How to fix the "too much gray" look

home

How to fix the "too much gray" look

So you fell in love with the new trendy gray, and I cannot blame you. Grays are sophisticated, versatile and work extremely well as a background to brighter colors.

Is there a downside to gray? Yes. The biggest one is this - with a few exceptions, if you overuse gray in a room, it might start to feel static, boring and even depressing. I have posted some examples of "too much gray" interiors in my previous post

So here's my best tip to avoid and remedy that depressing "gray on gray" look:

use bright color accents 

A "pop" of color can be introduced in many different ways in your decor. The brighter the color , the less of it you would need to create the same energized effect. For example, a bright green pillow will have the equivalent effect of a more muted green upholstered chair.

Here are some examples of ways to introduce color into a room:
1. Fabric - upholstered pieces (sofas, chairs), pillows, window treatments
2. Accents - flowers, lighting, vases
3. Warm toned wood pieces - tables, chairs etc.
4. Art - black and white works too
5. Plants - probably the cheapest "quick fix" to any dull room.

Rich wood pieces - even wood furniture with yellow/orange tones such as oak, pine and maple can pop out like color splashes against gray walls.

Grays can be either blue-gray green-gray, blue/green gray or purple gray. Taupe is a mix of gray and beige.

Different grays work better with different color accents:

Blue-gray and blue-green-grays - blue, green, yellow and teal accents

green gray - yellow, yellow-green and yellow orange.

Purplish gray - yellow, green, teal, red.

Taupe - gold, orange, red.

Art - no wonder why gray has been a favorite wall color in art galleries.

Art 

Grays can be either blue-gray green-gray, blue/green gray or purple gray. Taupe is a mix of gray and beige.

Different grays work better with different color accents:

Blue-gray and blue-green-grays - blue, green, yellow and teal accents

green gray - yellows, yellow-greens and yellow oranges.

Purplish gray - yellows, greens, teal

Colorful fabrics - Upholstered furniture, window treatments, pillows, all work

Blue gray walls work best with blue, green and teal accents

Colorful accents - fruit bowls, plants, vases, lighting fixtures. They all work as long as they are colorful

Art, texture and fabrics

Texture -  Notice in the picture above there are lots of interesting white shaped objects?

 The white painted wicker chair, side table and decor pieces on display, all add visual pizzaz!

Last - Have you wondered why there are so many bright colored home decor accents in stores now instead of the earth colored accents we were used to? that's because bright colors complement grays much better then earth colors (which are the perfect accompaniment to beige).

If you'd like help with color, decorating and interior design, don't hesitate to contact me for your free initial consultation.

617-584-9965

vered@veredrosendesign.com

veredrosendesign.com

pinterest

twitter

houzz

additional reading

"Gray on gray" - too much of a good thing?

gray is the new beige
decorating with neutrals
what everyone should know about gray

home

"Gray on gray" - too much of a good thing?

home

"Gray on gray" - too much of a good thing?

Remember the days when everyone had beige sofas, beige carpets, beige walls and beige everything? 
Practically speaking, beige became the default color for upholstery, tile, carpets and wall color, and this is exactly how we ended up with boring, static and dull spaces, so much that some people actually started hating beige, and so beige started getting its "bad" reputation.
   

Here's an example of that "too much beige" look.

Is it possible to create a beautiful all-beige room? Absolutely yes! 
Does it take skill that the most of us don't have? unfortunately, It does. To get a "beige on beige" room right, you need to mix dark and light colors to create contrast, add pattern and texture to create visual interest. It's best to introduce different neutrals colors as well.

Here's an example of lovely rich beige room

source

source

What about Grays? I suppose you've already noticed that Gray is the "new beige". If you happened to walk around in the Boston Design Center lately, you would have a hard time finding a beige sofa. Almost all of them are gray. The rest are brightly colored.

So, do I think the same kind of " too much beige" phenomena might happen with grays? absolutely yes! I have already seen pictures of it online. However, I don't think gray will become the "default choice" like beige did for a while.

Here are some examples of  "too much gray" ...

TOO MUCH GRAY

WAY TOO MUCH GRAY 

My next blog will be discussing how to avoid that depressing static look of "too much gray" or gray-on-gray look.
Here's a hint in the picture below:

 Did you guess what it is?
 COLOR!!

If you'd like help with color, decorating and interior design, please don't hesitate to contact me for your free initial phone consultation.

617-584-9965

vered@veredrosendesign.com

veredrosendesign.com

pinterest

twitter

houzz

 addotional reading
How to fix the "gray on gray" look
 gray is the new beige
Vancouver colour consultant: beige is only 'blah' when it's wrong
decorating with neutrals

home

The most cost effective way to get design help while you shop

home

The most cost effective way to get design help while you shop

Think interior design consultation is not in your budget? think twice. 
With smart phones and tablets ,you can  get instant help in any store while you shop, and it's much more affordable then you might think.

Let's say you're shopping for a table lamp in a store like Target. Sounds simple, right? Well... for some of you it may be that way. Maybe you have that natural visual talent or perhaps you simply don't care enough about style and color as long as that lamp works.
However, you can be extremely visually sensitive, and yet have great difficulties making decor decisions. You seem to get easily confused, overwhelmed and unclear about how to shop for home furnishings. So here's an idea of how to get the help you need from an experienced designer in a more cost-effective way.

The secret is using your smartphone or ipad/tablet to communicate with a designer while you shop, and get instant help. Here's how I do it with my clients:
Last weekend I helped a client match a lamp base to a lamp shade without leaving my home. It took us less then 20 minutes to find the right lamp base simply because we communicated through texting.

I had previously picked out this lamp shade from target, which we all loved and thought would look beautiful in my clients teenage girl's blue bedroom.

                                                  


My clients decided to go to target and find a lamp base themselves. They texted me this picture first which I didn't like. I didn't think that the gray glass base worked well with that lamp. It did not highlight the unique design of the lamp shade well.

I didn't  like the one below as well. 

The lamp base is too traditional for that contemporary lamp shade. Also the colors do not relate well. 

I suggested they look for a white base, which would relate to the white in the lamp shade.
A few seconds after they texted me the picture below, I texted back "YES!!!", and that was it. done! less then 20 min of my time.

Here it is in her room (I will update the picture once I'm able to take pictures myself)

My point - if you shop by yourself and cannot make decisions you will be happy about, a short, phone based help from a designer can save you time, money and best of all, help you create a beautiful home and stay in budget.
If you find yourself in overwhelming stores like Ikea, target or any other home furnishing stores, that do not provide experienced designer help, call, text or email me ahead of time or while you shop. To help you make better decisions, it's best to call ahead of time, so I can get as much information about your home improvement project, so I can  better help you make the right decisions while you shop.

If you'd like help with color, decorating and interior design, please don't hesitate to contact me for your free initial consultation.

617-584-9965

vered@veredrosendesign.com

veredrosendesign.com

pinterest

twitter

houzz

Happy Holidays,
Vered

Additional reading
HELP! I'm in Ikea

home

HELP! I'm in IKEA

home

long-distance design help while shopping at ikea 
I was supposed to be in  NYC last  weekend to help my sister purchase some furniture and furnishings for her new apartment. She just moved  in a few weeks ago and desperately needed help making it look descent. My sister is a psychologist and wants to start seeing clients at her own home, which means she has to be able to convert her living room to an office in an instant. 

With a time limit of only two weekends, we decided to try and get as much stuff from Ikea and complement it with furnishings from other shops. I had to postpone my trip to NYC, but promised to be available online and over the phone while they were in ikea . And this is exactly what we did with fairly good results. 

With smartphones and online access everywhere it's easy to communicate ideas. We were texting and talking throughout the whole time, so that she was able to focus on the stuff I thought would be suitable for her place.

Being familiar with Ikea's products, which vary in quality and style. I could help my sister focus on the better choices. After all, there's only a limited amount of time the average shopper can spend at IKEA before running for the exit.

So here's the huge advantage of one of us NOT being in the store at the time of shopping - unlike my sister, who was constantly distracted by the mass of people and overwhelmed by the thousands of products in the store, I was able to focus on each product without being overwhelmed. This was a huge help to her. She, on the other hand, was able to sit, touch and feel the furniture pieces and tell me which ones were comfortable for her. 
Later I realized there was another advantage to this combined effort  - while in the store, one could easily overlook a great choice of sofa, for example, only because it's upholstered with an ugly fabric. Unlike her, I was looking at the same sofa online, and was able to see all the choices she had for that sofa and point out out the good ones. Not everyone can visualize it otherwise, and that's were I cam handy. 

so here's what we picked so far:

IKEA's KIVIK sofa, in light gray

The kivik sofa is contemporary in style and upholstered in light gray, which is trendy but classic - all the sofas in the Design Center in Boston are upholstered in similar colors. The fabric is a blend of synthetic fibers, which means it's more durable then the linen/cotton upholstered sofas that looked nice on display, but will not withstand the wear and tear of use.

This sofa has an extra advantage - you can change the upholstery but simply stripping it off and buying a new one when it's worn.

IKEA's POANG leather chair

                                    


                           

The Poang chair has been an IKea product for many years for a good reason. It's reasonably priced and with multiple choices of fabric and wood finishes. Changing the upholstered cushion is easy too.

Here's some ideas for rugs:

                                     
                                     
                       
Or this one:


                                        


                     
                           

These rugs would nice:

                                    

                             
                                               


Here are some window treatment suggestions (top and bottom are from Target, the second one is from IKEA)

                                                                                   

                            



                                                 



So next week, I plan to go down to NYC and help my sister buy a rug, some lighting, window treatments coffee table and some pillows.

If you're planning a shopping at IKEA and would like some help with choosing the right products for your project, contact me. We can discuss your needs before your IKEA trip, and I would be able to help you while you are shopping, no matter how far you are from Newton, MA, where I live,
my contact info:
vered@veredrosendesign.com
617-584-9965

veredrosendesign.com

pinterest

twitter

houzz

The most effective way to get design help while you shop

home

Kitchen lighting - pendants that blend with the outside view

A pretty pendant (or multiple) over an island or sink can definitely add style to any kitchen, but what if you are blessed with a pretty view to the outside? would a pendant light over the sink or island block that view? it might. so how do you handle this situation?

Glass pendants and lanterns are visually light and airy, and blend in with the outdoor when hung in front of a window. like this pendant from pottery barn. It simply blends in with the view through the large bay window to the garden.

 pottery barn rustic glass pendant over the sink blends in with outside view

 West elm's industrial pendant looks more sleek and contemporary


 
                                    

This chrome-capped bulb reflects light back towards the fixture, eliminating the blinding bright hot spot of standard clear bulbs

                                    

West elm's cluster glass can work with different styles

                                         


Shades of light have some beautiful choices such as this one which I saw at a friends house over an island (she had two of them)

                               

  

       This one comes in green, blue and clear.

                           

For a more traditional or oriental  look, Ballard design's marakesh melon pendant combines glass and iron which adds definition and sharpness to the shape of the glass.

                

   

marakesh melon pendant

                      

It's important to understand the draw backs of those pretty glass pendants:

1. They glare, so use a low wattage bulb or keep them on a dimmer and don't buy one if  any kind of glare really bothers you.

2. Wattage - since the bulb is seen through the glass pendant, you would most likely keep the wattage low so don't expect a lot of light from those pretty lamps.

2. Mounting height - mount them higher than eye level (consider the tallest person in the house, just like you would with placing a mirror...)

            

Chandeliers also have that light and airy look

                                         

                                                   

                                      

                         

                              

                               
West elm's capiz chandelier is airy and light without the glare of clear glass

                              

                              

                             
Another way to avoid blocking views with a pendant is by either mounting them high enough or by choosing a flush mount fixture.

                  

Wilamette 6 Schoolhouse Pendant Light Schoolhouse  

                                     

source

If you'd like help with color, redesigning or decorating your own home, contact me @ 

vered@veredrosendesign.com

617-584-9965

veredrosendesign.com

pinterest

twitter

houzz

home