Tale of Two Colors

Imagine sitting in an office being swallowed up by heavy dark furniture…you know the kind…cherry stain,

looming tower of shelving, heavy dark file cabinets, monstrous sideboard used as a storage cabinet, with only an opaque ceiling fixture for lighting. Unfortunately, there is no “Before” picture.

It had seen the best of times (the 1980s) and definitely needed a revival…a complete gut that only a sledge hammer could handle and a pick-up truck to cart everything away. Then the fun began with removal of wallpaper, which was meant to stay on the wall to the end of time. After much repair of holes in the wall (like a slew of pin holes from sticking papers up on the wall), it was time to put the space together with fresh paint and furniture. The room actually felt lighter and brighter.

The final result has Benjamin Moore French Toile as an accent wall, which is a lovely, serene blue and Benjamin Moore Pale Oak on the remaining walls and trim. Both of these colors have a grey undertone, which gives it a cohesive feel. Add to the room a new window treatment, some art and a fabulous light fixture that reflects off the ceiling and down light. The furniture is from Amazon and is a grey with black which works well with the new black carpet tiles.

So, what do you think about the end result?

Well, it was so well received that a request was made to upgrade a room to make it more of a conference/meeting room. Oh boy, this was an even bigger challenge. There was a door that had at one time led to a ladies bathroom, which was screwed into the wall. This had to be removed and reframed with new drywall to fix the wall. The room itself became a place to “dump” items that no one knew what to do with and didn’t want to throw away. Once again, fill up the dumpster.

The same two colors were used in this room as were used in the office…French Toile and Pale Oak. Only this time the French Toile went on all 4 walls with the Pale Oak on the trim only. The furniture is in a dark charcoal grey and came from Amazon, which works perfectly in the space and complements the blue wall color. It created a lovely space to have a meeting.

Of course, what’s done on one side of a wall effects what’s on the other side, which is the ladies room. Can you hear the groan? There was major repair work to the wall as well as the removal of wallpaper, which was beginning to fall off on its own. Again, a lot of time and sweat BUT it is now a welcoming space for the ladies to come and have a moment if needed with a place to put their bags and be refreshed.

Again, two colors only this time the Pale Oak is on the walls and the French Toile is on the ceiling….the “Fifth wall.” Have you ever painted the fifth wall a color other than white?

Tale of Two Colors made a huge difference in 3 unique spaces used for 3 different purposes.

Casual Elegance Decor offers interior decorating and interior design services throughout Western MA and Northern CT. Contact me today to schedule a consultation.