As any of you know that have read my ramblings, I’m not a big fan of color trends. However, something happened the other day that even I could not deny. I was working with one of my longtime designer clients, Carmen Gillis, when I noticed something oddly familiar. As we were playing around with some of the ultimate paint chips in my store I remembered having recently been working on some new color prototypes. I say prototypes because I had not yet decided that I wanted to show them to the general public, but had gone so far as to formulate them and roll them out on big sheets.

I told Carmen to wait a minute as I went and got them. When I returned much to our surprise and delight we were looking at colors that were in a similar color space. One was a silver blue, the other a shrimpy red-orange and the third a brown mustardy gold. It struck us both as oddly co-incidental that we were on the same wavelength more or less. We laughed and enjoyed the moment of synchronicity.

That would have been strange enough, but later that very day two gentlemen came in the store and ordered up test pints of two of the same three colors values. The silver blue and shrimpy orange red were going out the door together for the second time that day. I couldn’t help but notice this.

So there you have it-an instant color trend in real time. The photo above is of the three colors that I had made using Fine Paints of Europe’s Eurolux Matte. I reference the following C2 colors to give a general idea of the color space that these colors live in. I haven’t named these colors yet so if anyone has any great ideas feel free to give suggestions.

C2-041 Turkish Market

C2-477 Silver Screen

C2-130 Garam Marsala

Pratt and Lambert paints have been known for over 150 years as some of the finest in the industry. The Williamsburg Color Collection represents a timeless palette of colors that have proven themselves over centuries. The combination of this brand with this color palette quarantees satisfaction when doing interior or exterior projects. As I have said many times before, we are too often inundated by paint manufacturers with thousands and thousands of color choices. It is far easier to pick from an edited palette of proven winners than making all those mistakes yourself. There is a reason why certain colors hold their appeal over centuries and others fall out of favor rather quickly. The Williamsburg Color Collection represents a classic period that is a perfect fit for our contemporary times. These colors can be found at G&R Paint and anywhere that Pratt & Lambert Paints are sold.

fog-article1

Recently I was asked by the San Francisco Chronicle to comment on the topic of fog as it relates to picking out paint colors. Some parts of the country may find it hard to believe that in the middle of the summer San Francisco is generally shrouded in a fog so thick that temperatures barely reach 65 degrees, while it can be as hot as 100 degrees a mere 40 miles inland. We have been experiencing this typical pattern this past week so I thought I would share the Chronicle article with all of you. If you click on the link above the picture it will take you to the July 8th article at SF Gate, the online edition of The San Francisco Chronicle. As always I am grateful to the designers who steered this editor my way. Pay special attention to their comments, I acknowledge their generosity of spirit.

With wisteria, lavender, and lilac smells all surrounding me this Easter morning, it was inevitable that I chime in about the use of purple (or lack there of) in our interior color schemes.  Purple has for centuries been associated with royalty since the original purple dye derived from the shells of a mollusk, was so expensive that only the very rich could afford it. There were even ancient laws forbidding the wearing of cloth dyed with purple because it was seen as an afront to the heirarchy. So why is it that purple is used so infrequently in our modern day interiors.

Many of us including myself have bad connotations with purple. Whether it be the Haight-Ashbury of the 1960’s or the horrible wallpaper that I still remember my mother using in her bedroom, purple is not always seen as the most elegant of colors. So how did we get from royalty to ruin as it were?

As with so many of the colors that we have been offered by the paint industry, a purple made with only a few pigments is going to reveal itself to be too bright and offensive once we see it on the wall. The truth is that purple colors that are highly complex can be both elegant and long lasting in their appeal, and can be used almost like a neutral. The trick is to choose ones that maybe don’t look all that purple on the paint chip, but have the tone lurkying just beneath the surface. When applied to full walls the purple will reveal itself, but have enough other pigments to make it play nicely with other furnishings, and in varied light sources.

Some examples from my pallette would be PPC-V1 Dusk, the faintest of all, PPC-V9 Olivia’s Gray, a great mid-tone, and PPC-V6 Stormy Weather, for the deepest of drama’s. These essentially purple colors will give a spark of royalty to your interior, and allow you to remember why we so eagerly await the purples of spring.

I’ve never seen anyone have more trouble picking out a color than when it comes to whites. With endless variations from inumerable manufacturers it all seems so daunting. This seemingly harmless component of our color schemes is generally the one that drives us nuts. I remember a time long ago as a young painter working for an interior designer in the Los Angeles area. She had me mixing and mixing until I thought I would kill her, but alas we arrived, (stumbled) upon the “perfect” white for her living and dining room. this single job may have been responsible for my lifelong aversion to white as a whole room color!

About a year or so ago I picked up a copy of the latest House Beautiful magazine and opened up a two page spread advertising, 60 “perfect whites”. Just what we don’t need, I thought. The truth of the matter in my experience is that there are about 3-4 shades of white that really matter and the rest is just splitting hairs and is likely to give you a migraine. I can attest to the fact that of the largest manufacturers out there, most sell only a few of their whites consistently, and furthermore across brands these popular whites are very similar.

So what are these magical whites you might ask? I have used the best of them as inspiration for my own “perfect colors”, and have given them the added benefit of being full spectrum without any black pigment. This mixing technique allows for a greater range of the light spectrum to be reflected back to our eyes, making for some pretty terrific whites. If you must use white (and sometimes you must), these are the ones to consider.

PPC-W2 Butterfly White

Although it was the second white I created, it is by far the most popular and biggest seller. This slightly richer value of white is the perfect complement for richer colors and will work with almost any tone. If there was ever a universal white this is it. If you needed to paint an entire room white (God forbid), this one has enough warmth to keep you out of the arctic region.

PPC-W1 Creme de Carol

If you’ve read the little stories under all of my colors on the palette page of the site, you know the history of this subtlest of whites. There is almost no situation where a completely stark white cannot be improved by using Creme de Carol. With just the smallest amounts of full spectrum pigments added, it retains its sharp contrasting quality but is never harsh or brash. Use this one when trimming our light cleaner colors.

PPC-W5 Silverado

Sometimes you need a white to go gray. Silverado will give you that sleek modern look devoid of yellow undertones. It is great contrasting gray marbles and anything stainless steel or nickel. Although not as popular as the two above, it is essential to have in your arsenal.

PPC-W8 Susan’s White

Living somewhere between the first two whites is Susan’s White which hits yet another sweet spot. This is a great trim and or ceiling color for medium to lighter value colors such as PPC-G9 Bare Trees, or PPC-GRN8 Tea on the Veranda. The last of the whites that I developed, Susan’s White seems to have filled a necessary void as it has proven to be very popular among my designer clientele.

Seriously folks, that’s it! Stay away from the endless hours of obsessing over the millions of shades of white that are all too easy for the leading manufacturers to pump out without any real editing. Or as one online reviewer of a TV once said, “Stop reading reviews and just go out and buy this one.” Enough said, enjoy the winter.

Check out www.remodelista.com to see the post regarding the above picture. This is one of my favorite sights about all things related to remodeling. These women have put together a super clean, super sophisticated site that continues to amaze me with its creativity. They have often featured comments by me and I do appreciate their style.

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In September I had the great opportunity to be a sponsor for the West Coast Green Showhouse. This three day event was held at the San Jose Convention Center and was seen by thousands of designers, builders and the general public. The latest in environmentally friendly technologies were on display. The entire interior of the showhouse (made from recycled shipping containers) was painted with Philip’s Perfect Colors mixed in C2 LoVo paint. The picture above is of the master bedroom and it is done in PPC-V9 Olivia’s Gray with PPC-W8 Susan’s White trim and ceiling.  Zem Joaquin from Ecofabulous.com,  in collaboration with Will Wick Design,  was responsible for coordinating the interior spaces in this showhouse. Go to www.ecofabulous.com to see videos of all of the interior rooms and to learn more about a fabulous sustainable lifestyle.