California Wine Country Color & Design Project

Benjamin Moore White Dove Cabinets

Another fun project with my fave California clients - a complete renovation of their new vacation home in Paso Robles Wine Country.

New everything!

Paso Robles is a unique wine region halfway between Los Angeles & San Francisco along California's Central Coast.  

Benjamin Moore Van Cortland Blue Island
Benjamin Moore White Dove Perimeter
Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Walls
Hickory Wood Floors

With it's a spicy and soulful vibe, Paso Robles has a beautiful mix of design styles.

And nature astounds with big day-to-night temperature swings, earthy landscapes with coastal influences, and a diverse mix of rich, unique soils.

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Walls

Paso has a bold spirit.   A bricolage of personalities.   I remember standing at an old stone fireplace in a winery, staring at a group of cowboys sipping wine.    Hats, spur boots, leather,  mixed with denim and fine wine, overlooking green vineyards with the bluest sky.    Need I say more.

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Walls

Below you can see a close up of the countertop -   Caesarstone White Attica is a quartz with a tad of edginess that looks great with a modern dark gray backsplash.

Caesarstone White Attica Countertop
Custom Designed Cherry Hood

And below is close up of the tile.   Many think it's a glass tile.  But no, it's a ceramic high gloss subway tile with a beautiful sheen.

 Ceramic Subway Tile Backsplash

The interior stair railing is designed in a modern style - black metal with wood.   It was originally a half wall, but we wanted to open up the stairway and make everything feel more connected and spacious.

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Walls

The Powder Room was a real challenge due to a corner toilet that could not be moved.  Quite frankly, it was a dreadful space.  But no mission is impossible,  and I am proud to brag that I transformed that quirky space into a stunning powder room that everyone now loves.

Corner Toilet Bathroom 

Below is the renovated master bathroom - you can really appreciate the new hickory floors  that run throughout most of the home in below photo.   And of course the home needed a barn door!

Barn Door at Master Bath

Selected a dark, almost black floor tile.  I am a fan of dark floors in bathrooms to ground and warm up the space, and provide a contrasting pop.   And it really brings out the beauty of the adjoining wood floor.

Master Bath
Walls - Benjamin Moore Silver Marlin

Notice nature's gorgeous  Eucalyptus Trees outside the window!  Serene & magical.

Benjamin Moore Silver Marlin Walls

Below is a photo of one of the guest bedrooms that shows off the exterior views.    

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee - Walls

Adjoining Guest Bathroom below.

Benjamin Moore Silver Satin Walls

Hallway Guest Bathroom.  Yep - live, laugh, love print.

Definitely a fun color & design project with one of my favorite clients.  And I adored visiting the vineyards!

The project is not completely finished, we are working on the last phase now.  And will be sure to update when completed.

Benjamin Moore Conventry Gray HC-169 & Storm AF-700

Serenity.

Grays with blue undertones are so calming.  As is Coventry Gray by Benjamin Moore that I specified out for this paint color consult in Harrison New York.

Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray HC-169

My client loves grays, and we viewed many and selected several grays for the entire house.

Coventry Gray by Benjamin Moore graces the living room.

Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray HC-169

And below is a photo of the Dining Room painted Benjamin Moore Storm AF-700.

 Its a darker color than Coventry Gray,  and feels more serious.  Perfect for the formal dining room.

Benjamin Moore Storm AF-700

Storm is a beautiful, medium range, basic gray;  and it feels a bit stormy and moody, but in a good way, a pensive way.  

And all grays look good with lots of white trim and woodwork.  White brings out the beauty in grays. 

If you need help picking out grays or any other color, do not hesitate to contact me for a consultation, on site or virtual.    We will go step by step in the fun process, and find a color that goes lovely in the space, and a color you love, that has meaning to you.

Always my pleasure to help color the world.

Benjamin Moore Coastline Blue AF-570 Paint Color at Mama's Boy Southern Table & Refuge

I love color, and food.   So when a friend called for color advice for her new restaurant - I was crazy busy, but had to go.

She had an exciting plan to transform her new restaurant from ugh to fabulous.    And that she did.

The restaurant is Mama's Boy Southern Table & Refuge located in South Norwalk, Ct. across from the aquarium.

Mama's Boy Southern Table & Refuge  (even the name is brilliant)  gets rave reviews, and well deserved.   Authentic experience.  Charmingly rustic.  Drop dead delicious food.  All with a southern flair and hospitality.

   

Mama's Boy Southern Table & Refuge
Walls Benjamin Moore Coastline AF-0570

Now back to  color... 

After observing and listening to her concept, I immediately saw a coastal blue on the walls with spicy red accents.

A blue with enough saturation to be vibrant, yet dusty enough to hold its own to the rustic theme.

And the red had to feel spicy - with a dose of hot pink to make it sassy.

I pulled out my collection of color boards, and together we selected a smokey blue and sassy red.

We both felt confident with the colors, so I left the boards taped on the existing wall for her to contemplate.  Must view color at different times of the day to get to know its personality.  Yes, color has personality, just like people, but that's another post.

Notice below the original walls!  Wow, what a transformation.

Blue Paint Board Benjamin Moore Coastline AF-570
Red Paint Board Benjamin Moore Moroccan Spice AF-285

When the restaurant opened, and I returned, I was delighted to see the coastal blue and spicy red made the final color palette.   Benjamin Moore Coastline AF-570 is the beautiful blue on the walls.  And the red color in the stools and chair cushions are close to Benjamin Moore Moroccan Spice AF-285.

Mama's Boy Southern Table & Refuge
Walls Benjamin Moore Coastline AF-570

And I was impressed with everything.  Color and design is about relationships of the elements, and she did an excellent job of bringing it all together with her creative vision.

Mama's Boy Southern Table & Refuge is colorful, not only in decor and food, but the entire experience.   There is a fun spirited vibe that permeates the place, beckoning all to feel at home, and join in the revelry.  Do go and be delighted.

Cheers, y'all!

Benjamin Moore Paint Hale Navy & Alexandria Beige

Walls BM Alexandria Beige 50% Formula HC-77
Woodwork & Trim BM White Dove OC-17
Front Door BM Hale Navy HC-154

Every once in a while I work with a client that has natural design savvy.  I knew this was the case the moment I walked up the entranceway and recognized the door as Benjamin Moore's Hale Navy.  I smiled, and could not hold back my enthusiasm.  When my new client opened the door, I exclaimed  "Hi, I'm Cathleen, the color designer, pleased to meet you, IS THIS HALE NAVY, it's such a BEAUTIFUL COLOR!"

Door BM Hale Navy HC-154

She was kind enough to go into the basement and look for the paint container, and indeed confirmed the Hale Navy.  I smiled, brightly.

Walls BM Alexandria Beige 50% Formula HC-77
Trim & Woodwork BM White Dove OC-17

My client was on a mission to transform the existing bright light yellow foyer to something more dramatic, gracious, and sophisticated.  She had a wonderful vision but needed a color professional to bring it to fruition. After sampling several colors that did not work, she called me in to help.

Walls BM Alexandria Beige 50% Formula HC-77

Woodwork & Trim BM White Dove OC-17

The homeowner has a great eye for color, but it's difficult to translate tiny chips of color into gigantic walls, as color changes and is all about context.  Selecting paint colors is an art, it takes experience, talent, knowledge, enthusiasm, persistence, the right color tools, and often guts.

If you are having color anxiety, know you are not alone.  Simply call in the color professionals, that is what we are here for.

Walls BM Alexandria Beige 50% Formula HC-77

Woodwork & Trim BM White Dove OC-17

Front Door BM Hale Navy HC-154

Notice the deep blue dining room above.  It was a burnt red!  (Oh I wish I took a before picture)  My client wanted a blue dining room and had several wallpaper samples for me to look at.  I said "Blue, BRILLIANT, especially with the Hale Navy Door and the blue accents throughout the first floor".

Unfortunately the photo does not rendering the blue wallpaper correctly (computer colors are inaccurate), but it absolutely looks stunning in real life.

Walls BM Alexandria Beige 50% Formula HC-77

Woodwork & Trim BM White Dove OC-17

The foyer was a bit of a challenge.  The mission was to go dramatic, with richness and depth, but not too dark.  The home is used extensively in the daytime, as well as in the evening for entertaining.  Plenty of natural lighting is provided by a large window, causing the colors to lighten in the day, and darken in the evening.  The dilemma was finding a color that the client loved both day or night, that simultaneously looks beautiful with all the elements in the foyer and adjacent rooms (including their lovely art collection and stunning blue-green living room).  Oh, and of course, we needed to find a color to go with the Hale Navy door!

Always, always, always consider how the paint color of the foyer looks with the exterior of the house.  Doors are frequently left open, and the front door and foyer are the first things we experience when we enter a home. 

Walls BM Alexandria Beige 50% Formula HC-77

Woodwork & Trim BM White Dove OC-17

So I brought in my large paint boards, and we worked together as a team, finally narrowing it down to two colors.   As always, I moved the boards around to different areas of the grand foyer, up and down, and all around, because color changes depending on its immediate surroundings.   I left the boards overnight, because color changes throughout the day and evening.

My client called me the next day and informed me that one color is too dark at night, and the other color not dark enough.  I knew we wanted the sensibility of those particular colors, because we explored many options already.  So I simply had the paint store lighten one color up and darken the other. I painted up two new color boards, and left them for viewing overnight.

Walls BM Alexandria Beige 50% Formula HC-77

Woodwork & Trim BM White Dove OC-17

Bravo, we did it.  My client loved one of the modified colors!  It was exactly the look and feel she desired,  and went beautiful in the space.  The color is Benjamin Moore - HC-77 - Alexandria Beige lightened to a 50% Formula.  

Beware, computer photos do not render color accurately.  My monitor is showing more red undertones than in reality.   Be sure to look at the paint colors in the actual space during different times of the day.   And always test the colors on the walls before you commit.

Must sound like a broken record but I'll say it again - color is all about context, and naturally changes.  It looks differently on one wall than it does on another.  Once you accept this fact, and embrace it, you will love the creative process of choosing colors.

Ahh, BM Alexandria Beige 50% Formula, warm, gracious, and sophisticated  (just like the homeowners personality) with just enough drama - intriguing in the day, and at night.  Nothing makes me happier than knowing my clients are delighted every time they enter their home.

Especially when they walk through that fabulous Hale Navy door.  :-)

Benjamin Moore Paint Color Consultation with Thunder AF-685

If thunder had a color, I suppose it would be a mix of the sky during a summer storm;  dense grayish clouds with a spark of the sun hidden in the background.

Amusingly, thunder is a color in the Benjamin Moore Affinity paint collection AF-685.

Walls Benjamin Moore Thunder AF-685
Woodwork Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace OC-65

And indeed, Thunder turned out to be the perfect color for this living room.

The homeowners hired me for a paint color consultation after their many sample paints did not work.

It is a traditional old house, with a beautiful collection of modern colorful art. The aim was to transform the old into the new, without losing the homes integrity and character.

Thunder, a sophisticated neutral, works wonders to add an avant-garde spirit, and unlike its name, does it in a soothing and tranquil fashion.

The juxtaposition of the lightning white trim and woodwork painted Chantilly Lace OC-65 (Benjamin Moore Off White Collection) sparks just the right amount of drama.

BM Thunder AF-685 Living Room
BM Van Courtland Blue HC-145 Dining Room

The color for the adjacent dining room, is Van Courtland Blue HC-145 from Benjamin Moore's Historical Collection.   It's a dusty gray blue, and adds depth and warmth to the dining room.

The homeowners preferred white ceilings, so I specified Benjamin Moore White Dove 0C-17, a darker white than the Chantilly Lace, to emphasize the crown molding.

BM Thunder AF-685 Living Room
BM Kentucky Haze AC-16 Sitting Room

The other side of the living room opens into a sitting room.  We chose a smokey blue, Kentucky Haze AC-16  Benjamin Moore American Collection.  I always had a crush on this color, and this was the first time I specified it out.  Forget the crush, I think I'm now in love.

BM Davenport Tan HC-76 Cabinets
BM Pashmina AF-100 Wall

The kitchen was a challenge.   The cabinets were painted a 2 tone bright light and dark green.  Meanwhile, the  pinky beige backsplash did not get along at all with the earthy granite. The floor tile did not relate to anything.  The wall color was a saturated yellow with orange undertones.  It was a colorful train wreck!

BM Davenport Tan HC-76 Cabinets
BM Pashmina AF-100 Wall

I had to be a magician, and come up with a bold statement.  I needed a color that would tie the granite and floor together with the cabinets, overpower the pink undertones in the backsplash, and flow with the overall theme.

Mission accomplished with Davenport Tan HC-76 Benjamin Moore's Historical Collection.   This rich complex color creates a cohesive color scheme, and reflects the homeowners refined taste at the same time.  

BM Pashmina AF-100 Wall
BM Chantilly Lace OC-65 Trim

Once the cabinet color was chosen, the wall color came naturally.  A rich neutral Pashmina AF-100 in the Benjamin Moore Affinity Collection proudly took its place.  It looks great with the BM Chantilly Lace.

My clients worked passionately with me in my interactive approach to choosing the paint colors.   Together we picked colors with meaning that expressed their personalities and lifestyle.

I am now involved in decorating the living room.  Looking forward to visually balancing out the existing flooring/fireplace, and the new paint colors, with decorative furnishings.  More pictures to follow.

Just had a thought about Thunder.  The color that is.  Perhaps BM named it Thunder because they knew it would go beautiful with so many other colors.  Kind of like the rainbow after the storm.  And speaking of storms, the Affinity collection has a beautiful color called Storm, but that is another whole post that I will save for a rainy day.

Color Paint Boards at Home Show

As colorful costumes enchanted the streets on Halloween weekend, I was busy showing off my painted color boards at the Westchester County Center Home Show.

I have hundreds of painted 12" x 12" boards for ease of color selection.

Small paint chips are helpful in choosing a scheme, but color must be viewed in larger doses in order to understand the colorful result.

How many times have you picked a paint color from a small chip to be shocked after the entire wall was painted!

Relax. You are not alone. There is nothing wrong with your eyes. It is a visual and scientific fact.

Color is alive.

Color is dynamic and must be seen in context with everything else.
As nature evolves and adapts, so does color.

Color changes through the day, and is affected by many variables such as lighting, texture, reflections, and other color and design elements.

So when I pick out paint colors, I always work with actual paint boards on site. The boards are viewed in the day, night, at different heights, and on different walls.

Combining this process with my design expertise takes all the stress out of color selection, and it becomes an artistic and exciting experience.

My boards were a hit at the Home Show! I loved watching people grab their favorite color, get delighted, and smile.

If you are interested in coloring your world with beautiful designs and meaningful spaces, I am available at Cathleen Davidson Design Studio Inc.

Remember, color has the power to individualize your surroundings, reflect your personality, and make your home ... extraordinary.