Dallas Blog | Material Girls | Dallas Interior Design

I’ve never been a big fan of the painted accent wall and oddly enough, that’s usually the number one question that I get asked at an initial consultation…”What are your thoughts on doing an accent wall in here”?

In most instances, I choose to stay away from the painted accent wall.  It reminds me of a bad home decorating show where they paint a random wall a god-awful color, just so they can say they did something “creative”.  Another reason I have nightmares about accent walls is that I myself painted an accent wall in every apartment I lived in, in college- yikes!

In my personal opinion, I would ONLY recommend doing a painted accent wall if it makes sense in your room and if you have a focal point that is screaming to be highlighted (like a fireplace wall, the backs of bookcases, a ceiling, wall nook, etc).  Make sure you stay far far away from doing an accent wall on a random side wall!  There is nothing worse than an accent wall that makes absolutely no sense!

However, painted walls aren’t the only accent walls out there.  I actually LOVE a fabulous wallpapered accent wall.  The key to one of these is to have the side walls’ paint color relate in some way to the wallpaper and always choose the wall that is more of a focal point in the room.

{Elle Decor}

Not to mention, you can use that more expensive wallpaper that you’ve always coveted since you only need one wall’s worth of paper!

{Nicky Hilton’s LA home- via Alkemie}

{via Little Green Notebook}

{via Design Strategies}

{Domino Mag}

{Megan’s dining room of Beach Bungalow 8}

{via Apartment Therapy}

{Decorpad}

{Decorpad}

We did a wallpaper accent wall in the guest room of one of my client’s houses and it did wonders for that small, bland room!

Also, keep in mind that when using a wallpaper with a metallic color in it (like the one below), it’s a bit more difficult to select paint (for the corresponding side walls) for it than it would be off a normal matte wallpaper (since metallics have a sheen and are always changing on us!).  Patience is key here with these glam papers!

{EJ Interiors}

I’m getting ready to do another single wallpapered wall for a client’s dining room and I can’t wait to see the impact the pattern has on the space!

I’m currently designing a playroom for one of my clients (who has three young girls) and we want a stylish and fun paint color that can take the girls from elementary school to highschool.  We fell in love with the color scheme in Jill Zarin’s daughter’s room and I’m dying over the fact that I don’t know what paint color it is!

{Traditional Home}

I’m sure that if I ever did find out what color this was, I’d end up being completely surprised at its true hue.  Maybe it “really is a periwinkle” or “really is a navy”- some color that I completely didn’t expect.  That has happened to me before with an awesome Cole and Son wallpaper that I found in a magazine.  Woah, was it dark in person! Definitely wasn’t expecting that.  It’s so difficult to tell a true color just from a photographed image!

Anyone out there BFF’s with Jill and seen this color in person?

Would LOVE to know what is the true blue of this room!

When I say blue, you say brown.

When I say green, you say pink.

When I say gray, you say yellow.

When I say lavendar, you say…..orange?  Come again?

Who would have thought that pairing these two colors together would produce such fabulous results! (as seen in Elle Decor)

Or even red and turquoise?  Bunny Williams is one daring decorator!

How about red and pink?  Right in time for V Day…

A little brown and yellow perhaps?

What’s your most unique color pairing in your home?

Nancy, the winner of our Design Rules book giveaway, had asked this wonderful design question-

-Does one paint a dark room a light color or enhance the no light factor with paint?

And Elaine Griffin, the uber talented interior designer (and author of Design Rules), so kindly answered it!  And we, of course, had to share her very informative answer to this commonly asked decorating question.

Exxxxxcellent question!!!  As a designer, questions about paint colors are the number one topic I get asked!! (I did a whole “cheat sheet” chapter on color in Design Rules.)  And I understand– color can be intimidating, even if you’re a DIY veteran!

Here are some Insider Secrets about color to help demystify the whole enchilada:

–Does one paint a dark room a light color or enhance the no light factor with darker paint?

The answer is both!!! Here are three factors to take into consideration when choosing your wall color (beyond the most important one, of course, which is what colors please YOU the most in general!!!)

1) What time of day will you be using the room the most (day? night?)

2) How much natural light does the room get (southern exposure= loads of afternoon light; northern exposure= not so much, etc.)

and finally 3) How long will you spend in the room when you’re using it (powder room= 5 minutes; dining room= 2 hours, so let drama rule; den or family room= endless hours on end, for ions to come, so don’t LOSE YOUR MIND with bold, intense colors unless they Truly, Truly, speak to you (as they do to me!!!).

Dark colors can look breathtakingly stunning in the bright light of a south-facing room.  They also look great in any room at night, well-lit by soft puddles of lamplight (don’t forget a lamp in every corner, sugar, for your rooms to GLOW!!).  They can look a little forlorn in dim light, but then again, it just takes lamps to create instant glow (but do decide if that’s the mood you want in your north-facing room at 11:00 am, doll).

Rooms with little natural light can get an artificial glow (alas, you’ll still need to get your lamp game on 24/7 though) via wall color that mimics the sun: yellows, oranges, reds.

Tiny rooms that are Just Plain Tiny can become adorable jewel boxes when painted deep or bold colors.  Avoid painting mid-sized (i.e., just the other side of small) rooms the boldest sunny colors (bright red/yellow/orange) because the walls WILL seem to advance and the space will seem clausterphobic (Paler versions of these hues are fine).

At the end of the day, though, I always tell clients that it’s important to please yourself, first, no matter what trends, light or room size dictates.  If chocolate makes your heart sing (wheeeeeee!!!), then go for it!!! (And adjust your light accordingly.  TRADE SECRET: Darker colors “eat up”/absorb more light than paler ones so upgrade your wattage accordingly in darker rooms (unless you, like my husband, are a vampire who flourishes in dimly-lit spaces).)

–Will it look the same on the wall as it does on the paint chip???

YES! (Unless you have antique paint chips.) Although, you’ll be seeing a lot more of it, so nothing beats painting a Giant 3x 3 Swatch of Your Chosen Paint Color in the room it’ll be going in, and observing how it looks in the actual light of the space (at 10,000 different times of the day and/or night).  Here’s a secret: Even design pros make mistakes with color.  So don’t ever be disappointed should you happen to, too!  It can always be corrected with a couple of new coats of paint!

–How to tell what colors go together?

Pas de probleme, sweetie!!!  Nature’s palettes offer flawless color combinations everywhere we look.  If a color combination exists in a landscape, a flower or a fruit, it will work perfectly in your home.  Think colors of the beach (turquoise, beige, ivory, sunny yellow) of the fall forest (oranges, ochres, browns, greens), the sunrise or sunset, etc, and you’ll never go wrong.  Layer colors in a room the same way you do an outfit– think dominant color (suits/pants/jacket) + complementary colors (blouse, shoes) + citrus or sherbert accents (they’re the universal, go-anywhere hues, perfect for throw pillows)= accessories/jewelry.

Take care and good luck!

Smooches-

Elaine

Nancy from North Carolina won our Design Rules book giveaway!

Her question was- “Does one paint a dark room a light color or enhance the no light factor with darker paint?”

Stay tuned for the answer to this question AND all of your other fabulous questions once Elaine gets back from her book tour!

Thanks to everyone for your great comments and questions.  We will post the answers here soon!

Today I received an email from an MG reader wondering if I knew the paint color that was in Audrina Patridge’s bedroom?

Dear reader, unfortunately I do not…however, I am so glad you sent me the link to these photos from In Touch magazine of Audrina’s Hollywood Hills home.  I can’t tell you how long I have been looking for a glimpse into either Lauren’s, Heidi’s, Audrina’s, Lowe’s, Stephanie’s, or Kristen’s homes!

I have never been able to find any photos of the “real” homes of the Hills cast.  And with all of the talk about the show being scripted and fake, it makes you wonder if the homes are in fact staged and just part of the Hills’ set design!  But apparently these actors (excuse me, I mean these girls) really do live there.

What do you think of Audrin’a digs that her mom decorated? I personally love the rich plum paint color in her bedroom paired with her crisp white bedding and curtains…however, I think other parts of her house could have used a real decorator’s touch.  What do you think?

If anyone out there knows what brand of paint/color is used in Audrina’s bedroom, please leave a comment with the info!

Farrow, Farrow, Farrow and Ball- which are the trendy colors for fall?

Glitz and Glamour-

Industrial-

Aquatic-

Urban Decay-

For all of you designers out there who frequently use Robert Allen as a fabric resource, this post is for you! I recently discovered some new info about a collaboration between RA and Sherwin Williams!

How did I come to know about this? Well, it all began the other day when I was at their showroom selecting green fabrics for a client.  I said to Judy (who works there)…”I wish I had brought my paint samples with me- then I would know exactly what green to look for!”

{since I had such a specific green that I needed to match…almost an army green….it would have been very helpful to have had the paint swatch to match to their fabrics}

I know what you are thinking- a designer not bringing paint samples to match the fabric? Well I was technically matching the fabric to a patterned Cole and Son wallpaper but wanted the green paint swatch from the adjoining den for reference since it was a larger swatch…anyway Judy looked at me and said “you know we have collaborated with Sherwin and now have a library of paint colors here!”

So there you have it- a perfect example of how this new addition to their showroom could have really come in handy in this situation (too bad the swatch I was needing was a Ben Moore paint) however,  I use Sherwin just as much so their new resource will really be nice to have! (especially those days when I’ve run out the door without grabbing my paint samples!)

So, in a nutshell- the Robert Allen fabrics are meant to coordinate with Sherwin’s paints.

For instance, their Hydrangea collection is set to match a few different paint colors (one of which is SW6961 Blue Beyond)

Their Leaf Collection goes with SW6710 Melange Green

Their Terrain collection matches SW6076 Turkish Coffee

And their Tulip collection matches Cherries Jubilee- SW6862

I’m sure you get the picture by now!

On another note, Robert Allen has also partnered up with The Shade Store! More info on this exciting new partnership here.

iPhone applications are usually either one of two things: practical and productive…OR entertaining, but complete time- wasters.

Getting the weather reports (The Weather Channel), movie times (Showtimes), local restaurant guides (Urbanspoon)- all productive in my eyes.

Changing my hair with iStylist to look like Kristin Cavallari, molding my friends faces with Face Melter, stalking people on Loopt, and waving a pretend lighter in the air (Zippo Lighter)- not so much.

Today I found one that is fun, but also handy! It’s called ColorCapture Ben (named after my boyfriend or Benjamin Moore- either one)  What it does, is you zoom into a color in a photo you’ve taken or uploaded onto your phone, click the “match” key and then multiple Ben Moore color chips will come up that match the color you originally clicked on.  Cool huh? And if you are on a mission to get that paint color, the iPhone will even direct you to the closest Benjamin Moore store (using its GPS) so you can purchase the paint.  And my favorite part…it’s free starting June 1st.

Can’t wait to see how this thing works!

Pantone, the color experts, are at it again…and six months early! They recently came out with a Home + Interiors 2010 set of swatch cards of each of the 78 forecasted colors (including an additional neutrals palette). These cards encompass the anticipated trendy paint colors for next year.

Available for purchase!