Cathy Di Leo Live on the Jen & Jason Show

Time’s Up on Tuscany Decor!

Peanut butter brown…gold or burgundy paint…Faux Finishes…

wrought iron chandeliers with 12 tiers weighing 800 pounds, window treatments with fringe, fake plants on the tops of your cabinets, metal wall décor, dark wood kitchens…oh how the Tuscany Style from the year 2000 haunts us!  

If you’re like the majority of my clients, you’re watching HGTV getting depressed.  Moving or building a new home seems easier than remodeling, but is not always the answer.  If you’re in a great neighborhood and love the bones of your Tuscan style home, fear not! Updating is not as difficult as you may imagine.  You can go at it alone or click here to schedule a free discover call with me.  

The first step in updating your home, is to determine your style and have a plan.  Whether your home is Transitional, Mid-Century Modern, Farmhouse or Contemporary, the style should be curated to reflect both your family’s personality and the style of the home.  Also remember to keep the chosen style cohesive throughout the entire home so there is a flow rather than a disruption to that flow.  

“Update a home by using an outdated color or palette”, said no one EVER!  A good rule of thumb is that if it resembles peanut butter, you should repaint.  The tricky thing with homes built 15 years ago, is that the trim and wood colors are not compatible to today’s trends.  Many homeowners want to paint in the grays or cool colors that are trending and end up getting a result that doesn’t quite feel right.  This leads to having to repaint or live with a bad result.  There are some great warm neutrals that will give your home an updated look, but still match the undertones in granite and travertine used in Tuscan homes. Painted Accent walls and faux finishes are highly discouraged! Many people add an accent wall when they want a pop of color.  However, many times this is not done purposefully so it ends up giving a less than desired results.  Accent wall are a great idea, but need to be used to accent architectural features, or improve the space.  They are the exception, not the norm!

Many of the mid 2000 homes I go into have very ornate vanities with gilded gold or tile encased mirrors. Even worse, they have a builder mirror that’s glued to the plaster!     Replacing this type of mirror with an oval or round mirror is an easy way to lighten up and modernize the bathroom. When considering paint for the bath, painting the walls and vanities will easily add value to your home.  Walls in blue are always a good choice and bathroom cabinets will benefit from paint if you’ve got dated, dark wood.  Add updated and coordinated cabinet hardware, towel racks, toilet paper holders, lighting and Voila!  No more Tuscany!

Kitchens are definitely an area of the home that echo the century in which the home was built. If you have carved grapes, ornate columns, or other decorative cabinetry, you may want to consider some updates.  While it can be more expensive and time consuming to update your kitchen, cabinets can be painted to completely change the look of a home.  If you’re not yet ready to commit to painting your cabinets, consider an accent color on the island.  These changes can be made easier than completing an entire kitchen renovation, and it’s a lot less expensive.  Even a simple change to the cabinets such adding or updating hardware can completely makeover the kitchen and get you a little closer to the modern era 

Updating your lighting is another great way to give your space an updated look.  Change out that heavy iron multi-tiered chandelier with an orb or visually lighter iron pendant.  Lighting should create a focal point in a room without overpowering.  Pay attention to scale when selecting chandeliers. A good rule of thumb is to measure the length plus width of the room in feet. This should equal the width of a chandelier in inches.  It’s also a good idea to check the height of chandeliers above tables which should be no lower than 30 inches above the tabletop 

A makeover would not be complete if we didn’t touch on furniture and accessories.  It’s time to say bye-bye to the leather furniture! Nothing sucks up the light in a room or screams Tuscany like a leather sofa.  I get it! Leather is exceptionally durable for families and easy to clean with pets.  However, leather isn’t your only option.  There are many performance fabrics in the market like Crypton and Sunbrella brands, for durable, stain resistant upholstered furniture.  Cream, Ivory or oatmeal are great color choices in updated silhouettes with track arms.  This can be as little as an $800 investment and will catapult you into this decade quickly. Keep the leather to a minimum and consider using it for an accent chair or a beautiful ottoman.  Add the finishing touch with metal, wood, glass and white accessories with a pop of color in your pillows and rug.. and you’ve got a fantastic looking space! 

De-Tuscanizing your home may take some time, but keep in mind simple, clean lines with lighter colors is the key to catapulting your home into this century and adding value!

6 Biggest Home Interior Paint Mistakes

Many of my calls are from clients that have had a bad paint result or are just frustrated and overwhelmed with picking a color… There are so many resources for paint.. many my clients have spent hours on the internet in search of the best grays or the hottest trends.  While this is helpful and inspirational, it doesn’t always address the specifics of their home, and can many times end in disaster. 

Here are the 6 biggest Mistakes I see my clients make when choosing paint color:

Mistake 1

All whites are treated equal.  Although all whites appear to be the same, they are probably the most difficult colors to work.  There are numerous undertones of whites and sometimes it’s very subtle unless compared to another white… which leads me to…

Mistake 2

Not matching undertones.  Undertones are colors that emerge when comparing one color to another.  Undertones can make a dated kitchen look even more dated or can bring an old, tired kitchen to life. It’s all about matching the undertones in the cabinets and trim with the undertones in the paint color to achieve a desired result.  I’ve never had a client ask for me to choose a kitchen paint color that makes it appear like a 70’s throwback kitchen.  But you never know!

Mistake 3

No Patience.  Paint needs to be viewed on a wall in many different conditions.  Daylight, Evening, Cloudy days and sunny days will all affect the perceived color of the paint.  For this reason, you should not be to quick to decide and live with a sample for several days before choosing.

Mistake 4

Putting Paint Samples Next To Each Other.  Putting up multiple colors right next to each other, complicates the decision. You compare the colors to each other rather than comparing to permanent objects in the room like trim and flooring.  Each color should be viewed on the wall by itself to get the full benefit of how the color will look in the space.

Mistake 5

Too Many Colors.  There are ways to accent a space while still keeping it classy.  Accent walls can be used to enhance a space, but it’s not always right for every situation.  If done incorrectly it ends up looking cheap and dated. The proper paint palette and application will create a purposeful flow from room to room and not choppy breaks in the visual field.  These multiple colors and breaks create anxiety and can be unsettling rather than draw you easily through a space.

Mistake 6

Clients don’t go Bold.  Being a lover of color, I love bold accent colors and bright, fun colors.  Don’t be afraid to paint with bold colors but be aware of the space.  You can use bold colors in a room where you want the space to appear smaller and cozier to create warmth.  You can also use bolds to feature some great architecture!  Don’t be scared but be purposeful.

Color can be your new BFF or worst Frenemy! Have fun with it, but most of all pick something you can live with and a color that makes you happy!

2021 Interior Paint Trends Released

I love color and keeping up with paint color trends!

 It’s fun to see how each major paint company translates the color trends of the year, and how those trends correlate or translate to interior design trends.  Behr, Sherwin Williams and PPG have already started to predict and release the hot colors for 2021.  The resonating theme of these top 3 brands is balance, comfort, peace and flow in our new unpredictable normal.  Nonetheless, it’s always fun to take our cues from the trends, using these as accent colors for that cozy guest room, or to create a dramatic office space!

PPG’s 2021 Paint Palette of the year incorporates oatmeal, ginger and blue.  All of these can compliment the grays… (yes I said gray will again trend for 2021).   

Sherwin Williams released their 2021 Colormix Forecast reinforcing “Rhythm is the secret to how the natural world stays in step. The same sense of balance applies to our personal sense of nature through how we live”.  With 4 different palettes; Sanctuary, Continuum, Tapestry and Encounter, If Sherwin Williams is right, “grays, muted blues, soft pinks, and whites” will soon be showing up everywhere.

Lastly, we have the predicted trends for Behr who based their color palette on “colors to elevate your comfort zone”.  The Casual Palette features warm neutrals in earthy tones while soothing blues and greens make up the Calm Palette offering peace and solace.  Tinted pastels in pink and blue bring soft pops of color to the Subtle Palette while the Quiet Haven palette makes a bold expressive statement with dark greens, blues and grays.  If you’re that person that loves eclectic color, then the Optimistic Palette is for you in oranges, purples, teals and blues. This palette will bring the fun and personality to any room!

One thing is for certain in this time of uncertainty, we need to take time for ourselves: re-balancing and prioritizing our health… whether that be physical or mental.  Color is a part of our mood; we feel it rather than think it.  Let it be an inspiration to you when to create the perfect space!

Cathy Di Leo: Psychological Color Expert

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