Creative Interior Specialists

I have expanded and added Makeup to my color category. I have always had a passion for makeup. Growing up, before I was old enough to date, I would spend many saturday nights in front of the bathroom mirror experimenting with my mother’s black eye liner pencil. One day my sister, who was three years older than me, put green cream eye shadow on me. Back then you could buy cream eye shadow that sort of snapped together. They were tiny and you pulled the clear cap off, then put it either on the top or on the bottom. They looked like todays little Avon lipstick samples. I held my breath when I first faced my mother, hoping I wouldn’t get yelled at. I was thirteen at the time and in seventh grade. My mother looked at me and said, “your eyes are moldy”. That was the day that changed everything for me and I began wearing eye shadow. Not to date myself, but back in the day Yardley Of London was very poplular and the Mod look all the rage.

I didn’t use face makeup, and basically used eye shadows, liner and mascara. I had an awesome stick blush that I absolutely LOVED, but to this day can not remember who made it. I also used lip gloss. I remember the day my oldest sister, five years older than me, went into the city (NY) for a makeover. She came home and explained what they had done. That was my first makeup lesson. My mother would go to the beauty parlor every week and come home with the latest makeup tips. There were times when she couldn’t get her hair done, so I would curl her hair and do it for her. I was in high school.

In my spare time I am my husband’s Makeup Artist for his photography business. Here are a few photos of my work. The models are Kim Hubbs and Erin Haas. Please let me know what you think.

The inside of the front door was painted white after I realized that the whole interior of the house had this nice fresh coat of paint in all the rooms, and the front door was still dirty and dingy despite how many times I tried to clean it. I never liked the white color and always found that part of the hall to be boring. One day I just happened to be in the living room staring down at the front door, when a thought went through my mind, paint the door Chestnut Red. So, I did!!! Tell me what you think of the difference it made.

The Chestnut Red door now ties in the red in the hall rugs and creates a more unified look from the hall to the living room to the kitchen. The door also matches the two flower pots.

I’m on the lookout for a large piece of pottery with the same red color in it to go beside the bookcase in the second photo.

This is a continuation of adding the Chestnut Red color to highlight the kitchen. I loved what the red color did for the mantle, so I decided to try it in the kitchen.  First, I painted the wall in front of the bar stools which faces the mantle. Then I began with one small area above the cabinets where I have baskets displayed. I really liked the way the cherry cabinets and baskets stood out, so I continued with the other wall of cabinets and baskets which also included a window. From there I moved to the adjacent wall which has sliding doors and a grey window treatment made up of three and a half inch panels that overlap each other when closed. The two walls create an L-shape where the table is. Take a look at the following photos, and tell me what you think.

Notice how the gray of the corian counter top and the gold oak trim “pop”. The bar stools stand out  more, and the fabric on the seats have both the Travertine and Chestnut Red in the design.

                          Which photo do you like better?       

  See how everything just “pops” against the red, and the cherry cabinets seem less boring.

This corner now seems warmer and creates more of an eating area. The gray window treatment shows up more and the painting “pops”. The whitewash furniture adds a nice contrast to the cherry cabinets. The black wrought iron fixtures also stand out more.

“Color is powerful - it can cleanse and revive a tired area in any home, and can change a mood or lift the spirits. Across the globe different cultures attach significance to certain colors. Color can be passionate and sensual, and it can be calming and meditative.” Anna
Starmer

We live in a world of color and often don’t realize the impact certain colors have on us.

Stay tuned for more on the impact of color.

I used thirteen colors in my home. I asked another color consultant to come in and critque what I have done. She loved my color families, but felt a couple colors just needed a bit of tweaking. Here are some before and after photos of the fireplace mantle.

I used Sherwin-Williams Travertine in the living room.

Notice the Travertine between the gold color of the oak wood and the gray tile. 

Here I used Sherwin-Williams Chestnut Red.