Notice How the Grayed-Green Walls Show Off Art & The Exposed Ceiling Detail

A neighbor and friend in Takoma Park, MD was planning to paint the interior of her home.  It’s a wonderful craftsman – small but with lots of nice details. I had always thought the house was a bit washed out with a light, monochromatic color palette.  I asked if she was open to something new.  Here’s the result and her own words about the change:
 

AFTER - The small home feels larger with more detail

Off-White Walls Lack Depth & Interest

 
“My house is a tiny Craftsman bungalow with small rooms.  It’s filled with an eclectic collection of art, antiques, and other stuff I’ve inherited, collected, or made myself.  There’s no theme, period, or color scheme.  With this much variety in little spaces, I thought I needed a uniform, neutral background like khaki and white.

“The house feels bigger now.  The darker walls recede.  When I walk through the house, there are subtle changes in the wall colors and light, so it feels like a journey in several stages.  That captures my senses and makes the walk seem longer.

“I’ve always loved the beam and board ceiling in the living room, but it never really showed up like it should.  Now it reflects light, shadow, and paint colors as the light changes.  I find myself slouching in my easy chair, looking up, and enjoying the show.

“I especially enjoy the contrast between the tiny kitchen and the largest room, the living room.  The kitchen ceiling, painted dark gray green, feels lower than it really is, and makes it seem cozy.  Then when I walk into the living room, the white beam and board ceiling seems much higher and bigger than it actually is.  Welcome to Versailles! 

“My collection of art and things looks good against the gray green walls.  I wasn’t surprised that the reds really sing, but I was delighted at how good the greens and blues look.  “
 

Notice How the Contrast of Trim and Room Transitions Enhance the Experience

Add Depth & Dimension with Wall Color

Artwork is Enhance with Wall Color

Wall Color Enhances Artwork

I follow certain rules when I develop a palette for a home.  The transition areas (foyer and hallways) are the deepest most intense color within the palette.  The wall color gets lighter as you move through the home toward the rooms with the most daylight.  All wood trim is painted the same color for continuity – usually an off-white that coordinates with the paint.  In this case, with a palette of greyed-greens, the white has hint of yellow for a soft crème to contrast with the walls and the wood blinds.  I prefer quite complex colors – ones where it’s hard to say what’s in it.  These colors provide the greatest variability on the wall reflecting different hues depending on the light source and value.  Shadows and highlights are shown to great effect.  I also prefer matte finish because imperfections in the wall surface are less visible and they absorb the most light and therefore reflect the best color.

A back porch Welcomes Clients and the Neighborhood

I live down the street from a 4-Square built around 1915.  It’s at a prominent intersection and is zoned commercial.  A string of non-descript businesses have leased space there.  The house wasn’t a blight on the neighborhood but it didn’t add anything either.  Then “The Still Point”  a well-respected holistic spa took up residence.  First they built-out their interior; then they moved on the exterior.  In the course of approximately 2-weeks the outside of the building when from non-descript to warm and welcoming.  Thoughtful paint, lighting, furniture and decoration turned a cold, inward-looking structure into a nicely scaled building that beckons the neighborhood into its doors.

AFTER - Main Neighborhood View

BEFORE - Main Neighborhood View - Courtesy of Google Earth

The, above,  After and Before pictures are the view from the main intersection.  A new, wide stairway from the back porch welcomes visitors.  As seen in the introductory image, outdoor drapes help create an intimate space while ceiling fans, furniture and potted palms help make the space intimate.  

A Closer View of the Back Stairs

AFTER - View of the Front of the House

BEFORE - Front of House

The front porch (see After and Before, above) received a slightly more formal but equally inviting make-over.  The line of semi-flush light fixtures – while providing more light than is strictly necessary – creates an extremely attractive rhythm.  The door, made prominent with black contrasting paint, is no longer over-emphasized. 

Notice that they also cleaned up the various phone and cable lines coming into the house so that they no longer distract from the front porch. 

Carpeted Front Steps

Porch steps were carpeted in a deep forest outdoor carpeting to avoid the slipperiness of painted wood.  A water feature near the front door, providing a welcoming auditory break from the street.
 

Welcoming Front Porch

The mocha and crème color scheme brings out the subtle colors of the roof and highlights the architecture much better than did the former white, dark grey and red scheme.  The more subtle palette also contrasts nicely with the black powder-coated furniture and lighting fixtures.  Our eye likes contrast and texture and the new palette caters to these preferences.

Other than the back steps to the porch, there were no structural changes, but now the building is a part of and beckons to the neighborhood rather than standing apart.

She lives in a largely open plan home with high ceilings and arched doorways.  Her office is right off the foyer and across from the dining room.  The doorway is 48” and the top of the arch is at 95” (see image at bottom of article).

A separate interior doorway with glass doors creates a sense of privacy and seperation

In the solution, rendered above, (as in the previous article) I suggest building a separate doorway inside the office to create an elegant sense of separation that’s badly missing in the existing plan.  See the floor plan, below.  The red/orange walls are the new walls built to give the office a sense of separation and privacy from the rest of the house.  From the image, above, you can see, that when the doors are open, the sense of openness remains.   While, my client will need to re-arrange furniture she will gain a valuable grace and presence. 

Lowering the ceiling in the new alcove and painting the alcove a deep color enhances the sense of separation.  The additional air space and distance decreases the sounds of conversation and increases the sense of privacy.  Using stained glass, does the same while still allowing light to flood into the foyer. 

Floor Plan - Red/orange walls are new

An alternate possibility is to just add a stained glass doorway and arch top window to the existing opening – like in the rendering below.  While it preserves the full space in the office, I don’t think that it creates the same sense of separation and privacy as does the option, above.

Stained Glass Door & Arch Transom Adds Privacy to Arched Doorway

 
Here’s an image taken by my reader of the existing doorway. 

Existing Arched Doorway Into Office

Creating Privacy With Arched Doorway

If she has the space to build a new wall inside her home office, she can create very valuable storage space while also preserving the arch and adding privacy.  In the rendering, above, I added a frosted glass door opposite the arched doorway.  On either side of the new door, I put deep closet that can hide file cabinets and printers and office supplies.  The closets also provide additional sound-proofing and a sense of separation.  By painting the new alcove a deep, saturated color she can enchance the sense that the home office is a different realm from the rest of the house.

Below is the floor plan showing the new wall, new door and new closet space.

Floor Plan to Create Privacy Without Sacrificing the Arched Doorway

Consider the following sets of pictures — Each a “Before” and ” After”.  The first 3 sets are from homes that I remodeled for clients.  These pictures represent areas that had the smallest structural changes but in each case the original white walls/white trim were repainted with more color and contrast.  In each case the home looks larger after the white walls were painted with color.

Set 1:  Living Room

"After" - Taupe Walls Provide Contrast and Perspective

"Before" - White Walls & Trim Make The Home Look Smaller

Notice how the distances between the furniture and the walls and the front room and room behind feel larger in the “After” photos.  This entire effect is created with color and contrast.  The contrast of the off-white trim and the taupe walls as well as the smaller area rug make the living room feels larger.  The Sun Room, behind, is painted a much lighter color and therefore feels farther away – making the whole home feel larger.

The artwork has changed between “Before” and “After”.  However, you can also notice how the darker walls, help intensify and therefore make more noticeable the contrast with the creamy color of the mat and also the family photos used (although rearranged) before and after.

Set 2:  Living Room

"After" - Color Enlarges This Home

"Before" - White Walls & Trim Make the Home Look Smaller

You see exactly the same effect by use of color “Before” and “After”.  The room behind looks further away and the artwork is more defined and more of a focal point because of the greater contrast and definition.  Our eye requires definition in order to perceive distance.  An all white room lacks definition and therefore is actually made to feel smaller.

Set 3:  Bedroom

"After" - Color & Details Enlarge Bedroom

"Before" - The White Walls Make the Bedroom Feel Smaller

We painted my client’s formerly white condo, several saturated and pale shades of green with a very saturated reddish brown entryway and accents.  Everyone who comes in thinks the condo looks much larger.  One even asked if she purchased the unit next door and broke through!

Our eye needs depth landmarks to perceive size.  In the “Before” image, the individual large pieces of furniture against the off-white walls makes things feel crowded and close together.  In the “After” picture, the contrast and details make the room feel larger.  In addition, the light bounces off the semi-gloss paint of the built-in bookcases sending light further into the room.  Granted, some of these effects would be true if the built-ins had been painted white but the effect is accentuated by the addition of color.

Notice, also, that the objects displayed in the open shelves also take on more definition against the deeper color.

In the “After” room, the ceiling is painted a bluish-violet.  It reads as a nice shadow effect and also enhances the green of the walls.

Set 4: Living Area
I’ve taken the next 3 images from the web.  I’ve doctored  the “After” image by adding an intense blue ceiling and an accent of deep rust.

"After" - Blue Ceiling Lends Perspective & Scale

"Before" - All White Ceiling and Walls is Devoid of Scale

In the doctored image, the room feels larger; Our eye needs boundaries to perceive scale.   When we don’t see boundaries and something beyond the boundary, we perceive areas as smaller.

In the image, below, from the same home, the white is balanced and given scale and depth by the black and white checkerboard floor in the background and the foreground straw color of the seat cushions.  Although, again, an intense blue ceiling would add additional perspective and depth to the room.  Click Here to see read more about this home.

Contrast Adds Perspective

Set 5: Colored Walls and Artwork

Colored Walls Enhance Artwork

White Goes With All Artwork - But enhances Few

The first image is accurate; I doctored the 2nd image to achieve a “white” wall.  To my eye, the artwork is enhanced by using the greyed-green on the walls  — a near complement to the predominant rusts and reddish-browns in the paintings, the mantle and sculpture.  Even the artist commented that the paintings never looked better than in this setting.  Gallery walls are white because no single color will enhance all artwork.  And white will not clash with any particular artwork.  In your home, though, you have the flexibility to select the right tone to bring out the best in your artwork and furnishings.

Now on to the last 2 myths:  All white can be unsettling and not restful if there isn’t sufficient contrast and focal points on which our eye can rest.  Imagine the room, below, without the accent of the yellow desk and the high contrast of the artwork on the back wall.  Our eye would be searching for a place to land.  As it is, the dark floor serves the same purpose as the blue ceiling in one of the photos above – the ability to perceive boundaries.  And the yellow focal point and the graphic art gives our eye the contrast and resting place that we need to feel comfortable.   See more of this office here.

White Needs Contrast to Work

It is for all these reasons that it’s not always best to paint your interior all white or beige when you’re getting ready to sell your home.  You certainly don’t want to paint the ceiling turquoise but you do want to provide sufficient contrast and interest that the buyer perceives the size and scale – or ideally perceives even greater size and scale that what you offer.

I’m not in any way suggesting that you shouldn’t use white.  But when you do, make sure you add sufficient contrast and detail to relieve boredom.

Here is some additional reading for ideas about how to select a color scheme that works.

• What Makes Color Work
• Color Concepts – Another Palette

Window films come in a huge variety of patterns and levels of translucency.  Window films are also friendly for “do-it-yourselfers”.  Here are some ideas and resources.  Whether your home is traditional or contemporary, you’ll find styles to suit.

Design by Maria Liv From the Scandinavian Design Center

The design above is by Maria Liv.  This design and others by Maria Liv are available online from the Scandinavian Design Center.

By Strossel Design

Window Film by Strossel Design

The two designs above are  by Strossel Design and others by Strossel Design are also available online from the Scandinavian Design Center as well as from Rare Device.

The above designs are available in set sizes.  If you want more flexibility to customize a design to your window or door or to design your own, check out Window Film Factory.   Below are 2 of their stock designs but they will be customized for your window size.

Stock Design From Window Film Factory

Stock Design From Window Film Factory

You can also use this company for written messages, house numbers or other alpha-numeric designs.

I used Decorative Films for the simple frosted film for the closet doors, below.  They have a wide variety of films including floral patterns, stained glass patterns, and architectural patterns all of which can be ordered in a variety of widths and cut to the foot.

Frosted Film for Closet Doors

I recommend that you use self-clinging window film without adhesive.  The directions are quite easy:
1. Cut the right size of the film and remove backpaper.
2. Spray window with water and soap solution.
Apply the film to the window and press bubbles out with a cloth or window scraper.
The film is easy to remove without leaving a trace.
I will advise that larger windows can be hard to do and you’ll need help.  It took two of us to apply the film to the doors, above.  Each panel was approximately 80 x 36.  We probably could have used a 3rd hand.  We also found it easier with these large expanses to remove the doors and lay them flat on saw horses.

I plan to use the left-over film to create a custom design on one of my own windows.  I’ll apply the film as a single piece and then cut out designs with a utility knife.  I’ll show you pictures when I’m done.

By the way, you can also pick up static cling window films at Home Depot and Lowes — you’ll just have less of a selection.

Banks of Lighting Can Have Confusing Controls

The answer to these clients is lighting controls.  Lutron, Leviton and many other manufacturers support what’s often known as scene controls.  This controller is in the home of one of my friends who built a high-end new home.  You can select a single button and turn on a specific pre-selected set of fixtures to turn on and each at a selected dimming level.  So when I visit, I can turn on the lights I need to make coffee in the morning and then select a different set to turn on lights that only light my favorite reading chair.  I don’t need to turn on excess lights or experiment with what grouping will work.  My friends entertain frequently and have light groupings and levels set for different types of entertaining.  Equally nice is the ability to push a single button and turn-off every light on the entire floor at once when retiring for the night or leaving the house for the day.

Scene Lighting Controls

These systems are not cheap.  There are many additional wiring runs required and usually the assistance of skilled labor to program what’s required.  Such a system will add thousands of dollars to your remodeling budget – and is only really worth doing in my opinion if you’re bringing walls down to studs.  These systems are part of what’s known as structured wiring.  Structured wiring systems can also be more extensive including automation to raise and lower sets of blinds, turn-up and down your thermostat, and run your media, network and security systems.  While increasingly high-end homes include such systems, mid-range remodels seldom include them.

The time to consider the system is at the beginning of a remodel because costs are dramatically affected by advance planning.  Retro-fitting after a remodel is underway can add unnecessary costs to the project.

Deep Purple Wall Color Accent Frames Dining Room

My client in Arlington, Virginia asked me for help selecting colors for their new home.  They live in a mid-century modern ranch designed for an architect for himself and his family.  One wall is a beautiful concrete brick wall in a beautiful shade of sage (see below).  So we selected 2 different greens that would reflect the brick wall and also the daylight exposure in each room.  When I suggested a very deep purple as an accent wall they were quite skeptical.  I suggested the color as a perfect near-complement to the grayed sage greens.  And also to accent the architecture.

I got these photos today along with a message that ended:  “So, we did trust you, and glad we did ”

Custom Brick Wall Sets Palette

Lighting for Kitchen Remodeling

The primary ambient lighting comes from daylight – windows, glass doors, and a special type of skylight known as a “Suntunnel”.  During daylight hours, no artificial lighting is needed.  Light from the suntunnels come through the 14” diameter lenses in the lowered orange ceiling to the right in the image, above and below.  In the kitchen, additional ambient lighting comes from recessed dimmable fluorescent lights – they are positioned to also provide task lighting over the countertops.

Task lighting comes from fluorescent strip lighting under the upper cabinets and from a single sconce that provides both down and uplighting to the right of the windows in the picture, below.  The candelabra lamps in the hood were replaced with LED lamps.  The mini-cans in the ceiling above the breakfast table are LED’s that provide concentrated task lighting for reading the paper at the table.

Lighting for Kitchen Remodeling

In the dining room, LED cove lighting provides both ambient and accent lighting.  The LEDs are on a dimmer so that the light level can be set for mood lighting or ambient lighting sufficient to read by.

Cove Lighting for Dining Room

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build.

3 Levels of Lighting for Kitchens - Ambient, Task & Accent

In this Washington, DC kitchen, above, there are 2 sources of ambient light – daylight and cans recessed into the ceiling with flood lamps.  Copious daylight streams in from windows and doors placed on 2 adjacent walls and indirectly through the entryway.  Few if any artificial lights are needed during the day.  When night comes, the recessed lights are operated by 4 different switches so that you can light only the areas in which you’re working.  All the recessed lights are also on dimmers so you can create mood lighting or limit the amount of light as needed.  Further, these recessed lights are dimmable fluorescents – savings lots of money and energy over incandescent when operated.

Task lighting is provided by undercabinet lights – mounted near the front of all wall cabinets.  We used xenon lights for the undercabinet lights which don’t burn as hot as halogen lights.  Since this kitchen was remodeled, you can also buy many different types of LED undercabinet lights which don’t burn hot and are very energy efficient.  The outer rows of recessed lights are positioned to provide task lighting as well as ambient lighting.   They are just outside the upper cabinets but inside the base cabinets so that they shine directly onto the countertops in front of anyone working at the counters.  If they were placed further into the room, they would create shadows on the countertop since they would be shining from behind individuals working at the counters.  The hood vent also has LED task lights that illuminate the cooktop.

The accent lighting comes from two custom chandeliers – one over the breakfast table and one over the dining table in the adjacent room.  These chandeliers are also outfitted with fluorescent lamps.

With the right mix of lighting you can work more efficiently, feel better, and also create different moods as appropriate to your activities.

Kitchen Accent Lighting

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build