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#21 - Lori's Cool Refuge

Name: Lori
Location: Surfside, FL
Type: Owned 3 bedroom house (1650 sq ft)

Why I use color:

Color is the best way to set the mood of a space. As a transplanted
northerners, we needed our home to be a cool refuge from the
subtropical Miami weather, and I've used color to visually refresh
when we walk in the door...

10-16-lori2.jpg

We wanted the color scheme to complement the
clean mid-century modern lines of the house and highlight the original
features, like the terrazzo floors and large windows. The color also
serves to down play the low-ish ceilings with little contrast between
wall and ceiling. I also think a home should acknowledge its location,
so I've incorporated shades of water and sky, from the ocean a few
blocks away.

There are various pale shades on the walls, grey-green,
pale blue and faded yellow, which I like to offset with accessories in
more saturated tones, like golden yellow, cobalt and lime green.
Tranquility is key as a family with two young boys, so the master
bedroom is a serene lavender, with shades of grey and white offset by
a turquoise lamp and artwork. We wanted to keep my son's room in line
with the rest of the house, but more playful with little pops of
color.

10-16-lori5.jpg

2 Good color tips:

1) Color is relational and changes depending on what it is near, like the floor color or view out the window, and light has everything to do with what a color looks like and how it changes throughout the day.

2) The color never looks like the paint chip, so you either have to be flexible and satisfied with a surprise, or plan to repaint at least once to get the exact color.

10-16-lori1.jpg

Favorite type and brand of paint:

Benjamin Moore

10-16-lori4.jpg

Comments (29)

Ooooh, love it!

posted by Tiffany on 2007-10-16 16:18:26
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Beautiful, refreshing use of color. I love it! Everything feels like sea glass. Soft and pretty without being too precious.

I am also jealous of your terrazzo floors!

posted by Anna at D16 on 2007-10-16 16:23:42
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I like that dining room shot about as much I liked sfgirlbybay's before she swapped it with the livingroom. (A WHOLE LOT!!!)

posted by Lady J on 2007-10-16 16:29:00
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so pretty and homey!

posted by angorian on 2007-10-16 16:30:27
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I love the curtain concealing the office.

posted by crewtag.com on 2007-10-16 16:40:44
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please tell me the paint on the dining chairs if known!
love your home!

posted by susunj on 2007-10-16 17:05:08
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so in love with that dresser! vintage or new?

posted by colellis on 2007-10-16 17:50:05
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beautiful!

what is the pale blue cabinet behind the dining table?

posted by annhint on 2007-10-16 18:10:38
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How fresh!

posted by gretchen on 2007-10-16 18:23:50
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As a fellow cool-color lover, THIS is the kind of space that soothes me. Very, very nice. Instant finalist!

posted by Candice on 2007-10-16 18:29:39
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i love your place! it looks very chic and the colors go together great. nice work.

posted by tealeaf on 2007-10-16 19:36:22
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Fresh is definitely the word--like slipping into a freshly laundered shirt.

You have a fantastic eye for the subtle make-it-or-break-it details. In lesser hands this would have been an amateurish failure.

posted by Bruised on 2007-10-16 20:04:54
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oh, i love this! what a wonderful place you have.

posted by jodi on 2007-10-16 21:32:50
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Wonderful place. Very impressive. I wonder: what's hanging over your son's changing table/dress? I'm seeking ideas for the same space in my home... something interesting for a baby boy to gaze at, and in keeping with my own aesthetic.

posted by sarahbee on 2007-10-16 21:38:11
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Lovely! Please share the paint colours, if you happen to visit this post. :)

posted by PrettyKitty on 2007-10-16 23:46:29
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I think she did a really good job. But I also think it has nothing to do with fall colors.

Hmmm....actually, I'm somewhat new to AT....does Fall Colors Contest refer to the color contest conducted in October, or a color contest of autumnal hues?

posted by st@cy on 2007-10-17 01:21:07
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st@cy, it's to do with when it's held, not the range of colours :)

posted by stringy on 2007-10-17 03:36:39
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gorgeous!!!

love the dresser-drawer chest!

posted by sanna on 2007-10-17 05:06:41
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Beautiful! I would love to live here! I'm very surprised that the votes haven't been overwhelmingly insta-finalist, this is the best I've seen so far.

Also, very professional pictures - I think that might make a difference...

posted by TallulahBelle on 2007-10-17 09:18:27
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I hated Terrazzo floors while growing up in south Florida. Your floors however are georgeous!! So polished. You have a very nice home.

posted by orangejuce on 2007-10-17 09:45:08
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The curtain partition of the office works wonderfully and adds sheer color. Very nice.

posted by NYS on 2007-10-17 10:14:50
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What a lovely space!

posted by LunaC on 2007-10-17 10:22:32
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that light filled dining area is beautiful! i love your place!!

posted by jamie* on 2007-10-17 12:39:02
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So nice and neat. Nice floors.

posted by bonline on 2007-10-17 13:44:18
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Thanks for the kind comments!

Susunj - The dining room chairs are from Crate and Barrel, bought a few years ago and I think it was the "VIllage" style. I don't think they offer them in this blue now, but they always seem to be comingout with different colors.

Annhint - the blue cabinet in the dining room was bought in DC - its from a seed store on the Eastern Shore of MD. All handmade (read: rickety!), but I loved the color.

Colellis - the bedroom dresser is vintage, bought in Miami

Sarabee- the nursery wallhanging is a piece of vintage ebay fabric that I stretched on paint stretchers and stapled (its easy to do).

prettykitty - I'll post the paint colors in a day or so.

posted by Lori in Florida on 2007-10-18 08:26:11
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Sophisticated use of colour. Casual style. Love it.

posted by Alana in Canada on 2007-10-18 10:22:43
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oh yes please do post paint colours! Especially the pale blue in the living room (I think it is the living room...the one with the teak buffet).

posted by Amy in T.O. on 2007-10-18 10:40:34
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that dining room is genius! and i love the turquoise lamp in the second picture!

posted by lemonpie on 2007-10-19 00:59:15
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Here are the colors I used in the house:

master bedroom (pic w dresser and turquoise lamp): Violet Sparkle, #1422, Benjamin Moore
living room and dining room, Silken Pine, #2144-50, Benjamin Moore
tall, thin blue cabinet: Sweet Bluette, #813, Benjamin Moore
kid room: Powder Sand, 340C-1, Behr

posted by Lori in Florida on 2007-10-21 08:53:19
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