Don't settle for 'rental white' in an apartment
Annie Elliott, chief executive and principal designer at Bossy Color, joined Post staff writer Jura Koncius recently on the newspaper's Home Front online chat. Here is an edited excerpt.
Q. Do you think it's best to leave the walls all white in a rental? It does make the rooms look bigger.
A. Absolutely not. Paint, paint, paint. First, chances are those walls aren't "white," they're "rental-unit cream," which is unacceptable. Painting is the most bang for the buck you can get in decorating, so please go for it.
Q. Do you have any tips for making an old, tiny bathroom look better?
A. If the tile and fixtures are white, which are several different whites in reality, paint the walls a super light blue. It makes all of the whites blur together, if that makes sense. Try Benjamin Moore's Whispering Spring or Ice Blue.
Q. My condo has a living room and dining room necessarily carved up by support walls, so an open space isn't an option. To maximize the idea of spaciousness, should both be the same paint color?
A. Not necessarily. In an open floor plan, I recommend staying consistent with colors, but you absolutely can do two different ones.
Q. I'm about to start a kitchen renovation. Any thoughts on white cabinets with white counters? In magazines, I'm always drawn to these kitchens. However, I'm afraid of too much white. Is there a white paint you would recommend for the cabinets that isn't too stark? Also, would you mind sharing what your favorite elements are in a kitchen? We have a reproduction Colonial and live in New England.
A. I don't love the idea of white counters with white cabinets, I'm sorry! If you're starting with the white counters, why not paint the cabinets a color? Navy? If that's too much for you, consider painting only the base of the island a color.
Q. I've seen a product on HGTV that disguises a flat-screen TV so that it looks like a painting, and I would be interested in finding the manufacturer of the product. The image of the painting rolls up somehow within the frame so that the TV screen shows only when you want it; otherwise, it just looks like a piece of art.
A. This is a custom maneuver, my friend, so you'll need to find the right architect or carpenter (or TV expert) to help you. Good luck - disguising a TV is a worthwhile pursuit!
Q. We live in a midcentury modern home with very small bathrooms that have no potential for expanding. Any recommendations to make the most of the space? The walls are painted whitewashed wood except for tile around the shower. We struggle with the type and color of paint in a small space that can get damp.
A. You know, sometimes the best thing to do with a small space is accept it. If you're not liking white (Benjamin Moore's Super White is a good option) with zingy colorful towels, why not just embrace the small and paint it a rich color? Red? Forest green? If you want to stay light, I mentioned some blues earlier, but a light yellow is another great option. For the type of paint, try Benjamin Moore's Aura Bath and Spa.
Q. My house has dark paneling. Should the wood be painted white to make the house seem larger? Any other tips?
A. This is such a loaded question! It is entirely up to you. Do not let your partner (or real estate agent) tell you that you must leave the paneling alone. It's your house! Yes, painting it white will open it up, so go for it if you want to. A dear friend of mine lives in the house she grew up in (it's amazing), and there was a wooden ceiling in the family room. It had always been that way, her parents built the house, etc. It was a loaded topic. After years of thinking about it and listening to scores of people tell her not to, she painted that ceiling white, and she loves it. Most important: The house feels like hers now.
Q. What are your favorite design blogs?
A. My amazing designer/project manager, Katherine, keeps me up-to-date on all things blog and celebrity. She likes Emily Henderson (www.stylebyemilyhenderson.com) and Little Green Notebook (www.littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com). And she's the one who keeps me up to speed on the Kardashians and the Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt wedding, so I trust her.
Q. What is a great paint color for a bedroom? My walls are all white now, and it is getting boring. I am open to a new color scheme, as everything I have in there is neutral.
A. How about a super-duper light pink, such as Farrow and Ball's Pink Ground, or Benjamin Moore's Pacific Ocean Blue, which is really dark? Either would look terrific with your neutral furnishings.
Q. How do you decide what colors to use with clients? Do you have them rip pages out of magazines? Some designers say that the colors you like to wear are the best colors for you to live with. Do you think that is true?
A. Sure, you can decorate with colors you look good in - why not? But it's not a rule. I look great in periwinkle, but you won't catch me channeling Laura Ashley and painting a room in my house that color. Ripping out pages from magazines is helpful because you can see patterns in what you like. Other than that, though, I just talk with my clients. A recent client from the Southwest wanted to reclaim those colors. Someone who loves the outdoors might want more green in their life. And then, of course, the room can dictate a direction. If I walk into a room and I have a strong feeling that it should be yellow, I'm going to propose yellow. That doesn't always happen, though. I need to mull things over sometimes. Some people have serious aversions, and frankly, I'm not going to try and change that! If you don't like green, you don't like green. I can work around it.
Q. Any ideas for good fabrics if you have slobbering dogs?
A. Anything indoor/outdoor. There are so many great indoor/outdoor fabrics now, from Duralee, Schumacher and more. There's always Sunbrella, but the newer fabrics are soft and pliable. They don't feel as durable as they are.
Q. I want to paint the entire main level of my small townhouse, and I need help. It's a north-facing house, and it is not an end unit, so it only has bay windows in the front kitchen and three windows in the back living room with thick forest of trees in the back that block most of the sunlight. I think I want a fairly neutral palette, whites and ivories, and let my colorful artwork speak with color. Maybe I'd like a bold foyer/entry. Can you suggest paint brand and colors that don't look dingy with low light?
A. Putting up samples is going to be the key for you. You really don't know how a color is going to behave until you get it on the wall in a large patch - several feet square. Look for clear colors (whites that don't have gray in them). As for the foyer/entry, I have one word for you: wallpaper.
Q. I have a small condo. The living/dining combo is a long, narrow room, ending in a wall of windows and a sliding-glass door leading to a small patio. I have hideous vertical blinds. I want curtains that would cover them from the inside. What to do: light, printed curtains that would let in light when the blinds were pulled back, or rich, velvet curtains that would block light and look cozy? It is a small room, and I don't want to close it in with the heavier curtain.
A. Why do you feel you need heavy/velvet? If you're going to keep the vertical blinds (ick, but I hear you), there's your light control. So go for something light but not sheer - linen, for example. And I want you to walk in your front door and squeal with delight every time you see your drapes or your view, so choose a color and/or pattern that makes you happy.