A Happy Sherwin Williams On-Line Consultation; Before & After

Calm and the right colours go together :) source

A few days ago, I received this email from a client I had consulted with in early October from Kent, Michigan. One of the comments she made during the consultation was that she had come to the conclusion that if you make one small mistake at the beginning of a decorating project, you end up building on the mistake and then you don’t get the result you’re after.

On-line consultations with me are done one-on-one live and on the phone (I have an unlimited plan or overseas we can use Skype). We each have the same fan deck and I suggest colours as if I was in your house. That way you can give me immediate feedback on your likes and dislikes . We also ‘walk’ through your home and discuss your updates (if necessary) in addition you can get as much decorating advice as you need or want.  A good colour expert should also be a decorator or designer as you must be able to assess the room in terms of how to pull it together with the right colour drapery, upholstery, flooring, etc.

The following is the most amazing thank you I have received in a long time.  Thanks Bobbie for taking the time to write it!

source

Dear Maria,
I have never been more excited to say thank you.  You have stopped my merry-go-round of colors, accessories, wasted time and careless spending.  A calmness has entered my home and my personal insanity has ceased.  Yesterday I put the last piece of hardware on my cabinets and I am calling my project ‘done’. I have been in my garage sanding and painting for three weeks and have completely painted my home with the colors you have chosen. 


We stood in the kitchen and laughed, not because anything was funny, but because of your expertise and knowledge to do something like this over the phone. You said it wasn’t green, it was grey.  Even though I failed to come close to finding it in the green section of the color fan, I was still floored when you had me put it next to the greys.  We laugh because now, next to the Silver Strand it looks gorgeous.  Almost like we bought it to match the cupboards!  What was the ugliest part of my kitchen is perhaps now my favorite. Wow.


I never thought 3 simple names; [Sherwin Williams] Kilim Beige, Toque White & Silver Strand, would bring me so much joy. It’s crazy. The new curtains are speechless. By the way, the ones you recommended from IKEA are discontinued.  I purchased these from JC Penny.  I am glad I spent the extra money. They are lined and just better made.  But you must know, your IKEA suggestion gave you brownie points with my husband who made me promise to hire you when we move in a couple of years. He loves and appreciates it as much as I do. He sees the torment I put upon myself.


I am still on the hunt for a couple of things, maybe some art for the kitchen and for a few other suggestions that you gave me for the living room. Maybe a little hesitant too, the last thing I want to do is make more mistakes :).  I had the matching end table down stairs still in the box and purchased a matching lamp.  Why didn’t I have room for it before?? The colors you chose for me softened and warmed my home.  The outdated permanent fixtures (and pricey permanent mistakes) are now not as offensive. I put together a power point slide show, I hope you are able to open and view it. You did such a great job. I can’t thank you enough for coming to work everyday and sharing your talents. I will be calling on you again in 2 years.  Sincerely, Bobbie D. and family


Bobbie wanted help with choosing a white to paint her oak kitchen cabinets in addition to new colours in her living and dining room.  She realized that the accent wall in the dining room wasn’t right and the existing pale blue gray colour was not doing anything for her living room. The issue here was that the accent wall did not relate to anything in the room and especially with the existing carpeting (which was staying).

Before

After

Same with the rusty drapes and red cushions. The shiny satin of the pillows did not work for the casual feeling living room, and again, we had the issue of the bossy carpet.  When your broadloom is this dark, it is soooo not neutral anymore, it becomes a fixed colour that you must consider when choosing other pieces and colours for the room.  You could certainly layer another carpet over this one but it’s still too strong to ignore. I loved her lamp and suggested a rectangular coffee table with another end table on the other side of the sofa.  I also recommended that she repeat the white sofa in curtains and install the rod as close to the ceiling as possible.

Before

I suggested SW Kilim Beige because other than the white sofa the carpet was the next largest, fixed element in the room.

After

Then we got to her kitchen.  Bobbie said the green countertop really bothered her as well as the accent tile in the backsplash. I suggested a greeny gray shade SW Silver Strand for the bottom of the cabinets to relate to the countertops because if we had stuck to white for the whole kitchen it would have been too much with the whitish gray 90’s tile.

Before

Her backsplash tile also had to go, so we painted it out! This is also the reason I always counsel my clients to keep it simple!

After

We painted the walls in the kitchen the same colour. The floorplan was open from the dining to the kitchen and there was no other colour in the living room that we could draw upon to create flow, so in this case the same colour was the way to go.

Before                                                   After

What a difference white paint on dated oak cabinets makes!  Thanks Bobbie for showing us the after photos!

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me for on-line or in-person decorating and colour.


Related posts:
Colour & Condoms
White Kitchen Cabinets
A Something’s Gotta Give Kitchen Cabinet Dilemma
How to Update an 80’s Kitchen with Colour
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