Tag Archives: color consulting

A Week in the Life

My brother, Lane, texted me Friday-

‘You’re all over Better Homes and Gardens”

(pause for celebration- yea!!)

Jody Gorlock, author of this 34 Secrets article, compiled color tips from an extensive list of designers to offer readers approachable advice for their homes.

Of course, it was a surprise to him, but I was thrilled when I first got the call back in November to provide color tips for the article. (thanks for the heads up, Lane! I’d almost forgotten to be on the look out for the March issue!)

It’s funny, sometimes my days run into each other and I’m not sure if me and my team have accomplished enough. Projects get held up by back orders, interviews are often done months in advance, video editing takes weeks of drafts, and timing purchases and services can take Matrix-like coordination. There are a lot of moving parts and, of course, my goal is to be moving them and myself forward at all times. So when these moments arrive- the magazine comes out or the video goes live or the finishing pieces go into a project- I just can’t help but stop for a sec and smile. I love my work!

Go pick up the magazine for lots of great color tips for your home, and stay tuned this week to see- in real time- what I’m up to every day to make the Shannon Kaye Making Room for More machine turn. I’m headed to Phoenix tomorrow for a last minute color consultation… can’t wait to tell you about it! Stay tuned…

 

One Color, Infinite Ideas

It’s been a spooky warm winter here in the San Francisco Bay Area and I for one feel parched (must be my Oregonian blood)… But it’s raining today!

Local photographer, Kurt Rogers, captures San Francisco so beautifully

Ahhhh, feels like I’m standing by the sink drinking a full glass of water from the faucet in one gulp knowing I’ll fill my cup again as soon as the last drop hits my throat. Californians aren’t known for embracing this weather (you’d think the occasional change in climate would be welcome here!). They call it dreary.

But I see colors come to life and textures jump to the foreground… somehow perspective even seems to get deeper… I love the rain.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? Take monochromatic interiors, people say they’re flat and boring… like this:

But the good ones look like this!

People end up with one-note rooms simply because they’re afraid to try putting colors together, afraid to mixing patterns and prints…  That’s not a monochromatic plan, that’s a fearful plan! Stop, you don’t have to live this way!

Even if you don’t feel brave enough to put colors together, monochromatic schemes can be unique and beautiful because they (the good ones) rely on texture, contrast, and intensity to dress an entire room in one color. A few weeks ago we explored complimentary colors and how to bring them to your home. This week, we’ll take a look at monochromatic color schemes and do the same. So, take a look around your room and grab something that inspires you in terms of color, style, theme… and let’s get started.

In the meantime, here are a few rooms that might get your imagination going. See you tomorrow!

I've shown this room before. Steven Gambrel's monochromatic schemes amaze me.

Another Steven Gambrel special

When the main elements are one color, changing out the accessories can totally transform the space. Imagine this room with a round blue ottoman and green artwork... it would work!

 

Getting Started… sort of…

The light blue frame you see here belonged to my grandfather who was an oil painter…

That's my grandfather, Rosel, sitting with my grandma. My dad is standing on the far left. He has two of his dad's paintings, but there are several more divided among the other seven- count 'em- seven siblings

For years I’d hang the frame on the wall then for fun tack a postcard or snapshot in the center or lean a few on the ridge of the woodwork.

Then, one day…

My friend, Dave Mendez, gave me a photo he took at Versailles. (Dave is one of those rare creative types who can manage a camera, marketing for a multi-million dollar start up, film development, and other creative and business endeavors- all with a smile on his face. He's my idol!)

I ran down to Aedicule Fine Framing (they’re the best in the city!) where they framed it for me with a scrap of silver raw silk they had lying around. Love it!

It happened again about six years ago… I was minding my own business at the Alameda Flea market…

…when I saw most perfectly delicate and wondrous mirror frame ever. Treasure! Without negotiating, I paid top dollar and took it home. I used the same method for displaying this open frame but upgraded to larger artwork hung in the center. Like this…

My super creative, talented, amazing brother, Lane, designed the poster years ago. He's amazing too...

It looks good but I was getting tired of the look. I needed a fresh way to display this gorgeous things.

One day, Bethany Nauert, photographer for Apartment Therapy (among other super cool sites and mags!), contacted me to photograph my home. Yikes! I had a wall in my dining room that needed serious punch and I had this frame and two weeks… hm… maybe something could be happening here…

Stay tuned for more of the story… see you tomorrow!

 

Passionate Color Palette

My brother, Lane, introduced me to the work of Jim Nares… ah, I want a painting of his, to paint like him, to create something as beautiful… needless to say, I feel pretty passionate about it. So, if I had this painting, here’s the color palette I’d put around it…

 

Paint, the Great Experiment

The other day, I was in my favorite magazine shop, Juicy News, on Fillmore Street in San Francisco (tell me where you find your favorite mags!). The awning says Barron’s but everyone I talk to still calls it Juicy News, the old name for this cubby of a store packed with big inspiration! It’s where I first found design magazines that are still my favorites today- Objekt, World of Interiors, …

Tell me this doesn't make your heart sing just a little...

Anyway, on this visit an issue of Vogue Living caught my eye…

Notice the molding painted in random unfinished washes of color... I'm in love...

I picked it up and swear I heard angels singing… on the cover is a Paris apartment that’s home to French milliner turned shoe designer, Philippe Model. I flipped through pages of his paneled rooms washed in patches and brush strokes of bright spontaneous color.  It took me back to the years in San Francisco when I was discovering my passion for paint…

I painted every surface of my little studio in a different finish- several times! I was practicing, experimenting, playing really as I honed my craft and aesthetic…

Where Philippe painted his moldings, I was actually painting my walls to look like they had moldings and panels. It became a signature style I recreated for several clients in many different colors and styles...

Notice this wall behind the sofa? Same wall as above, different treatment...

I painted the harlequin pattern in three different color schemes. The hallway later became red with a rustic rough finish (with some orange and red harlequins of course!). Recognize the chandelier sans the bottom ring and center drop? (it's in my bedroom today) Even with those pieces removed most everyone had to duck under it to get by... ah the good ol' days

Even my doors got painted... notice the writing on the wall in my bathroom...

This also became a signature treatment. To the left I partially stripped the window trim revealing layers of color beneath a heavy coat of white semi-gloss. I made the little towel holder from the railing of the crib I slept when I was little.

Of course, I was always rearranging my furniture and eventually incorporated interior design into my services, but this is still my first love. I can’t image design without paint or paint without design. I feel grateful to have found my passion. It drives me crazy in the best (it makes me sooo happy) and worst (I never feel like I’ve learned, practiced, or pushed myself enough) ways. I wouldn’t trade that drive for anything.