FARROW & BALL'S NEW PAINT COLORS

I LOVE Farrow & Ball paint. I am so picky about paint colors. They make all the difference in a room. (I think I say that about almost everything, don't I?)

I get really excited when new colors from F&B and Benjamin Moore are released and this latest release from F&B did not disappoint. In fact, it was downright impressive.

Let's start with the dark and dramatic colors:

Okay, I LOVE Downpipe, so a slightly "bluer version" is going to be my new go-to navy blue color. I think it might even beat out my fav Ben Moore color, Hale Navy, that I used in this powder bathroom.

Wow. Such a pretty dark warm gray/putty color. This color would be amazing in an office, or a formal dining room, especially on wainscoted walls. I would love this as an exterior color as well. A pretty shingled home with white trim. Love!

I don't use color like this often, but I think this bright happy pink would be amazing in a girl's room (obviously). I wouldn't personally use it for any other room, although it would work for a formal living, family room, or dressing room.

And now for the light neutrals:

If you know me at all, you know that I am always on the look-out for the perfect white paint colors, and I know I'll be adding this one to the list. "The colour of fossils" describes this perfectly. What a great wall/trim color. Not too bright, not too dull.

Say no to beige and yes to Purbeck! This muddy perfection of a color is great for when a room calls for a beige-ish color but you don't want a brown with yellow in it. This is a cool brownish tone and I LOVE it. Super classy and architectural.

According to my monitor, this color doesn't look gray at all, but I'll take their word for it. I still love the color. Another great "white-ish" color for your walls or trim. I need to get a sample of this, but I will be adding it to my arsenal of fantastic neutrals.

RULE OF THUMB WHEN PICKING PAINT COLORS: Paint either a barely color/neutral or a saturated/dark color. 

I think paints tend to get tacky, somewhat distracting and unfortunately cheesy when they are in the mid-tones. Take blue for example. A barely blue - beautiful. Dark/saturated blue - dramatic and moody. Medium-tone blue - cheesy baby boy, bright and sometimes tacky turquoise. Get it?

(Now that's just a rule-of-thumb for painting beginners, and that's how I like to decorate. I'm not completely against medium tone paint colors, but I very rarely use them because they are hard to get just right.)

While we are at it, what are your "rules of thumb" for paint colors? And what are your favorite F&B paint colors?

EXTERIOR PAINT FACE-LIFT

Don't get me started on how I feel about beige. In my opinion 90% of the time it is the worst color choice for your home. Beige sucks the life out of everything around it. It's so blah! Ugh. The worst.

So when my sister asked me to help her with her newly-purchased home, one of the first things we agreed on was the exterior needed to be painted.

Here is the before:

It really is a nice home, but with such a beautiful landscape and cool front door, the home needed fresher colors to help update it's look. We decided to go for a more "California" inspired look.

 

*The white is brighter in these photos than in real life* 

I am in love with the Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue front door. It's such a pretty front door - it's nice that it will finally be noticed. And yes, please ignore the fact that my sister has not taken her Christmas lights down!! 

But isn't it a nice change and what a difference it made! Before the home just blended in, but now the greens look greener and the florals are more beautiful. You notice the stone accents and the front door. All of the details come to life. 

Are you getting the itch to paint your exterior? I know that it's one of my favorite updates to a home. We are working on some exterior updates on my home as well. Update to follow soon...