Thursday, July 09, 2009

Count The Colors



To me, rooms bathed in a riot of color require closer inspection. Why? Because I admire the designer or homeowner who adroitly mixes four, five, and six colors in one room. And I'm not talking quiet, subdued colors but rather bold, gutsy shades. I can handle two or three strong colors in my rooms, but I'm not skilled enough to go beyond that. I'm afraid that the effect would be quite comical.

In the right hands, though, an array of color can be a symphony rather than a cacophony.

(That image at the top is a color palette recommended by
Color Hunter; it matches the colors in the room photo that I uploaded to the site.)


Let's see... we've got blues, browns, oranges, and fuchsia in this room by Jonathan Berger. Oh, and touches of green too.


Pinks, blues, orange, reds, greens in the Newport home of Tracey Roberts and Paul Haigney.


Red! Yellow! Green and Lilac! The exclamation points are necessary in describing a room like this one in Paris. Not for me, but fitting for someone with a colorful personality.


This home in Athens is an enfilade of pure, deep color.

So why have I been thinking of bold color today? I'm captivated by this watercolor which captured the flamboyance of Thomas Hope's boudoir at Deepdene.


According to Country Life, there were four different shades of red and a green marble fireplace with columns capped by gilt-bronze capitals. Don't you wonder what it must have been like to have seen this room in person?

(Berger photo from House Beautiful, July 09, Francesco Lagnese photographer. Newport home featured in Weekend Retreats by Susanna Salk. Paris and Athens homes photographed by Massimo Listri. Hope drawing featured in Nov 07 issue of Country Life.)

18 comments:

  1. I love rooms with lots of colors if done well. I do think it's easier with pastels and strong pastels than primary colors. My living room has celadon green, ice blue, coral pink, yellow, black, red, beige and it is wonderful. But again, these are more in the pastel range. The top two photos you use are more in the pastel range which I think you can mix with more abandon.

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  2. Gosh I love Tracey Roberts' house. That glossy front door in the background!

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  3. I love Color Hunter! I only wish it would match up the colors with Benjamin Moore paints or something. Do you know what the color numbers that they give correspond to?

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  4. Jennifer I am so into color right now! I have painted a bath a sunny, buttery yellow, another a periwinkle blue, deep hue, the back of the loving room bookcases a coral/terracotta/ and the kitchen back splash a deep Chinese red. I am looking for a suzanni like Joni's to add to the living room mix where I have corals, bronzes, muted golds.It is a fine line on how many colors to mix to not make a confusing jumble!

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  5. I, too, love color and have always been drawn to the jewel tones. I love a mix of patterns. On the other hand, I love white on white. It's a constant battle. Too bad I can't have two houses...

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  6. I'm with you! Most of those rooms I would not do well in - it actually affects me in a high-strung kind of way. I do well with up to 3 colors in a room.

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  7. Wow, these colors just jolted my morning caffeine buzz to a new level.

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  8. I love the colours, so vibrant and lively!

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  9. I think this is the beginning of an answer to my questions regarding the cover of the August "House Beautiful"--I usually love Bunny Williams' designs, but this one jars my senses. There are certain elements and colorstion that I love, but taken in its entirety (sp?), it is so busy and so full that my brain goes into overdrive. Is there an emerging trend in design towards a Victorian/Edwardian color aesthetic?

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  10. GRAYSONFAVOUR11:50 AM

    I,too,love these vibrant colors but find,as I get older,they are not as easy to be around as softer shades. I never believed that my age would dictate color choice but there you are.
    Sally

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  11. I'm very very fond of the Newport House room - how well do those work together? Just great. And the pink/salmon with orange reminds me of Style Redux recent post on combining these colors. The green foyer in the distance is charming too - wish there were more images!

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  12. Amazing colours - I don't know if I could live in one of these rooms though, I might find it too confusing. xv

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  13. While I appreciate and love to look at beautiful, monochromatic rooms, I have to have color and lots of it! I've tried a few times to quiet my interiors but I always go back.

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  14. @michael hampton- they are hexadecimal codes, just like in photoshop

    And I don't think that skill is the right word-- people either seem to know how to use color like this or they don't. I think it's something you just have to somehow know and can't learn.

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  15. Love the photos. Especially like Tracey Roberts' house as it is sort of calming with a "pop". The one in Athens is fabulous too but I doubt I could live there. Just a bit to bright for me. I have enough trouble sleeping!!

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  16. Love the spots- or swaths- of the bold color! Especially enamored with the first photo.

    BTW, didn't realize you had posted on the Goodrum house last year. It is still for sale, as are several other Shutze homes as I'm sure you know, and I just did a series on them. Did you ever determine why the SCIS was selling?

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  17. I will never forget this post, if only they all had this punch!

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  18. The homes you have featured here are simply beautiful!!

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