Let’s chat about analgous color schemes.  These tend to create a more calming environment (depending on the intensity of the colors used).  They also lend a great deal of harmony to an interior.

An analgous color scheme is acheived by choosing 3-4 colors that are next to one another on the color wheel.  Like this:

Here are a couple of rooms where we see this color scheme in the works:

Come back next week to read about the Split Complementary Color Scheme.

Recently, I had a client pick out a beautiful collection of neutral pieces to pull together her new living room.  She’s excited to toss in new pillows, accessories, or perhaps a rug to create a myriad of different color schemes.  But she had a question, and I imagine you do to…

How do you design with color?  How do you pull it together?

No need to be intimidated.  Here’s the first of a series of lessons on color.

This is a color wheel.  Interior designers use it to put together pleasing color schemes.  You can too.

Our first lesson will show you how to combine colors for a Complementary Color Scheme.

Simply pick a color you love on the color wheel and look directly across from it.  Easy!  That’s its complement.  Combine these two colors together for a beautiful look like this one:

Or, play with the intensity of one of the colors (go more pastel, or a richer earth-toned version of it, for example) for a look like this:

Tell us about your color woes.

It seems our clients are more stumped by the ins and outs of lighting than any other home how-to.  So, let’s tackle your most frequently asked questions:

What alternatives exist to the standard 2 or 3 light vanity fixture?

Don’t get stuck with a standard-issue 2 or 3 light vanity fixture.  I love sconces for their softness and beautiful symmetry that they contribute to a bathroom.  Hang them just a little below eye level, about 60-65 inches from the floor  and about 3 feet apart to prevent shadowing and maximize your make-up lighting.  This isn’t a great solution if you and your spouse are vastly different in height.  In your powder bath, try a cluster of pendants hung asymetrically instead!

Stay tuned for more this week and next!

What lighting questions do you have?

As you begin to finalize your list of remodel projects you plan to tackle this year, I hope seeing before and after pictures of this Estes Park, Colorado home will inspire you.

These mountain dwellers had lived in a home boasting Victorian architecture and beautiful views…but an early nineties aesthetic riddled with pink and brass.  The homeowners wanted to capture their outdoor scenic getaway and bring it indoors.

The question they brought to me was, “How do you marry Victorian architecture with rustic, Colorado style?”

The Victorians painted everything and loved color, so I asked the homeowners to consider painted cabinetry for all of their vanities, but made it feel “Colorado” with the addition of glaze, rub through and distressing over knotty cherry.  To my delight, they agreed to this “design risk”–and it turned out beautifully.

We also encountered a scenario that called for being fixed during the remodel.  The client’s laundry room had simple cabinetry and a cantilevered laminate top with large garbage cans tucked underneath it for laundry sorting.  I encouraged the homeowners to add this to their project scope, and outfitted the room with concealed laundry hampers, fresh cabinetry, and a beautiful new laminate top.  A beautiful “wood” tile floor blended seamlessly with the hardwood just outside of this room, but contributed function to a potentially wet area.

Perhaps a whole house remodel isn’t in the cards this year, but how about tackling that oft-used dated powder bath or making your master bath the beautiful retreat you’ve been pining for this year?

As you begin dreaming up your remodel, take a look at some of our past projects here.

From the Eheart Family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Josh, Scott, Missy, Emily, Brian, Cassie, Sarah, Ken, Petra, Brad sporting their ugly Christmas sweaters.

Twas just days before Christmas
When I took the time
To sit down and write you
This short “Thank You” rhyme.

The power tools were whining
A short time ago.
When would all this end?
You wanted to know.

When we started the tear out
It caused you distress,
But the beautiful finish
Was worth all the mess.

Thanks for your patience
And your business this year.
Hope your holiday is filled
To the brim with good cheer.

Holiday Hours:
Dec 23-25: Closed
Dec 26-30: 10-6
Dec 31: 10-3
Jan 1: Closed