Connie and Steve recently moved into a contemporary home, and at the same time purchased new furnishings to compliment the space. While they loved their new home, the stark white walls left the rooms feeling cold and uninviting. They wanted and needed color to give a sense of cohesiveness to the rooms, and to show their artwork at its best.

The existing furniture and artwork would be the inspiration for the color choices. The first challenge: the living and dining room, with abundant natural light, high ceilings and interesting architectural details. The next consideration was the fact that the hallway, staircase, and a portion of the family room and kitchen could all be viewed from one vantage point. The complication here is keeping the flow of color from room to room without everything being the same.

Five colors were selected for the living and dining, hall and staircase, to visually warm the space and to enhance the architectural detail. Although Connie was worried that the colors might be too dark, she trusted my choices and began painting. Throughout the painting process, her husband Steve voiced his trepidation about the proposed colors, but I urged him to wait until all the colors were on the walls before making up his mind.