What a crazy couple of years!!! Work Lives changed. Home Lives changed. As you might imagine, in the world of color consulting, interior color jobs were few and far between. The exterior work remained alive and well. In the past week, I decided to check on those of my clients who were been able to squeeze in an exterior paint job before the winter weather got too cold to paint. I thought I’d share some of them with you.

“Country House” in the Massachusetts Berkshires

My client wanted a real house update. They gravitate to dark palettes and prefer modern architecture. I focused on what they wanted: black, charcoal, slate, moody dark naval or midnight blues and "pops" of brilliant color. We ended up with a complex, deep green/slate/black house body color with black trim and a bright, lime green for doors and garden furniture. The clients felt it was “just the right amount of moody with a nod to its setting”.

What a dramatic difference!

Before

After!

Porch furniture gives a pop of green!

Updated Victorian

This family has a gem of a Victorian home in New England. Its painted a cheerful, traditional yellow. But, they wanted to get away from that to something more current. They described their objective as, “a nod to both the modern and Victorian”.

I gave them an elegant, dark blue house body color with gray shutters and gold doors. It’s truly a show stopper!

Before with traditional yellow

More modern dark blue

Brushed-up beige

Our homeowners here were keen on their existing beige house body color. They wanted to change out all of the remaining colors (trim, columns, doors, etc.) in order to update the house. We eliminated the terra cotta trim and accent colors in favor of cool blues and greens. Everyone was happy with the results! I feel the muted blues and greens tie the house to its surroundings with a more stately nod to the 1920's and Craftsman style.

Before, terra cotta trim

After, using muted greens

After, side view with porch

Historic Concord Museum Color Selection

Once again I have had the good fortune to work with Carol Haines, Manager of Exhibitions and Design at the Concord Museum, on colors for their current exhibition. This will be the last time I get to collaborate with Carol, as she has just retired. Her recent email moved me and I thought I’d share it with you.

“My 40 years of working at the Concord Museum is drawing to a close. I am most appreciative of all your supportive and valuable expertise! Talking “color” with you has been one of my favorite parts of exhibition planning. Attached is a snapshot of the Blue Danube color you helped us choose for the new Brewster exhibition.”

Carol L. Haines
Manager of Exhibitions and Design
Concord Museum

Benjamin Moore Blue Danube

Alive with Birds: William Brewster in Concord

March 04, 2022 — September 05, 2022

Image: Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874-1927), Bird Chart Number Four, 1916, Watercolor on paper, Mass Audubon Collection, 1916

“The Concord Museum is collaborating with Mass Audubon to present a special exhibition, Alive with Birds: William Brewster in Concord, open March 4, 2022. William Brewster (1851-1919) was Mass Audubon’s first President. He dedicated over thirty years of his life to the study of birds in Concord at his property, which he called October Farm. Drawn to Concord for its natural beauty and abundant bird life, Brewster made October Farm into an experimental field laboratory and documented its wildlife for scientific study and public enlightenment. His rich observations and analysis of the local landscape included a concern for environmental changes caused by humans. Brewster was one of the country’s earliest advocates for the protection of birds and the conservation of their habitats. In 2019, Mass Audubon received a 143-acre parcel of land which was once part of October Farm, which has been renamed Brewster’s Woods Wildlife Sanctuary.” 

“This exhibition explores William Brewster’s life and legacy in Concord, featuring paintings and sculpture from the Museum of American Bird Art and ornithological artifacts from the Concord Museum, Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, and the Chesterwood Archives at Williams College.”

More details on the Concord Museum website

Spring is the perfect time for a spruce-up!
Need help choosing your colors this year?

Give us a holler, we're happy to help.

Best Wishes,

--Bonnie