St. Louis Homes & Lifestyles » paint

Style Scoop: The Forgotten Fifth Wall

Katie — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:30:08 +0000

Why is it that so many of us have no trouble painting our four main walls in bright, bold hues but forget our ceilings entirely? A room’s fifth wall shouldn’t be ignored – it should be enhanced! In fact, painting the ceiling is a relatively quick and easy way to transform the entire look and feel of a space. Here are a few tips, courtesy of the world-renowned paint and color experts at Benjamin Moore, for taking your space from drab to fab with a few coats of paint overhead.

(Photo courtesy of www.benjaminmoore.com)

Warm it up. Ceiling colors don’t always have to be lighter than the color on your other four walls. Experts at Benjamin Moore suggest experimenting with deeper colors for your ceiling. For example, if your walls are a soft tan color, try painting your ceiling a rich cocoa for contrast and depth.

Dress it up. Try using a decorative paint finish on your ceiling to set it apart from your other walls. Adding texture overhead with plaster or another decorative paint finish will give your spaces an artistic appeal, drawing the eye upward and making the room visually interesting.

Open it up. If the room you’re working with is smaller or has a low ceiling, the paint color you use on the ceiling should be similar to what’s on your walls. Keep the contrast minimal by using a color that is one or two shades lighter than your regular wall color.

To read more tips and tricks from Benjamin Moore, click here. Or, if you’re looking for inspiring examples, click here to see plenty of painted-ceiling panache, compiled by one of our favorite home design blogs, Apartment Therapy.

Relish This: Remarkable Room (10.15)

Katie — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:41:34 +0000

Deep raisin walls and warm, dark wood furnishings lend a sense of elegance to the unique style of this week’s Remarkable Room, a lovely dining room in a Webster Groves century home. The engaging blend of accent colors – rich cream, gold, orange sage and touches of blue – enhance the room’s visual interest. We love how the antique French armoire, a fabulous family heirloom, adds a personalized touch to the history-rich space. What about this delightful dining room inspires you?

SLHL April/May 2010 issue

Style Scoop: Paint Your Home with “Simplified” Sophistication

Katie — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 01:22:47 +0000

Repainting a room (or every room!) is one of the quickest and easiest ways to give your home a swift style makeover. If you’re looking to achieve an aesthetic of understated elegance, think rich yet muted tones that can work well in a variety of environments.

Simplified, one of Sherwin-William’s newest color palettes in the Today’s Colors collection, contains hues that have been described as “calm, subtle and nuanced.” These translucent colors reveal shape and structure in a home’s architecture and design, and they contain undertones that complement, rather than distract from, their surroundings.

Whitetail, Butter Up, Magnetic Gray, Moderate White, Enigma and Serious Gray also blend beautifully when used in conjunction to enhance a home. For a unique look, consider using one of the darker colors on an accent wall or on trim and a lighter color on the larger surface areas, including your ceilings. For more information on Simplified, or to see more palettes from the Today’s Colors collection, visit www.sherwin-williams.com. (Photo courtesy of www.sherwin-williams.com)

Ring in the New Year with a new look

Katie — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:59:46 +0000

It's simple! Just follow these small steps to style.

As you and your family kick off 2010, remember to include your home in your New Year’s resolutions. Whether you’re looking to install a new system of organization or rejuvenate outdated décor, updating your home can be a refreshing start to a new year.

Keep in mind that sometimes even the smallest of changes can make a large impact when it comes to home design and décor – such as enlivening a room with a new paint color or rearranging your existing furniture. If your neutral wall colors are looking tired, try using bolder colors, such as a high-energy yellow or an exotic raspberry – starting with an accent wall. The beauty of updating your rooms with new paint is that it’s relatively inexpensive and reversible.

Rearranging your existing furniture is another simple way to give your home a fresh new look. A few small shifts can make a big difference while still retaining the overall style of a room. More noticeable modifications, however, such as removing bulky pieces of furniture to change the flow of foot traffic, can have a dramatic effect and completely alter the aesthetics of a space. (Hint: Attach sliding pads to the bottom of larger pieces of furniture for quick and easy rearranging.)

Once you’ve painted walls and rearranged furniture, incorporating a few new design elements – such as a stunning bowl on a dining room table or a new duvet in a bedroom suite – will help enliven your living spaces. Best of all, these smaller changes will update your home without equaling the time commitment or cost of a full-scale renovation.