Dallas Blog | Material Girls | Dallas Interior Design

Her home was built in 1929 and the exterior is that of a brown/putty color- but she hopes someday to change it to yellow! She moved in about 4-1/2 years ago and initially painted every wall Benjamin Moore’s Linen White. She has since decided that she is ready for some color!

When you first walk into the home, the formal Living Room is to your right. It is painted a deep gold, Benjamin Moore’s Dijon 193 and contains red, off white and black accents. She wanted to keep this wall color in here and since it is visible from the entry, tv room, and dining room, she also wanted it to flow well with the new paint selections for the rest of the house. ‘

She had mentioned that the Entry was a possible candidate for paint; however, I think that she should just leave it Linen White since it looks straight into the Dining Room (and I chose to do a color-color for that room)

The Dining Room color was her biggest challenge by far! It’s currently painted Linen White but she wanted to add some color to the room to set it apart. Her furniture is traditional cherry with shield back chairs. The chair seats are upholstered in a graphic black and white stripe, her hardwoods are fairly light and the drapes are an oatmeal linen with black grosgrain ribbon trim.

The Dining Room is adjacent to the entry, sunroom, and kitchen/tv room (all Linen White). The things that I had to consider when choosing paint for this room were her six small cartoons that she purchased in China and wishes to get framed, another colorful piece of art that she got in China and is currently hung up in the room, a simple frameless mirror, white oyster plates with minimal gray/black detail, and clear crystal pieces. Her one request was that we don’t do red in the dining room since it has been done too much. I think I can handle that!

I ended up selecting Benjamin Moore’s Mill Springs Blue- HC-137 for this room. Since you can see the kitchen wall tile from here, I wanted something that would complement it and not fight its colors. I also wanted a color that wasn’t too shocking nor too playful. I wanted to keep with the sophisticated and elegant look that she has throughout her home.

I would paint this color from the top of the ceiling to the chair rail and then install crisp white wainscoting below so the room stays light and doesn’t get too cave-like.

The Mill Springs paint would bring out the shades of blue/green in her existing framed artwork as well as coordinate well with her Chinese cartoons (which have a lot of gray/green and gray/blue in them). This color would provide a nice dramatic backdrop for the room, break up all of that white, and make the larger piece of artwork really pop!

Paint it in two colors or lacquer it….make it fun like Jamie Drake’s pink and black armoire!

{photo via Alkemie}

Ends up she was talking about Colour me Happy. I have since become just as obsessed with Maria’s blog as she is! Maria has been in the decorating business and specifying colors for over 10 years. She spreads her color knowledge throughout her blog and gives some really great advice…you have to read one of my favorite posts of hers here- she takes her readers on one of her color consultations and my other favorite (which rings SO true) is here

So I know I should go to sleep at some point tonight, but reading her whole blog from start to finish is too tempting. It’s so refreshing to find someone else who loves color and paint as much as I do- and someone who knows what she is talking about!

Be sure to check her blog out. We loves!

I can’t tell you how many consultations I’ve gone on where people want strictly color/paint advice. I experienced a similar situation a few weeks ago when I got a call from my boyfriend’s sister who told me that I need to come to Georgetown ASAP to fix her color problem (or lack thereof). Her walls “look lifeless”, she said. The same neutral color flows throughout her entire new house and she needed paint advice from a designer STAT. I designed her pediatric dentist office this summer (with bright colors galore) and then she comes home at the end of the day to a lackluster color scheme of neutral upon neutral upon neutral. Sigh.

A home should reflect one’s personality and when it doesn’t reflect anything, well it can end up looking pretty dismal.

I always tell people that one of the easiest, most affordable, and quickest way to give your home a makeover is through paint. What better way to express yourself and to highlight your art, furnishings, accessories?

For this months challenge, please send me up to three rooms that are in desperate need of a paint revamp! If you only have one or two rooms, no problem- send it my way! These can be bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, powder rooms, dining rooms (you get the jist).

To enter the contest, please email me, Emily (emily@ejinteriors.net) with the following (please submit by 2.28.09):

**At least four 4 images of all angles of the rooms you wish to repaint (can send up to three rooms) and send photos of existing flooring

**Images of any connecting rooms (to make sure the colors flow well with the rest of your house)

**General colors that you like, general colors that you dislike

**What you want the overall feel of the room to be? Dramatic, light and airy, warm and homey, etc.

**Please send photos of the existing furniture in the rooms as well as any existing fabric swatches (winner will be asked to mail- if possible, any fabric swatches to me that way we can make sure we get the closest match possible for your room!)

**Please state or show lighting conditions in the room

**I can choose paint from these vendors: Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, and Farrow and Ball- please state in the email which vendor fits your budget and location.

**Please specify which areas of the room need to be painted- walls, moulding, ceiling, built-ins, etc.

After the first fifty entries or the last day of the month (whichever comes first), we will post a note on our blog that the giveaway submittal window has ended.

Here is a reminder of our contest calendar:

1st- Challenge announced

15th- Previous month’s challenge winner announced on our blog as well as a solution to the challenge.

Last day of the month- All entrants must be emailed to the designer who is taking on that month’s challenge.