Princess Margaret Show Home: Paint Colours

Here are the main paint colours used in the Brian Gluckstein designed show home. (Yesterday's post)

All paint by Benjamin Moore.

Main foyer, living room, dining room.

Family Room.

Kitchen.

Master Bedroom.

 

Basement.

Studio Apartment and Why White is Right (Sometimes) and Why Your Computer Screen Lies

How's that for a title? Are you confused?!!

 

Let me explain...

The minute I saw this tiny studio apartment I knew it would be perfect to feature it on "Small Space Style". The main room is a miniscule 250 square feet and is used as a working, living and sleeping area.

Not only is this a well designed place, it is also an excellent example of why white is a good paint choice for a small, bright room.

White walls are a great backdrop for small punches of colour and I love how they work as a neutral base for the colourful art work. 

The wall paint is Benjamin Moore's Acadia White which is a warm white with creamy yellow undertones. 

It is the perfect colour to use in a small space that gets a lot of natural light. The abundance of light makes the walls recede and read as light and airy, but not stark and cold. It is more difficult to use white as a wall colour in a small room that does not receive a lot of light because the white will read as "dirty". (I am having this problem in our master bedroom)

It is also important in a room with white walls to repeat the white somewhere else just like you would had the walls been a colour. In this apartment white is used on the daybed linen, the bookcases the desk and in the accessories.

The daybed quickly transforms from sofa to bed and the skirt hides additional storage.

In the above photo the paint on the walls and on the chest is a great example of how paint colours can look different than they actually are depending on how they are photographed or how you are viewing them.

Always test paint in your particular space and never rely on your computer screen or on what you see in magazines.

The chest is painted in Benjamin Moore's Elephant Tusk which is not white, but cream. On both my computer and Ipad the chest looks like it is painted in a bright, clear white that is definitely on the cool side. The Acadia White on the walls also looks much "whiter" and cooler than it really is.

This is what Elephant Tusk looks like....definitely cream. (board and batten is Cloud White)

Photo from here.

Here is the same shot in print form and the actual chip for Elephant Tusk. 

Read more about this story in Domino Magazine.

What are you painting right now?

I just finished our pool cabana...it only took me six samples to get the perfect colour! I'll post pics soon.

Have a great day everyone.

Paint Colour: {Revere Pewter}

Traditional Home

Are you looking for a paint colour for an open concept home or for a new colour to update your home to a more transitional space?

Revere Pewter HC172 by Benjamin Moore is a great neutral paint colour that works well in almost any room. This is one of the best colours to use,  if,  like me, you have a home with beige toned fixed elements that can't easily be changed and you want to introduce cooler colours. I have boring beige tile in my front hall, mudroom and powder room. I would love to introduce a newer palette with soft grey as a neutral, but unfortunately this does not work with the tile. Revere Pewter is a good choice in this case.

Revere Pewter is technically a grey with green undertones (don't let that scare you), but reads as a warm greige. (Mixture of grey and beige) It goes well will soft blues and aqua, crisp white and black.

The best trim colour to use with Revere Pewter is a white that is on the cooler side without too much yellow. White Dove OC17 or Oxford White CC30 are good choices.

Here it is in the master at our condo. I am really happy with the colour, it's very calming. I still need to finish off a few more details, but overall I am pleased with the results.

I need to decide on something for over the bed. I would love a piece of art that is long and horizontal with some colour. The distance between the top of the bed and the bulkhead is smaller than it looks.
Any ideas?
 (Maybe I should pull out the acrylic paints that I haven't used in years and try painting something!?)



Headboard - Casa Life Toronto
Lexington Silk Quilt in clay, Niche Nightstand - West Elm
Italian Hotel Duvet and Shams - Restoration Hardware
Tufted Chair, Glass Lamps, Striped Pillow - Home Sense
Bird Pillow Fabric - Dwell Studio
Greek Key Velvet Pillow - I made it