Room of the Day: Deep Blue Proves a Hot Hue
http://www.decor-ideas.org 01/21/2014 23:23 Decor Ideas
It seems like everyone is getting into the blues again in interior design, but this time the popular color is more ocean abyss than blue sky. The current twist is that designers are painting entire walls in the shade — moldings and all. Without the expected white trim, the look is more mod and clubby than classic and crisp. New Jersey designer Cory Connor explains why and how she used the dark color to brighten up a family room.
Before the remodel this Chatham, New Jersey, space was a not-often-visited living room. “It was a pretty generic and neutral-colored space,” says Connor. “They didn’t use it much, and it became the catchall place where they put hand-me-down furniture.”
AFTER: Her challenge was to add character to the room while making it a place where the family could read, relax and play games. She gave it an old-school gentleman’s lounge feeling by adding bookshelves and a window seat, and by painting and wallpapering it from baseboard to crown molding in a deep navy blue — Benjamin Moore’s Newburyport Blue. Another favorite: Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy.
Light fixture: Ballard Designs; rug: Patterson, Flynn & Martin
“I chose the color because it’s timeless, and I knew it would make the room cozy and sophisticated,” she says. “Painting out the molding and adding pops of color make it feel young and fresh, clean and modern.”
For the color pops in a navy room, the designer goes for bright colors. “I like to use orange, coral or yellow,” she says. “It makes the room fun.”
Connor says there are a few things to keep in mind when employing navy this way. “To keep it from feeling too heavy, I used wallpaper as well as paint,” she says.
She also suggests evaluating the natural light before picking up the paintbrush. “This is not necessarily a look for a dark, windowless room,” she says. “We had lots of windows, and I added sconces and a central light fixture.” She also left the ceiling white to keep things lighter.
The designer says people are often nervous about using a dark color in a smaller room. She has a different view: “To me it makes a room feel comfortable and cozy.”
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