk robes on a red velvet settee. The showstopping piece certainly makes the room, but the matching red damask wallpaper and blue velvet curtains continue the baroque theme throughout the room. Then, accents like the black and white embroidered pillows, brass bird wall sculpture, and rope tassels add another element of luxurious detailing. To get the look in your home, read more.

Start with the Ballard Designs Sofia Settee ($1,159) as a base. You can have it upholstered in red velvet. Or, search 1st Dibs for "red velvet settee" to find something more precise.

For the rest of the look, read more.

Photo courtesy of The CW

Get the Look: Folksy Red Cushion Room

CasaSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:00:03 -0700

After reading my Decorating With Cozy Fall Throws slideshow, one reader wrote in saying, "I am in love with this room and want to know where everything is from, particularly the pillows and the artwork." You know me, I love to help you all "get the look," so here we go!

The success of this room is driven by the mix of pink and red textiles, including cushions, a throw, and a floormat. Those particular cushions are from Designers Guild but are no longer available. The artwork is from Pimpernel & Partners in London, but you can easily find similar artwork by searching "vintage floral paintings" on Etsy or eBay. To see more products to help recreate this look, read more.

Source

Crave Worthy: Harwick Bench

CasaSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:30:29 -0700

You don't need to paint your house a neon hue or put a middle finger sculpture outside your home to make heads turn. Set a glamorous, cerise bench like the Charleston Gardens Harwick Bench ($1,195) on your front porch, and your neighbors will be drooling with envy. If you'd prefer this elegant Chinoiserie-style seat in a more subtle color, the cast aluminum bench is also available in a powder-coated white or black finish. Whatever you choose, rest assured, this durable piece has a 15-year warranty!

Would You Dress a Room in All Red?

CasaSugar — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:00:24 -0700

Legendary Vogue Editor-in-Chief Diana Vreeland covered her living room head to toe in scarlet chintz, "like a garden, but a garden in hell," she said. It was a bold move but it matched her leading personality, and as she pointed out, "I can't imagine becoming bored with red - it would be like becoming bored with the person you love." If you're a person who loves red, I can't imagine it either, but I can imagine becoming bored with chintz.So, I was excited to spot this living room of designer Marsia Holzer on New York Social Diary, which was inspired by Vreeland's lauded living room. Instead of an exact echo, though, Holzer put a contemporary spin on the original by losing the chintz and using mostly solids. I love it. What do you think? Would you decorate a room in all one color?
Source

The Red Bedroom Two Ways: Modern and Romantic

CasaSugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 08:30:51 -0800

Your bedroom should be a sanctuary, and for most of us, that means decorating it to fit our needs and personal tastes. Most of us see our bedrooms as a place to relax, unwind, and seek a little romance. With those needs in mind, I've put together two different looks using a color palette of red, white, and black.

For the first look, I used modern, clean-lined furniture, such as the Modernica Case Study Easy Chair and the Queen Bergere Bed. Some quirky artwork above the bed gives the room a needed sense of whimsy.

For my red and romantic look, read more.

For this look, I chose venetian mirrors, a Jason Black Velvet Napoleon Chair, and a decadent, gorgeous chandelier. I love the moody, feminine feel to this room.

What's your style? Are you more of a red romantic, or a red modernist? Or is red not your favorite color in the boudoir?

Roundup: Seeing Rouge

CasaSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 06:26:30 -0800

In honor of tomorrow's lubby-dubby holiday, I thought I'd round up a few rouge items I'm digging these days, so you can get the Valentine's look in your Love Shack without going so far as to sprinkle red satin sheets with rose petals — yuck. Although I'm not one for romance, I do go weak in the knees for good design. So, welcome to La Maison Rouge, a house full of ruby red furnishings, sans the ick factor.

Room Therapy: Red Lacquer Walls

CasaSugar — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 10:34:31 -0700

Welcome to this week's Room Therapy post, where users submit questions and you, the readers, help answer them. The questions can be about anything, from a decorating conundrum in your home to a coveted piece of furniture you can't find anywhere.

Deepasood wrote us saying, "I am dying to paint a large wall in my house a deep red lacquer. I want it to look stripey (for lack of a better word), and maybe even textured. Definitely going for chinoiserie. I was thinking you might have some tips, or that your readers would."

The better word that Deepasood was looking for is strié, which is a type of faux finish that we've covered before. To get a strié finish, you apply a glaze over a base color of paint, then run a dry paintbrush over the glaze. A textural variation is not something normally associated with lacquered walls, though. The idea is to sand until the walls are smooth, roll on the paint, and then finish with multiple coats of high-gloss polycrylic. So, I wouldn't necessarily recommend combining textured walls with a lacquer finish. If you're insistent on having a textured finish, you could skimcoat venetian plaster onto the walls before you paint and lay on the high-gloss polycrylic, which will create a shiny, stone-like appearance.

What do you readers think? Have any tips for getting lacquer, strié, or textured finishes? Please let us know by commenting, or create Casa Cravings for any products or web sites that you think would help. Just be sure to tag your Casa Cravings with the phrase Lacquered Chinoiserie. (Here's a post explaining what a Casa Craving is and how to create one.) Thanks! I can't wait to see what you guys come up with.