Color Therapy

8 Perfect Pale Buttercream Paint Colors Design Ideas

I lived with buttery yellow living room walls for several years and loved them; somehow they took the edge off even the chilliest Chicago morning. If you are considering adding this bit of subtle sunshiney warmth to your home, look no further – here is a palette of perfect pale yellows and creams. One is sure to suit your personal taste; some a bit brighter, some warmer, some more neutral, all pretty.1. Farrow & Ball: Pale Hound 712. Benjamin Moore: Little Dipper Classic Colors 3243.

Janel Laban

Jul 17, 2020

Classic Gray Paint: Silver Fox by Benjamin Moore Design Ideas

Name: Silver Fox 2108-50Brand: Benjamin MooreClose friends of mine have a brownstone in Brooklyn — they are both artists unafraid to be decoratively daring, and have invested every room in the house with a unique color.The overall palette of their home reminds me of that in The Winslow Boy.Silver Fox is one of those wet cement colors that looks like a warm grey on the wall, but comes off of a brown page in a fan deck.

Mark Chamberlain

Mar 23, 2020

Decorative Ideas for Painted Floor Projects Design Ideas

I was about to start a piece on my latest painted floor — a checkerboard — and I realized I have enough pictures of past projects at this point to do a review of all the possibilities. Painted floors need not look like the deck of a battleship. Do a quick Google search and you’ll see the broad variety of what other people are doing: stars, dolphins and whatnot, though my tastes run to the classical. Personally, I look to ancient Rome for inspiration.

Mark Chamberlain

Mar 11, 2020

The One Color that Might Actually Make You Calmer, According to Science Design Ideas

You'll never look at Pepto Bismol the same again.

Caroline Biggs

Feb 14, 2020

DIY Home Decor: How To Paint a Faux Concrete Wall Finish Design Ideas

A few years ago I wrote about a distressed glazing technique which has a distressed feel to it, a way we developed to add visual texture to your walls that doesn’t like a stock rag rolling. Here, we take this process one step further. The look is both soft and contemporary, works well in urban environments, and is still livable. It’s unique every time, and in this example we’re emphasizing a linear quality, as if the “concrete” was poured into a wood formwork.

Mark Chamberlain

Feb 6, 2020

Color Theory Glossary: How To Talk About Color Design Ideas

You may know your color wheel — you may even know your ROY G BIV — but when it comes time to talk about color, do you know your hue from your value? Your shade from your tone? October is all about color at Apartment Therapy and whether you are in the middle of a color crisis or paint chip madness we are here to help!Let’s establish some basic definitions of words that are commonly used to describe color.

Anne Reagan

May 7, 2019

These Colorful GIFs Will Remind You Just How Powerful Paint Can Be Design Ideas

The accent wall has been a “thing” for a long, long time. More than just a way to save on money and time when painting, adding an accent wall to a room in your home can be a way to add life to a dull space. It can be a way to introduce a bold color — but not overwhelm the rest of your decor. But even more than that, adding an accent wall can be a way to make rooms appear bigger or smaller than they are.

Adrienne Breaux

May 3, 2019

Magnificently Moody Homes That Joined the Dark (Wall) Side Design Ideas

Adrienne Breaux

May 3, 2019

DIY Project Idea: Painted Black & White Striped Walls Design Ideas

Here’s a fun way to get a little zip in your life — why not paint stripes in your home office? Architecturally, this was once a big closet. And though there’s a skylight above, the room has no window on the world to speak of, so this is a perfect opportunity for some uplift in the decorating department. By adding stripes here, we’re making this space special in a private way, like opening a small jewel box.

Mark Chamberlain

Apr 23, 2014

Mark’s Makeover: Faux Marble Floors Design Ideas

Here’s the situation: I’m a decorative painter, I live in a rental, and I largely wouldn’t change a thing — except for these dreadful floors. They’re 30 year old contractor-grade linoleum, and as dry as cardboard. I first noticed how sad and sullen they were when I shot my studio for these pages a year ago, and it’s been bothering me ever since. It was the one element in this place from toe top to crown that I haven’t had my hands on.

Mark Chamberlain

Apr 4, 2014

6 Daring, Real-Life Wall Paint Colors to Try From This Week’s Top Tours Design Ideas

We had some house tours from folks not afraid of color this week. Rich, soothing and energizing, these colors would complement a lot of styles. And as evidenced from the gorgeous real-life spaces that accompany these hues, you know they work. Grab wall paint color inspiration from these actual rooms for your own color project this weekend.

Adrienne Breaux

Feb 8, 2014

Color by Decade: The 50s Design Ideas

What bland optimism. Just look at all those smiling, happy white people. If there was ever a more striving crawl towards generic homogeneity, I’d like to hear about it. And if this utopia was built in the 40s and disintegrated in the 60s, then for a moment it existed — for some — in the calm center of the storm of the world, 1950s America. Let’s look at the colors used to sell this story.

Mark Chamberlain

Nov 12, 2013

Before & After: Wine Red Painted Console Projects & Improvements

A client recently asked if I could paint over furniture — he was sick of the look, but the piece was functional and he didn’t want to throw it out. Why not?You could take your furniture to a shop and have it sanded and sprayed and spritzed in a dust-free environment and perhaps it would last for all time, but that sounds a lot like expensive restoration to me. Or for Plan B, try this:Give your sideboard a light sanding (220 grit), dust it off and paint over it in an oil-based paint.

Mark Chamberlain

Jul 25, 2012