Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.
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1 Leave White 2 3 HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU SEE A GORGEOUS BEACH? Touch a soft kitten? See a baby's frst grin? Watch fowers emerge in spring? These are all good feelings certain to put a smile on your face. These, my friends, are the feelings we can capture and incorporate into our homes. How? With the right color choices. I've been designing color palettes for homes in Charlotte for the past eight years, ever since I moved here in 2007. I love homes with a large two-story foyer, fve bedrooms, three baths and the friendly but oh-so challenging open foor plan. Did I just describe your home? It's not really a challenge to choose colors for this layout; you just need to know some basic rules to be on your way to designing your own color palette. There is a broad spectrum of feelings that make us smile and feel good — emotions anywhere from joy to contentment. But how do we really go about evoking such feelings in our home through the color palette? It's an easy process, and here's how it works. Start with a feeling that resonates with you. As spring comes into bloom, I think of "tranquil." You, of course, choose the feeling you desire. In the graphic to the left I have three circles. Each circle "feels" like tranquil to me — soft blue-gray with a soothing sea green, followed by the ever-so-calming color of blue water. These are colors I like and fnd soothing. Note the numbers I have displayed. The three main circles are the principal colors in the palette. As the circles intersect, they create additional colors that become part of the "tranquil" color palette. You now have up to fve colors you can incorporate into your home with little efort. What's great about designing color for your home this way? First, you have a color palette based of a feeling that will be part of your home. Second, you have colors that all have the same undertone and relate to each other. Furthermore, if the colors look good to you in these photographs, they will look good in your home. With the "tranquil" color palette in mind, here are tips for making choices for areas in your home: • The lighter color of blue-gray, shown as 1, is suitable for the foyer and kitchen. • The saturated colors, represented by 2 and 3 (sea green and water blue), will likely work well in the bedrooms. • The stronger accent colors of 4 and 5 are perfect for the dining room or ofce, where darker hues are the norm. • Adding a creamy soft white for the hallways and a crisp white for the ceilings and trim completes the look. When it comes to choosing the right colors for your home, pick colors that feel good to you. If you prefer less pigment in your living spaces, stay with a warm neutral wall and bring in your favorite colors with decor and accessories. Just remember, if you choose colors that make you feel good, these feelings will become part of your home, which is a good thing! Hues for Your Home Choose Interior Colors to Evoke the Feeling You Want By Donna Frasca If the colors look good to you in these photographs, they will look good in your home. Here is an example of a color trio that achieves the feeling of calm. L e a v e W h i t e e k H e c a f e Calm Ceiling Accent Main Color 2 3 1 Donna Frasca is a color expert and virtual designer based in Charlotte. Her website is www.decoratingbydonna.com. BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE 33 SPRING 2015