I received the following email from Kathy in Minnesota last week in response to my recent color story in Better Homes and Gardens. I wanted to share it with you because I think she has some great color words of wisdom.
"I really liked your piece in the August edition of Better Homes and Gardens. It seemed that you - a designer - was giving me the thumbs up for the colors that I used in my bedroom and bathroom.
I have a really tiny house with tiny rooms. I hesitated using any dark colors thinking it would make the rooms feel smaller.
When I recovered my headboard - with matching bedskirt (patterned) with a turquoise blue/grey light coverlet - the white of the walls (actually it was a very, very pale pink) was too stark of a contrast.
It was not an easy task to paint the walls. I couldn't move much out of the room, so I just moved things over and did small sections at a time. I used a medium dark turquoise color - similar to the Acapulco Cliffs color that you had in your article. It looked really good and picked up one of the colors in the bedding. The ceiling was still white, but I thought that was what a ceiling was "supposed to be".
Months later, I decided to have the bathroom painted. This time I hired it done. I choose a medium toned greyed turquoise color. The painters suggested that I also paint the ceiling. Again, it is a very small space, but I trusted them. So the ceiling was painted the same color. The fixtures are all white with "silver" or grey accessories - doors and trim are white.
When I walk up my stairs, I can see into the bathroom and really liked the look. Instead of making the room smaller, it seemed to open it up. So, before they left, I thought they should use that same color to paint my ceiling in the bedroom. They could also correct my poorly done painted edge where the walls meet the ceiling (rounded edges, plaster walls). Without realizing it, I had picked colors from the same color strip, so they really looked good together.
Now that the ceiling is painted and I'm surrounded by the turquoise, it doesn't feel closed in. It feels comforting. Looks rich.
Whenever I walk into the bathroom, it seems so fresh and clean and I like how the color continues on the ceiling. A perfect color choice.
Thank you for doing the article and I hope other people with take the ideas and add that color to their homes. Good job!"
- Kathy from Minnesota
Thanks for sharing your color experience, Kathy! Readers - have you ever been pleasantly (or unpleasantly) surprised by the way a paint color looked once it went up on your walls, ceiling, trim, etc.?
