“Please contact me if you would like a consultation or further information about any of the products you see here at Decorum.”Posts Tagged ‘Colour Combinations’
Grout should not be ignored
Renovating a bathroom or kitchen? Chosen all your tiles? What a releif, you can now sit back and let the tiler do his thing. Wrong!
Once you’ve chosen your tiles the next thing you need to choose is the colour of the grout. Don’t leave it to the tiler as you will probably end up with white or grey. The grout needs to support the tiles not detract from them. No-one wants to make a feature of the grout! Unless you’re really making a statement like this image below.
When we renovated I had definite ideas about how the tiles would look once grouted. The large format tiles in the bathroom were rectified which means they have square edges. I wanted the walls to look seamless and the rectified tiles can be placed close together so choosing a white grout assisted with the overall look.
In the ensuite, we used natural stone tiles on the walls and floor so I chose a cream grout there to match the filling in the travertine.
The black marble mosaic splashback in the powder room needed a dark grout as anything lighter would make the space look too busy. I already had a wallpaper above the splashback and that was the main feature of the room. The splashback needed to enhance the wallpaper and save it from water splashes but didn’t need to be a feature in itself.
The kitchen was tricky. I was using white subway tiles. The kitchen has a nod to French provincial style without the fuss so I wanted the tiles to stand out but I didn’t want the industrial look like the kitchen below.
White grout would’ve blended with the tiles and dark grout would give that industrial look, sort of like a butcher’s shop. So I selected a pale grey grout. The cabinetry is grey and the bench top is also a grey – Stone Italiana KSoul. The grey grout sets off the whole kitchen perfectly.
So don’t think once you’ve chosen your tiles your decisions are over. Think about the overall look you’d like, take some time and choose the colour of your grout wisely. Like everything else, the options are endless but will make a big difference to your finished home.
All images can be found on my Pinterest boards.
If you would like assistance choosing tiles and grout for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
All Rugged Up
Although in the Southern Hemisphere we are heading in to our warmer months, there’s nothing like a floor rug to inject colour and pattern into your living space.
Poppies by Sanderson
They add warmth (both literally and physically), they define a space, provide sound dampening qualities and can hide imperfect flooring.
St Ives Rug in Teal
There are so many patterns and colours to choose from. All over patterns are great for under timber coffee tables while centre patterns work best under a glass coffee table or in an open space so the pattern can be admired.
Midsummer Rose Rug
I’m thrilled that the Sanderson range of rugs are now available here in Australia. They certainly have some great patterns and colours from which to choose. They are made from 100% wool and are inspired by the Sanderson fabric range and are certainly affordable ranging from $700 to $1400 depending on the size.
Dandelion Rug in Taupe/Claret
If you would like assistance choosing rugs and other decorator pieces for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Not waving but drowning
No, not quite, but I have been rather consumed by everything that’s going on, so the poor old blog has been neglected. Sorry for being AWOL for a while.
Ceiling and walls painted in the family room
Our house renovations are getting to the pointy end. It’s looking so good and I just want to wiggle my nose and be in.
Daughter’s new bedroom and ceiling
My father-in-law (aka The Painter) has been here for two and half weeks and has been working non stop to get the interior of the house painted. My husband is helping on the weekends and does some prep work for him in the evenings. The colours all look great. (The one above and the one below are not the same, it just looks that way on the screen. Well it does on mine.)
Main bathroom tiled and painted
The tilers have been and tiled the bathrooms and laundry as well as the outside rear stairs and landing.
Ensuite tiled
And the floor has been put down in my new studio.
My new studio
The logistical nightmare is now upon us as we juggle all the tradies for the final two weeks. The cabinetmaker is still to bring in the laundry, kitchen and bathroom cabinets. The electrician is to return to install all the light fittings. The plumber needs to come after the tilers to plumb in the toilets and then will return after the cabinetry to do the taps and basins. Shower screens and bathroom mirrors have been measured and will be installed also after the tilers. Then when they’ve all finished we can have the floors sanded, stained and polished (I’m going for a dark floor) and finally the carpet and curtains.
Then we can bring back the furniture and household items we packed away in storage 10 months ago and move in and enjoy Christmas in our new old home.
Storage container
Besides all that I’m trying to ensure all the jobs that are in the system for clients get completed and delivered prior to 24 December.
A new dining table was delivered for one client today and we are still waiting on a new sofa.
New dining table
We’re awaiting shutters for another client and curtains and blinds for two clients.
Shutters to go in here
A bathroom is having a makeover for another client and I’m still doing colour consultations for clients about to paint over the Christmas period or have painters coming in the New Year.
Downstairs bathroom about to have a makeover
The wallpaper hanger is booked for yet another client and a sofa is being carted off today to be reupholstered.
Wall awaiting wallpaper
Fingers crossed everything goes to plan and we are all enjoying our “new” homes for the holidays.
Sofa to change from red to stone
If you would like assistance with colour and design for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Purple Mystery
As I was driving through Cammeray on the weekend a new store caught my eye. Well it didn’t really catch it, more like screamed at it. You see, it was purple. Purple signage, purple seating and a wide purple band painted along the glass frontage. It was so attention grabbing, I had to stop and take a look.
It was a health food shop with a difference. Aboutlife Natural Marketplace is a cafe and grocery store selling lots of organic goodness. There are qualified naturopaths and nutritionists in store to answer your questions. Great concept and our friends in other parts of Sydney (Bondi and Rozelle) have been enjoying this marketplace for a while. The produce on the shelves looked good and the cafe food and organic coffee was downright mouthwatering but as a Colour Consultant I was asking myself, why purple?
I couldn’t find the answer other than it was eye catching. What bothers me is that purple seldom appears in nature and can appear to be artificial. Surely not the right message for a health food store? However, it does represent spirituality and wisdom so maybe that’s the side of purple the marketers are preying on. Or as Leatrice Eiseman writes in “Colors For Your Every Mood”, “People who like to consider themselves different from the common heard or unconventional often prefer purple.”
Are you a purple person? What do you think about an organic food store using the colour purple?
***Photos have been taken from Aboutlife’s Facebook Page, except for the last one which was taken by me.***
If you would like assistance choosing colours, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Bye Bye Winter
I for one will not be sorry to say goodbye.
I loathe the cold weather and can’t function properly when it’s cold and miserable. So I am very excited that tomorrow will be Spring.
And that means shedding the dark, cosy, colours of winter and injecting some sweetness and light into the wardrobe and the decor.
There’s nothing like the colours of nature in spring to add some life. Soft pinks, fresh greens, buttery yellows and sky blues will have you skipping through your home in such a happy mood.
Always consider the amount of natural light a rooms gets before choosing colours. South facing rooms receive little direct sunlight and therefore pastels or neutral shades are ideal. North facing rooms are usually flooded with light, either direct or indirect, all day so in the warmer months they can feel a little hot. Choose cool colours for these rooms.
Helloooo Spring!
If you would like assistance choosing colours for your decor, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
All Blues Go Together
I love this room designed Mabley Handler by for the Hamptons Designer Showhouse.
via Pinterest
I’ve always liked blue and been a firm believer of the adage that all blues go together.
I’m not so sure it works for all colours though. Apparently all greens also go together, but I’m not so sure I could use olive and lime in the one scheme.
Dulux Greens
What do you think, could you be just as comfortable immersed in a green room as a blue room?
via Pinterest
If you would like assistance choosing the right colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Latest Colour Combinations
It must be the weather! It seems everyone is about to paint their houses.
I’ve been helping people all over Sydney lately choose colours for the inside and outside of their homes.
People usually have a bit of an idea as what colours they like and we also need to consider the items that are staying in the home.
The style and period of the home also comes into play. Whether it be a modern home, a Californian Bungalow, Federation or Post War Home, paint colours make a big difference to the look of the house.
There are never any two jobs that are exactly the same, which is why I LOVE being a Colour Consultant. These are the most recent combinations I have specified.
If you would like assistance choosing colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
The Subtleties of Colour
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you will know that not only do I assist my clients who are renovating, but we are actually renovating our home in Sydney. Naturally I’ve had a very close involvement in designing, sourcing and selecting all of the items in the house.
The New South Wales government require all homes undergoing major renovations include a rainwater tank. Ours will be under the house and hooked up to the washing machine, downstairs toilet and have an outlet for the garden hose.
The builder asked my husband what colour would we like the rainwater tanks? Of course, I was consulted (he wouldn’t be game to make a decision without at least asking!) and I said “a grey – as long as it wasn’t visible under the house”. The men agreed on a dark grey as apparently it came in light grey or dark grey.
Rainwater Tanks come in many colours
Guess what? They are green!!!!
Rainwater Tanks ready to be put in place
Fortunately the colour will be fine. Some things are just not that important to worry about. However, it made me realise once again, how the subtleties of colour are often lost on men.
Green Tanks ready to built in
If you would like assistance choosing colours for your home renovation, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
The Diamond Jubilee
Isn’t it wonderful that Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee? 60 years in the one job is unheard of these days. And it’s 60 years in the TOP JOB, too.
I am always intrigued to see the gorgeous colour the Queen decks herself out in at the various events she attends.
She loves colour blocking and has been wearing a single bright coloured outfit for many years.
I thought I’d gather a selection of photos of her outfits to show what a multicoloured wardrobe she has.
However Vogue has beaten me to it and created a page of all the outfits proving what I had been thinking.
This article in the Daily Mail indicates blue is her favourite colour and she wears that colour more than any others.
I don’t know, I think she looks equally good in red and yellow and green.
Congratulations your Majesty on a very colourful 60 years. I can’t wait to see what shade you wear to your celebrations.
If you would like assistance choosing colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
Kirrily Johnston’s Fashion Parade
Do you follow Dulux on Facebook? I do. Last week they asked to explain your favourite Dulux colour in 25 words or less. Being a Colour Consultant, I couldn’t help myself. I had to have a go although sticking to under 25 words was hard. The prize was 2 VIP tickets to Kirrily Johnston’s Fashion Parade for Mercedes Fashion Week. Kirrily has teamed with Dulux to release a colour palette.
Dulux Dog
You know how these things go, you enter and then never give it another thought. Then Friday afternoon I received the call, I had won! Wow, I never win anything. I was very excited and really looking forward to a day out but things got in the way and I couldn’t make it. So I asked my assistant, Pauline to attend on my behalf. Naturally Pauline loved the idea and took lots of photos to rub my nose in it. There’s even one with champagne!!
Leanne Pearce from Dulux looked after Pauline and the ladies had a great time. Here’s Pauline’s take on the day and her photos.
I was taken aback when Jennifer told me she had won two tickets from Dulux to the Kirrily Johnston Fashion show as part of the Mercedes Fashion Week, to be held on Monday, 30 April. Unfortunately Jennifer had a prior engagement so she kindly offered me her tickets. How could I refuse!
The new Neild Ave restaurant was a perfect venue as it’s a large, industrial type of building that has been converted with cleverly suspended paintings that fill a large roof space.
The bright pink floral window display gave a tantalising hint as to what to expect inside.
The colourful crowd of fashion media started arriving and it was great to ‘people watch’. High heels and brave splashes of colour caught the eye.
I was met inside by the lovely Leanne Pearce of Dulux and with champer’s in hand we took in the incredible atmosphere. Kirrily had asked for one wall of the restaurant to be painted in Dulux Lickedy Lick and it really contributed to the bright, bustling atmosphere as glamorous individuals and well known media celebrities like Darren McMullen, host of The Voice and designers, like Akira, started arriving. The excitement was fantastic.
Lickedy Lick
Leanne said that Jennifer’s entry to the competition had really ‘hit the nail on the head’ with her response.
The exotic music and expectant atmosphere started building as chatter increased and people started to take their seats as the runways were cleared for the models. Photographers vied for the best spots and finally the gorgeous models started gliding out, wearing the beautiful new collection, which was themed ‘Gypsy Chic’.
The predominant colours were bright pink, chartreuse, taupe and black and immediately the boldness of the colour combinations and floral fabrics captured your attention.
The elegance of the beautiful, floaty clothes, teamed with egyptian-like head-pieces and large gold accessories, took us to another level and for a brief moment we were mesmerised by this extraordinary combination of colours, design quality and clever use of fabrics.
All too soon it was over – what an up-lifting experience!
See the beautiful clothes over at Vogue.
Thank you and Congratulations to Jennifer and Kirrily Johnston!
Thanks Pauline. I’m so pleased you had a great day and I was able to be there vicariously. Thanks Dulux for the tickets.
Now, head on over to the Dulux Facebook page and click Like, it might be you next time.
If you would like assistance choosing Dulux colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.
