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A few weeks after Gregory died, I had my physical strength back, but felt lost and directionless. True, there was the daily job of keeping the house, homeschooling, and my home business, so I was certainly not lacking work. But, what I realized was that I kept thinking about colors, color relationships, and about beautifying the house, my sanctuary. So, one morning I woke up and said, "So be it.” I decided to just unleash my creativity, and pursue beauty in my surroundings. I felt very daring, and thought that a creative project would be healing. Besides, wouldn’t it be just plain delightful to see some fresh beautiful colors. The kitchen was the object. The job: to remove wallpaper and paint everything in sight. How scary can that be? Here are a few things I was trying to keep in mind. Put darker colors on the bottom, mid tones in the middle area, and lighter colors up on top. Use 60% of the dominant color (typically walls) Use 30% of a secondary color (Perhaps upholstery) And, use 10% of an accent color. Always use a little black for contrast. A color palette using analogous colors in soothing. If you are using a group of analogous colors, choose a complementary, too. That will jazz things up a bit. Choose colors that have the same intensity (The same row in a paint fan deck)
This is a color wheel, which is the basis for choosing colors. First, the wallpaper had to come off (not a good choice of wall covering with an active family, toddlers, and occasional litters of rescued kittens.), and then the spackling. And, finally… paint with... dare I say it?... color! This is the color scheme I worked out. I chose analogous, but sort of dusty colors. I also chose orange as a complementary to jazz the scheme up a bit. And, finally, I chose the deep browns to give a nice contrast.
Once I got going, I tried to remind myself that it was only paint, and if I don’t like it, I’ll simply paint over it. Little did I know how scary it would be to go with such bold colors. (Of course that’s coming from one who has faithfully stuck with linen “whitewashed” walls.) Though, I did make some adjustments and re-paint some areas with more subtle shades, throughout the project so far my husband and children have been so supportive. They’ve loved it all.
I wanted the kitchen to be cheerful. I hope it’s getting there. But, it’s not done yet, as I realize I want the floor to have darker and more muted colors. Also, I was going for a bit of a whimsical pattern on the floor, using three colors. But, I don’t like it. Though still using just three colors, I think I like it best when each square is a different color than the one next to it. I still have yet to add flecks of color, and make a surface pattern to help hide dirt. And, then there is the table. We have a big table, which I had made from two pocket doors with a piece of oak veneer plywood glued on top, trimmed with oak. The base was also made with what elements we had in the garage. Now, after 7 years of hard service, including many art classes, the tabletop has seen better days. I’ve given it a base coat of a chocolate brown, and am going to try my hand at a wood grain faux finish. I’m really excited about that. I think the dark color I’m intending to use will give the room a nice punch of color. Here are a couple of links to rooms I like. http://www.debbietravisfacelift.com/episodes/20050520/ http://www.debbietravisfacelift.com/episodes/20051014/ My goal was to have the room done by Thanksgiving. It was not. All I can say is, we are both “a work in progress”. Barbara |
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