Paint Colors and the Beach Life

When I take a vacation, it’s really important to me to find a hotel, condo, or rental house that is really pretty. I am so effected by my visual surroundings, and have found that I have a difficult time relaxing in places that are gloomy, dirty, or ugly.  When you spend the day with this kind of beauty, it can be depressing to retire to a poorly decorated hovel, right?

drippy sand castle

our girls made this drippy castle yesterday

 

Does that sound shallow? I’m sorry, but it’s just the honest truth. I’ve been known the rearrange or stage decor if it feels unbalanced or unloved to me. The condo we rented this time is THE BOMB. Everything is very well done and lovely. Have a peek:

beach

 

 

Here’s the view – not bad, right??

beachfront

 

 

beach bedroom

 

 

bedroom design

Benjamin Moore Arctic Gray

 

2015-10-10 17.22.31

Benjamin Moore Arctic Gray

 

2015-10-10 17.20.31

 

 

beach living room

 

2015-10-10 17.20.47

Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray

Whoever chose the paint colors knew what they were doing. Paint color can make or break your interior design. No matter how pretty the furnishings or decor, the wrong backdrop of paint color can be the ultimate bummer.

Several years ago I did an online design consultation for a home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that reminds me a bit of this place.

TVarea5

Ft Lauderdale design by The Decorologist

 

The homeowner carried out all my recommendations, and it turned out really beautifully. She eventually took my Expert Psychological Stagerâ„¢ course and became a certified home stager herself! She now has her own business called Love At First Sight Staging (don’t you love that name???).

As part of my staging training course, I developed a tool to that helps you to choose the right paint colors for selling homes. A few weeks ago, I made that tool available to everyone.

 

psychological staging paint color toolkit

 

Sooo, Laurel Bern is a successful New York interior designer with 20+ years in the biz who writes a rockin’ design blog that I started following about a year ago. She’s the brilliant writer of Laurel Home, with an acerbic sense of humor that keeps you engaged and wondering what she might say next.  On my first day of our beach vacation, I opened up my email and saw THIS:

the answer to your prayers – 15 no fail interior paint colors!

Hmm. Sounded a little bit like my Psychological Staging Paint Color Toolkit, so naturally I was curious. You’ll just have to read for herself what Laurel had to say HERE.

 

2015-10-10 17.26.19

reading nook in beach condo

 

Thank you, Laurel!!!  Wow, wow, wow. We had to alert Lego Allen to get to the warehouse in our absence and start painting more boards, as we are currently down to our last few kits!  Laurel just launched her own product, which I actually purchased two weeks ago and plan on digging through this week. I’ll let you know what I think about it after I pour through it.

stuccoltpewtknoxvnewburgpueblo

 

Over the last week, many of you have been helping me choose some fantastic paint color names for the new color palettes I’ve been hired to create for LP SmartSide. I still need your input, so make sure to follow me on Facebook to put in your two cents! www.facebook.com/thedecorologist

 

10 Comments

  1. kari

    I feel the exact same way! I start with my location and price range and may look through 100’s of places until I find the right one. If I see a rattan bakers rack with a big box tv on it, I am off that listing faster than Lilly items on shelves at Target! Just say no to ugly 80’s beach decor! 🙂

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Then we should vacation together, Kari! 😉

      Reply
  2. Mary CC from CA

    Lovely….have a great week at the beach !

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      Thank you, Mary! It’s so beautiful here 🙂

      Reply
  3. Laurel Bern

    Hi Kristie,

    Oh wow! What a lovely surprise! Thank you so much!

    What a fabulous place you’re staying at! I’m with you! I’d rather spend two nights some place glorious than a week away at a dump. Ohhhhh, I have stories… lol. (well, not so funny at the time.) Like, why would one leave their lovely home to vacay some place horrid? xo, Laurel

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      No, thank you, Laurel!!! I’m with you – I’d rather stay home than vacay in a yucky place 🙂

      Reply
  4. Joanne

    I agree wholeheartedly! I need to be surrounded by a space that feels ” right” for me, even if you are spending most of your time outside. My husband and I want to visit San Francisco for a couple of weeks. We usually stay in hotels but would like to try renting condos or homes on or close to the beach. Is there a site you reference to find suitable accommodation?

    Reply
    • Kristie Barnett

      No, Joanne – unfortunately, I just have to dig through hundreds of places until I find one lovely enough! I spent a week in the San Francisco area 20 years ago on our honeymoon. We stayed a few nights at the Drake in San Fran, then went a lovely B&B in Capitola by the Sea that was in a restored train depot. The suite where we stayed was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen – it had been on the cover of a magazine I had saved the year prior, and we basically hunted it down!!!

      Reply
      • Joanne

        I guess I’ll start digging. Lol

        BTW I love your girl’s sand castle.

        Reply
  5. Mia

    Hi, love your blog! I follow Laurel, and it was through her blog that I found you! Good one Laurel ??. Love the idea of paint colour cards, but in uk and Ireland we don’t get these brands, is it possible to do one based on farrow and ball?

    Reply

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