I recently came across a great website that helps people choose color palettes. It’s pretty comprehensive, and it seems to be the place to go if you love color. I perused their collection of popular palettes, and this one caught my eye. If you’re looking to repaint your home, consider visiting the COLOURlovers website for some ideas.

When considering new additions to your home decor, consider supporting a local artist:

Last year during a trip to local coffee shop Stir Crazy, I was awestruck by an art installation featuring mobiles made out of (among other things) recycled teabags, candle wax, and bamboo. Since then, I’ve been a huge fan of the artist, Dale Keator. It turns out that she’s featured again this month in the same location. Do yourself a favor — Take some time to visit Stir Crazy, grab a tasty beverage (I recommend the ginseng peppermint tea), pull up a comfy chair and admire the beauty of her work. Dale’s pieces vary in size from just a few inches to spanning an entire wall. Here is a statement from Dale about her teabag collages to give you a sense of the energy behind her work:

My artwork is a collaborative effort. The teabags; having had a previous life from perhaps an endearing conversation, a thoughtful quiet moment, or a relaxing sigh of relief from a hectic day, help to create the calming charm that is intended for my pieces. All of the teabags are saved and “gifted” to me, by friends. It is friends that started the momentum on this “project”, which actually started as a result 9/11 and realizing the importance of friendships. Every teabag paper is different, much the way people and relationships are.

I would like the viewer to enjoy the experience of the teabags by watching the movement, smelling the tea particles left on the papers, listening to the sounds as the sewn strands of teabags gently touch each other.

The tea, the tags, the string, the staples, and of course the papers…all are used in making my pieces. And all are used to evoke compassion.

Dale Keator is a sculptural collage artist whose work is created from recycled tea bags. Her work has a zen like quality that inspires it’s viewers to “slow down” and experience its gentle movements. She holds a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, has worked with the Children’s Museum of Richmond and taught for the Neighborhood School of the Arts. She has had two recent shows at Lift Coffee Shop and Stir Crazy Café. Dale says that her work is absolutely a “labor of love” and continues to enjoy collecting tea bags from very loyal tea drinkers.

To learn more about this great local artist’s work, feel free to contact her at sewsart@yahoo.com.

Farida Hughes - “Lasso”

Okay, I know we’re a painting company. What do art and food have to do with paint? Everything! Color…Beautiful decor…Inspired interiors! We hope these diversions from paint will offer some helpful ideas for beautifying your home.

Last Sunday I attended an art opening at Zed Cafe, a great restaurant located in Richmond’s Northside neighborhood. It was a real treat to munch on delicious locally-grown organic food as I enjoyed the sights of artist Farida Hughes modern paintings.

Owner Lisa Granger has been the proud owner of Zed and salon next door, Body Zen Soul since 2006. Both spaces are characterized by rich, earthy colors and a variety of nature-inspired elements. As you’ll read on their website, Zed brings a unique flavor to the area serving responsibly sourced meats and local products. It is the first restaurant of its kind in the Richmond area. CIA trained Executive Chef Bill Foster works directly with local farmers and cattleman to create his seasonally inspired menus.

Pick an evening and head over to Zed’s. I recommend Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, when they offer three course meals and half-priced bottles of wine.

It’s a buzz-word we’ve heard a lot in the paint world over the last few years. When I’m talking to customers, they often don’t understand what “VOC’s” mean, just that fewer of them is a good thing when it comes to paint. Simply put, VOC’s are gasses that contaminate the quality of the air inside your house. Among other things, it’s not uncommon for formaldehyde (you know, the stuff used to preserve our bodies after we die) to be present in the air following a paint job, and not just for a few days. There are plenty of other chemicals, and up to 50% of the toxic gasses and carcinogens from traditional paints leak into your home up to six years after it dries on your wall. You can often tell a traditional paint from one that has been produced without these same hazardous preservatives - It smells like chemicals, and most people want to get out of a freshly painted house as quickly as they can. The most noticeable side effects are those that are immediate, such as headaches or light-headedness.

Many manufacturers have chosen to remove these unnecessary chemicals from their paints, without sacrificing quality. When you use a paint that has ingredients proven to keep your air cleaner than traditional competitors, it’s a good thing. It’s important to note that not all low- or no-VOC paints are created equal. Be a smart consumer - When you hire a paint contractor, whether it’s Dramatic Changes or someone else, ask questions about the products they use. Request information, and look them up on the web. Most products nowadays will have frequently asked questions, contact email and phone numbers, as well as MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) posted online to make it easier for people to learn about the products available for their home.

To learn more about VOC’s and healthier paint alternatives, Consumer Reports has done their research on the subject, which can be found here: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2008/04/vocs-in-paint.html.

In our business, We find ourselves addressing this topic all the time. We go to someone’s house, listen to them describe their needs, and we provide them an estimate based on what painting needs to be done in their home. Homeowners often ask, “What kind of paint do you use”? Here are a couple of important things to consider…

Whether you’re having your home painted professionally or doing it yourself, we encourage you to choose paint that meets the following criteria:

- eco-friendly

- excellent quality (I know, it sounds like a no-brainer)

- can be purchased from a local business

Consider shopping at Eco Supply, Power of Color, EcoLogic, or Virginia Paint Company. Their healthy paint options perform as well if not better than their traditional competitors. They’re reasonably priced, often costing the same as a reputable brand. Best of all, by buying from these local businesses, you’re supporting our local economy. It’s a win-win situation.

As the resident paint and color fanatic, my eyes are always peeled for new ideas. I glean inspiration from everywhere — Yesterday, I fell in love with the color of the shirt worn by a woman in front of me in line at Cafe Caturra. It was the most awesome red — a bit weathered, a little bit orangey (is that even a word?), sort of salmony. The walls of my living room are an airy, pale green-blue-gray, and now I’m craving a gigantic painting for my walls that has the “lady’s shirt red” in it. I also have a ton of plants, and I love the idea of the airy aqua combined with green and red.

How do you choose the colors for your home? We work with local color consultants in Virginia who specialize in helping homeowners who want help decorating their space with the right hues, and are happy to put you in contact with them.

To learn more about color consulting, have a look at this blog entry I came across this morning: http://colourific.blogspot.com/2008/04/professional-color-consultant.html

A friend of mine is in the process of putting her house up for sale, and in this market, she wants to be as attentive to detail as possible. We ended up talking about paint, and she asked what colors I thought the walls should be in order to make it attractive to a buyer. It’s a fairly subjective topic, one that would solicit a different answer depending on who you ask. After milling it over, I had this response:

From a personal perspective, I would think most people would want a home that feels warm and inviting. From a practical perspective, You want to maximize the space in each room. So there are 2 things to consider: choosing a color that has warm tones, so something with a touch of yellow, brown, or orange, but neutral enough so as not to evoke a strong response from prospective buyers. You also want the color to be light, because lighter colors make rooms feel larger and more spacious than colors with stronger pigment.

There’s a great line of paint available here in Richmond from a manufacturer called AFM Safecoat that has done their homework in selecting colors with therapeutic properties. It’s based on the principles of Ayurveda, which literally translates to mean “the science of life”. To learn more about these paints, click on the highlighted link for Safecoat above, and be sure to check out the following colors: Forward, Autumn, Poetry, Light, Awake, and Sacred.

There are multiple Richmond retailers offering this product, and we’re happy to point you in their direction. Feel free to contact us if you’d like more information.