Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Robin and Christian Hanging with HGTV's Vern Yip

Here we are at the 2009 Eye On Design event at The Seattle Design Center. Christian was on a design panel moderated by Vern, and we were lucky enough to have had a loooong interview with him about a month ago in preparation for this event for the two publications we write design articles for: 425 Magazine and The Journal Newspapers.

Yes, Vern is as cool and hip as he seems on TV!
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The New Lights Over the Front Counter

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View of New Bellevue From Front Door

We are getting sooooo close!!!! You are looking in towards the new decor department. The wall of shelves you see in the back will display wallpaper books. Next to those will be our color centers for both C2 Paint and Pratt & Lambert paint.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

What Makes a Color Work?

Yesterday I met with a color specifier at the (soon to be old) Bellevue store. She was thrilled to learn about our different paint lines and she made a comment that got me to thinking...

She wanted to know MORE about what makes certain colors our 'go-to' colors in the palette. In other words, when we help someone choose colors, we often start off with our favorite shades to help facilitate the process of winnowing down the choices.

But what makes them our favorites, and why do they work?

It's more than a lucky guess, of course. As I am writing this, I keep flashing to C2 Paint's "Labrador". It's yellow. But it's not yellowy-yellow because it possesses a red undertone.

This hint of red pigment keeps the yellow from going too acidic, plus it contributes to uniting the color to other shades, ensuring that 'Labrador' will coordinate with a large variety of hues. And interestingly enough, 'Labrador' is ideal both as an exterior yellow (imagine a yellow farmhouse on the middle of the country with tons of crisp white trim and a deep green or rich red front door) and it plays exceptionally well as a kitchen yellow. Very unusual thaqt a single color can span both directions, when you think about the way a color reads outside compared to inside.

Yet, if you look at it in relation to the color chip rack or fan deck, you might think it's too peachy at first. But get it off the rack, and the color really starts to shine. Of course, there are other great yellows, too! Some of my favorites include: C2 'Moxie', 'Polenta', 'Shine' and 'Sugar Cookie' when you want that pretty pale hue.

When looking at any color, don't forget to try the color in the environment it will be used - ultimately, it's the relationship of your new color with all the other factors that make it work.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Getting Closer to Move-In Day!!!




It looks like we will be fully functional in our new space by the middle of May. The store is really starting to take shape, and I gotta tell you, it looks GREAT!


The sign was installed on Friday. It was interesting to see the process, of course it had to be raining, poor guys...

Monday, April 06, 2009

Spring Fashion Trend?

This 'dress' is actually constucted of Antonina Vella "Selene" wallpaper that is covered in a delicate filigree design made from gorgeous glass beads and subtly colored background paper. Tasty! (And yes, you can get it from Daly's!)