SnyderHomes – Texas Lone Star Realty Blog

Powder rooms wrapped in bold textured wallpapers. Foyers striped in light-reflecting metallic glazes. Crown molding and trim enveloped in dark rich chocolate. Dining rooms covered in wine-red and then washed in midnight-black.  Welcome to the list of best-dressed walls for spring 2008. Color follows fashion in home décor this season as winter’s doldrums make way for new beginnings and homeowners look for ways to freshen living spaces, according to Vicci Barrett, design director for Beazer Homes. In her position with one of the nation’s top 10 homebuilders, Barrett stays on top of industry trends, keeps tabs on what new home buyers want and personally helps them navigate through wall color selection.  Barrett is excited about the revival of wallpaper, which can be a striking welcome to guests in the powder room or as an accent wall in the dining room. Designed with great imagination with texture top-of-mind, today’s wallpaper ranges from super dressy to bold geometrics to fun and funky. “Color is an entirely personal choice and is not for everyone. For example, pink is huge this year and is everywhere, from walls, sofas and accessories, but not everyone can live with it,” said Barrett. “If a homeowner is squeamish about adding color, we tell them it’s always safe to choose neutrals like warm grays, soft off-whites and light browns for the walls and add pops of color and texture through window treatments, wallpaper, accessories or even furniture pieces.” She pointed to the breakfast nook, dining room or master bath as great places to “add pops of color on walls.” Referring to the “magic of the monochromatic palette,” Sheri Thompson, director of Color Marketing and Design for Sherwin-Williams, suggests using different shades of one color to bring harmony to an entire space. Monochromatic palette trends include neutral gray-greens or spa-inspired blues of water and sky, as well as buttery yellows and warm creams that evoke a sense of cheerfulness and optimism. Barrett offers the following tips to new home buyers or those who want to add a fresh look through wall color this spring: Powder rooms. Often void of windows, this small space is the perfect place to show off that beautiful wallpaper pattern that mimics fabric. Whether you want “over the top traditional or flat-out funky modern” wallpaper is the material and the powder room is the place to make your statement.  Great room/keeping room/breakfast nook. This is where monochromatic and neutral colors come into play. You generally want to carry through the same color scheme in rooms that adjoin unless there is a sharp delineation where one room clearly stops and another starts. If you have a separate breakfast nook, consider using a special color that will set it apart like aqua, spring green, squash or paprika. Dining room. Add ambiance or richness to the dining experience by using a red hue like pomegranate or a shade from the purple family like berry aubergine.  The brown family is still very hot in warm mocha or cocoa.   Depending on the color of the fixtures and accent pieces, you can use a metallic or gold sheen as an overlay or a black wash to give the painted walls an elegant and exciting look.  Molding magic. In homes with heavy trim and crown molding, Barrett is seeing a return to dark hues in chocolates and grays. “Colors with grayed undertones are very hot neutrals because they’re softer. A sage green that is muted with the undertones of gray can add warmth to the overall feel of the home when used on trim. A heather-gray tone casts a soft blue undertone and gives a homey feel to the architecture of a home when used on trim,” she said. Toned up ceilings. Trey or coffered ceilings are a great place to add another color dimension and move the eye upward to take in the space. A deep-chocolate ceiling and light blue-green-gray walls or soft gold in a two-story great room with a beautiful fixture can add a very dramatic affect. As a rule of thumb, the ceiling should be a shade or two darker than the walls if you’re using it as an accent. Faux Finishes. Once thought to be on its way out, faux finish use is returning through applications that use metallic glazes, plaster for added texture or dark washes to add depth to the foyer or dining room.