Choosing Colors for a Baby's Room: Think Freedom!

Choosing colors for your baby's room should be a much broader concept than it has been in the past. Certainly for parents who are 'progressive thinker' types, anyway.

The standard, 'pink-for'girls' and 'blue-for-boys' is slowly dying, but what to replace that outdated and sexist role model with? Just about ANY colors that are harmonious!

I recently was delighted to come to a young couple's home where they were looking at not only one color for their daughter's room, but two. And both colors were cheerful & bright and not traditionally gender-based. I thought, "Oh good! A girl who will not (necessarily) grow up to feel passive in the world!" Because THAT is exactly what pink can do to affect much of a tradition emotional childhood for a girl child: quiet her, help her to feel unseen/unnoticed/tiny in the world-at-large, and well, just more passive over all.

Of course this isn't always the case, but pretty much, there have been many studies already that tie in the affects of color on both genders, and the results have not been 'pretty': boys demonstrate more aggression when surrounded by intense bright blues- girls more passivity and subservience when surrounded by light softer pinks. I like to combine colors in baby's rooms and children's rooms (between 3 and 12) with hues that are more muted than we usually expect, and break the room up as well with color so that they feel more dynamic and larger than they really are.

In this case of the daughter's new baby room, we selected a soft-but-saturated hue of a dusty purple color for two walls that will surround her crib, and a brighter lemony-green for the walls that invite a person to come into a cheerful-but-cal environ at the same time. Ahhhhh....baby is sleeping.....all is well in this world!

To read an article that I find to be typical sexist drivel when it comes to baby's and children's room colors: http://www.mycastlemagazine.com/home_makeovers/article_44ab2998-9319-11e1-90a5-0019bb2963f4.html

REVIVING YOUR BANGED-UP, DARK KITCHEN CABINETS FOR CHEAP

This client had cabinets that were over 20 years old, had never been truly 'finished', and had some funky stain on them that was just dark dark dark...did I say that they were 'D-A-R-K'? The home is located in the woods and needs more light as it is, and this kitchen just made it so outdated and uninviting to cook or prepare ANYTHING let alone feed a family every day!
















































After cleaning and prepping the tired woodwork, I select two different warm brown coffee-like colors to create a fresh look, but also one that helped bring out the modern beauty they'd already had in their counter top and stone backsplash...










I had to hunt down handles of the old style that they liked- took 10 hardware stores and two weeks to finally get them. Plan for this well in advance if you have a project like this and ACE HARDWARE stores are the best ones to check for old hardware & pulls.

Adding Metallic Finishes to Sparkle Up Your Space

FURNISHINGS: TO MAKE THE BEST CHOICE OVER IKEA

If you have been thinking about an upgrade when it comes to furnishings, please consider NOT going to Ikea. Ikea is just to save money in the short run. Yes, they have some cool designs for certain space-saving things, but for a REAL sense of making your home or office more aesthetically gorgeous and serene, there's nothing like having real wood furniture that fills up that space.
Now going the route of shopping for used wood pieces can be fun and even productive, but you need to make it a project and really set out with specifics in mind.
If you CAN afford better quality, I suggest you turn to an expert who can produce pretty much to your specifications and needs and you'll own something beautiful to boot!



If you're thinking right away that having this type of beauty is outrageous in price or not in your budget: remember it's quality I'm talking here. Long term use and beauty that you won't look back on as anything but an investment. You can always resell it privately and get your money back. (Hello! Craigslist!)

But you likely won't want to.

And if you buy anything from Ikea, you're not likely to be able to break it down & reassemble it ever again. It's throw-away stuff. Unsustainable. yucky.

Rene Almon makes the most gorgeous wood furnishings I've seen outside of the more mass produced furniture coming out of Vermont. It's design is clean and it's functional beauty. The detail to hinges and hardware is simply lovely, and she's just a damned skilled craftsperson!


(You can click on the link above embedded in the title to get her website up)

EXTERIOR SIMPLICITY WITH A BOLDER STATEMENT

In neighborhoods where most stucco homes are off-white with off-white trim and red or brown doors, it's always good to "push the envelope" just a little. These folks allowed me to choose a coffee-like color for the body, a trim that is akin to a pepper-blue, and an interior trim color (window sashes) that is a green-yellow.



They kept the idea of a red door, but it's a softer red than the bright, safety red color they used to have. The neighbors couldn't be happier, but they are all seeing the risk of this newer look: it has caused two of them to want color changes the next time their houses are going to be painted.

FILTHY & DANGEROUS HABITS

I got a call from a new client to come out and give them an estimate on repairing & repainting their kitchen.

I went over to scope it out, smelled the stench of cooked meat just dripping from the surfaces of their small kitchen & breakfast nook, then gave them my estimate based on THREE FULL DAYS OF CLEANING FIRST!

After they gasped at my estimate, I asked if I could move their stove from behind the wall. I also asked them when the last time it was that they'd had a hard-core deep cleaning in there. As they mumbled and looked surprised at my questions, I simply said, "May I?", as I began moving the stove. These photos revealed what I suspected. The shots also illustrate WHY my bid was what it was (upwards of $2,000 just for the EXTERIORS of cabinets, walls & ceiling in kitchen ONLY).

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Now, I can't make people change their cleaning or organizing or hoarding habits, but once I finish in an area, it usually has an affect on them to keep it decent - and safer for all inhabitants - at least for the next 30 years that they may not deep clean!

WHEN BAD COLORS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE

Of course there is no such thing as a 'bad' color. Just bad color combinations. And this poor client had a real challenge: this structure is a business - not a home - which presents certain restrictions. You can't just paint any color that you want - if you want to be noticed.

If you own a business and there are certain colors 'in place' (more permanent), it's best to try and include that as part of your overall look so it speaks to potential customers & clients. You just can't fight some structures 'away' by adding other colors surrounding it that are disparate.

Also, depending on the TYPE of business you have, there are certain colors that speak to the thing that you do/provide for people. There's a reason McDonald's chose those bright, bold red & yellows years ago. It screamed out, "COME GET ME NOW AND CONSUME QUICKLY AND BUY MORE!"

This client provides comfort and ease of pain on the body- a chiropractor. She was stuck with an awning that was too bright for her liking and not the softer blue that she'd wanted in the first place. The stucco is very dark and ominous - doesn't scream out "COME INSIDE AND BE HEALED", but feels a bit more like a funeral home. The overall effect is like this due to a lot of other dark elements all mixed together: a dark burgandy entry door- large; dark green steps and porch; dark trim and body colors.

My assignment: come up with some splashes of other color ideas to help not only 'lift' the spirits of the structure, but see if I could help tie the color of that awning in somehow to work with the signage out front as well.

The job won't be done for a while now - and I'll post pics when it is - but I'm going with changing the window frames to match the awning as a number one priority.

Next: the facia will match some warmer & darker horizontal portions of the stucco at the entrance, and wrap that same color on a couple bands that go around the posts at the entrance. The entry door color will change as well as the steps & porch.

TO BE CONTINUED>>>>>

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