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color confidential with tobi fairley: warm hues

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Q: Dear Tobi,

I loved your post here last month about bringing cool colors in to your home. However, I’m more fond of deep, rich colors. I guess I tend to lean more toward warm hues in general. Do you have any go-to colors that remind you of warmer landscapes?

Thanks!

Lauren, Jonesboro

 

A: Hi Lauren,

That’s a great question! Because warmer colors tend to make a bright statement and can have a bold impact, I generally use them as accents throughout a space.

(photography by Nancy Nolan)

For example, you might cover your chairs in a fiery shade of red, like the ones I used in this dining room. You could also paint an accent wall in a vibrant tangerine. Lamps and throw pillows are also a great way to bring in these colors without making a huge time or financial commitment. If you’re DIY-savvy, you could even paint a few pieces of furniture in one of these happy colors! The options are endless…

When it comes to selecting warm colors I love to look to nature. There are a ton of naturally occurring options in everything from sunsets to fall foliage. But to get back to your original question on which colors to use, I’ve selected a few that remind me of the warmer landscapes you mentioned. [All paint colors are Sherwin-Williams.]

If you want something that is a bit deeper and more rich you might try one of these…

Hopefully one of these colors will be just what you’re looking to use in your own home!

Happy Decorating!
-Tobi

(p.s. to see more color confidential tips, visit here.)

[Images: Google Images, Tobi Fairley Interior Design]

color confidential with tobi fairley : ceiling style

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Q: Dear Tobi,

I am in the middle of a remodel and starting to plan my color scheme. I definitely don’t want to forget my ceilings, because I love the idea of branching out a bit and doing something other than a basic white. Do you have any ideas for thinking outside the box when it comes to ceilings?

Rhonda, Monticello

A: Hi Rhonda! You have asked one of my favorite questions! Why have a plain white ceiling when you can use color — and even pattern! — to make that fifth wall really stand out?

When I’m working on a project, I consider the ceiling to be an integral part of the room and give it the attention it deserves in the design process. There’s no end to the options that you can come up with as long as you take your overall design scheme and look into account.

Here are three projects of mine where I have pushed the boundaries on ceilings!

#1 Complete Classic

I designed this room for the Richmond Symphony Showhouse last year. Blue ceilings are one of the more popular color selections you will see featured in homes around the country. This is probably because they are calm, serene and remind us of the sky! If you’re working on an outdoor remodel I also love blue porch ceilings. This trend, which started in Charleston, SC, was said to ward off evil spirits and protect Southern homes several centuries ago. Spirits or no spirits, I love the look both indoors and out!

#2 Glowing Glamour

If you’re more of a glamour girl, then I suggest metallics. Have a faux-finish painter create a metallic work of art on your ceiling. This polished trend is a great accent not only for bedrooms, but also in shared spaces of your home. Greeting guests in a foyer with a metallic ceiling sets the tone for a polished and elegant home.

#3 Preppy Pattern

Last, but not least, adding pattern is a great way to think imaginatively when it comes to ceilings. I personally love using stripes, because they are a classic traditional pattern that can come to life in any palette, like this room I designed for the Hamptons’ Showhouse. If stripes aren’t your thing, you might also consider wallpaper. You can select a graphic pattern or try something a bit more whimsical like a botanical print.

I hope these ideas are helpful for your project! Good luck with your remodel.

Happy Decorating!
xo, Tobi

P.S. Want advice on your color dilemma? Send your questions to info@tobifairley.com or leave a comment here.

color confidential : pantone’s color of the year

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Q: Dear Tobi, I’m ready to do some major redecorating in my house. I know that Pantone promotes the colors they predict will be the trendy colors for the year, and I want my look to be current. How do I use those hot colors in a way that won’t be out of date before I can afford to redo my house again? Paula (Little Rock, AR) A: Great question, Paula! To trend or not to trend is a question I often get from my clients. My answer to them is always “Never EVER include something you don’t absolutely LOVE just to be trendy.” But the opposite is also true! “Never EVER leave out a fabric or piece of furniture (etc.) that you LOVE just because it’s trendy!” Trends come and go, but a particular style that you happen to find appealing is likely to keep its appeal no matter what’s fashionable. As for Pantone, their predictions are fun to talk about (it seems all of us design and fashion bloggers want to weigh in on the colors of the year!); but to make the most of the freshness of a color trend, use it as a cue instead of an exact style recipe. For instance, THE color of 2013 is Emerald (Pantone # 17-5641 to be precise!).

So, use this information as a point of inspiration for your a room in your home, if it’s a color you like! Instead of thinking only of the color Emerald, think of it as an indicator that rich greens and other jewel tones are going to be showing up more and more. I was excited to see that a green was selected, because it’s always been one of my go-tos! Want to see some ways I’ve incorporated greens in my own designs? As a pop of color in accessories! As a major player in the color palette!

As a foundation color! The key when incorporating a color trend is to do so confidently as long as you know it’s a color you truly love! Best of luck to you with your design, Paula! I hope this helps. Xo,        

color confidential with tobi fairley

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Ready to break beyond your comfort zone of neutrals but don’t know how? How would you like to consult with color expert Tobi Fairley about it?

Interior designer Tobi Fairley has been recognized for her masterful use of color and pattern on the pages of House Beautiful, Traditional Home, Southern Living, and yours truly, At Home in Arkansas. And now Tobi will be fielding color questions from you, At Home’s readers!

That’s right. Today, and monthly from now on, we’ll be inviting readers to send us color questions for Tobi Fairley to answer in a tip and color filled blog series we’ve dubbed “Color Confidential with Tobi Fairley.” Picking paint. Finding fabric. Mixing and matching paint and fabric. Whatever your color quandary, send it our way!

Starting today, tell us: What is your color quandary? Let us know in the comment section of this post, and Tobi will select a question to answer on Tuesday, November 22! Colorful ideas await from Tobi Fairley. See you soon!

all about color

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Welcome interior designer Tobi Fairley, whose expert tips on paint and color will be a mainstay on the At Home blog from now on! Each month, Tobi will be stopping by to help tackle our readers’ biggest color challenges. Given Tobi’s vast experience and reputation for bold patterns and paint, we can’t wait to see the solutions she provides and color combos she suggests.

Q:

Dear Tobi,

Everything in my house seems to be some boring shade of brown. It’s not so bad with my Christmas décor around to spruce things up. But when I take them down in a few weeks my house will definitely go from fab to drab! What colors can I bring in to liven things up a bit for the new year? Help!!!

Brooke from Little Rock

A:

Brooke,

Thanks for writing to Color Confidential! I am so glad to be writing this new column for the At Home in Arkansas blog. There are quite a ways you can “jazz up” all that brown in your home. Here’s my advice:

I designed the room above with brown walls accented by coral. The chairs, rug and accessories are what make this room! When done like this, the brown isn’t boring! This home was featured in At Home in Arkansas in August 2010 and can be found here.

Here are the colors I used:

Walls: Sherwin-Williams SW6069 French Roast

Trim: Sherwin-Williams SW7012 Creamy

Adjoining Foyer: Sherwin-Williams SW6607 Red Tomato

Maybe red isn’t the way you want to go. Here are a few more options of pairing vivid colors with brown:

Yellow:

Sherwin-Williams SW6068 Brevity Brown

Sherwin-Williams SW6063 Nice White

Sherwin Williams SW6683 Bee

Turquoise:

Sherwin-Williams SW6081 Down Home

Sherwin-Williams SW6147 Panda White

Sherwin-Williams SW6472 Composed

Lavender:

Sherwin-Williams SW6083 Sable

Sherwin-Williams SW6553 Heavenly White

Sherwin-Williams SW6555 Enchant

Orange:

Sherwin-Williams SW6082 Cobble Brown

Sherwin-Williams SW7102 White Flour

Sherwin-Williams SW6641 Outgoing Orange

Now let’s take a look at pulling together a room adding accents of color. Imagining that we are starting with the brown room with yellow accents pictured in the example above, I’ve come up with the following:

Clockwise from top left: Sherwin-Williams paints as mentioned previously, Atlas Pillows in Chocolate from Tobi Fairley Home, Capri Gourd Lamp in Yellow from Jonathan Adler, Chauncey in Buttercup Fabric by Highland Court, Sunflower Ticking Woven Cotton Rug by Dash & Albert and available through Cobblestone & Vine.

I hope this gets you well on your way, Brooke, to adding some inspiring color accents to your home. As you can see, brown isn’t that bad after all!

Happy Decorating!

Tobi

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