Shades of Modern! with Bill Baccini

Freshening Up a 1959 Tri-level in Madison

2011-01-20T06:50:00.000-08:00

Hello,

We have a 1959 tri-level in Madison, Wisc., and we need to repaint. At some point someone painted it the current paint scheme, a redwood color and white with contrasting colors for the windows. We feel the way it is currently painted divides the house up to much.

The brick we have has an orange-ish tint to it. I have included a close up of the brick as well as the back of the house.

We would like to stay true to a period color scheme and would welcome any suggestions you have.

Thank you

Rebecca R.

Madison, WI

Hi Rebecca,

Thanks for your question . This is one of the times (and there are many) that I wish I could be there with my color palettes in hand. The fifties were a time of optimism and light airy pastel colors - we were trying to put the drab and sad war years behind us. I know that you want to stay true to the period but I hope you will allow me to tweak it a bit. No pale blue, lilac or seafoam green for you I'm sure! I do however think, with the rusty orange brick, that a green (let's take a cue from the greens of the period and go with a bluer casted one) would be really uplifting and smart. I would go with two greens that are essentially the same hue or color but vary in value (lightness or darkness of a color) - what I would call a color and a let down or tint of that color. Because the colors are in the same family and one is really a lighter version of the other, when you paint the two sections of your home (I would still paint them different colors because of the vertical siding on one and the horizontal on the other) it will not look choppy as it does now. I would use the deeper green for all the trim, top and bottom, the white horizontal siding and the garage door. I would use the lighter green for all the red color siding. This distribution of color will look great, with the darker color on the bottom of the house (the trim will not contrast here - same color) and the lighter green shade on the top with just a bit of the deeper green trim contrasting to tie in the bottom. Take a look at Benjamin Moore Cambridge Green #468 for the darker shade and Ben Moore High Park #467 for the lighter. Hopefully these will work but at least they will give you an idea of how much the colors should vary. Good Luck .... and keep us posted on how it goes!

Do you have a color question that you would like to ask Bill? Please send them to info@modernismmagazine.com

Spruce Up Your Home Front

2010-10-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

We just bought this lovely modern house in Indiana. It need to be painted and we want to use colors of the midcentury or post modern period. The stone is currently accented with turquoise and the siding is a dark brown. We would like to use a turquoise but perhaps a fresher color on the siding. We are thinking something toward a brown/gold. There is a lot of wood paneling inside so feel we should stay with something to compliment that.
Thank you for considering my request,

Chris

Hi Chris,

Well, first off, I love your house! Though the picture is hard to make out, my initial thought is that your "home front" needs continuity. There are a lot of linear planes both horizontal and vertical giving the appearance of sections and one dark "chunk" off to the right that looks to be your garage. I would tie everything together with a light, warm, grayed neutral (take a look at Benjamin Moore's tapestry beige #975) and then use an analogous color (colors that lie close to each other on the color wheel and give a harmonious effect) for all trim (like Benjamin Moore's coastal fog #976) for a subtle accent. These light color choices will help bring your home to the foreground (light colors tend to advance while darker shades recede), keep your roof supported left to right and really add to the curb appeal. Let me know how it goes!

Do you have a color question that you would like to ask Bill? Please send them to info@modernismmagazine.com

60's Curb Appeal

2010-04-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are getting ready to paint the exterior of our home. We are in the process of scraping much of the wood, replacing what is not sound, and then priming the bare surfaces. More daunting for me than all this prepping is the task of choosing colors. We are fortunate in that we will be starting with a rather blank canvas. Our roof is 30 years old and recently was damaged by falling branches, so it will be replaced. Hence we can change the color. The stucco is also in need of repair and we plan on painting this also. The only feature which can not change is the stone facade to the left of the front door. (I hope you can see the gray, blue-gray, and rust tones) There will also be shutters added to the 2 front windows to the right of the front door. Our home is an early 60's ranch surrounded by older 3 story homes. Can you give us some direction?

Thank you for your help!
-Rose

This a nice change for me! I love to assess exteriors and help with curb appeal. I am not sure of your taste or approach so I can only assume, since this question is coming via Modernism magazine, that you have an appreciation of the sixties aspect of your home. I am going to work with a palette derived from the stone and throw in a sixties blue (but updated) for authenticity. Let's start with your roof and work our way down. For the roof I would choose a gray that is close to the deepest warm gray of the stone - move away from the present rust tone. To give your home continuity and make it feel larger I would paint the stucco and siding a shade that is close to a mid-tone color in the stone such as a warm taupe (perhaps Benjamin Moore's Willow Creek #1469). Presently your home looks like a white box stuck on the end of a gray/stone box. This color change will join the two in an elegant way and help ground your home. I would paint all trim, shutters, door and garage door a beautiful shade of blue such as Benjamin Moore's Alfresco #1672 to add interest and pull everything together in an upscale way. As an added note - these Benjamin Moore colors are an approximate derived from the photograph you sent me and could change on site. Lastly, now that you have put in all this effort, get yourself a professional landscaper, trim those bushes and show it off!

-Bill

Victorian Goes Modern

2010-03-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

I am soon to inherit this painted Victorian bedroom set. It consists of the bed you see in the photos, plus a dresser and washstand that both have white marble tops. This may seem like an odd question for Modernism magazine, but the reason I write is because we are moving to a contemporary apartment, built c. 1989. I would like to paint the bedroom a color that would compliment the antique set, yet lend a bit of contemporary feel, in keeping with the clean lines of the space. Shades of green would definitely not be an option! I like the idea of giving the room a beach cottage feel, but not with a result too quaint or "twee." Any suggestions?

Thank you!
Liz in NYC

Well, that is quite the bed! Magnificent and imposing with a very strong presence, I am afraid a beachy cottage look (unless that "cottage" happens to be owned by William Randolph Hearst) is quite out of the question. This is where color can really help a set like this feel right at home in the 80's. I would recommend you go with strong colors that will give weight to the walls and anchor the pieces within. It can be difficult to assess color when you are not able to visit the site, but upon some reflection, and with a printout of the headboard in hand, I settled on two directions. For a deep solid restful look go with Benjamin Moore's Durango (2137-30). This color is a sort of charred warm gray (a bit green-casted) which will look sophisticated, have presence and show definite intentions. If you would prefer a more subdued mystical feeling try Benjamin Moore's Cloudy Sky (2122-30). This is a dreamy blue -- gray color which looks to have about the same depth as the green of the headboard and is not too far away on the color spectrum. Because of these factors, this shade will soften the lines a bit and pull together the whole look. Lastly I would paint the ceiling (eggshell) and trim (semi gloss) the same color as the wall so as to not interrupt the site line and blur where wall meets ceiling. With a heavy sisal rug, touches of gold and bronze patinas (perhaps realized in some modern light fixtures) and well chosen art work you are good ‘til the next century!

If you can't stand the heat....

2009-12-23T07:11:00.000-08:00

Dear Bill,
In my kitchen I have black granite counter tops, honey maple shaker cabinets, red oak hardwood floors, and a brick fireplace. What Benjamin Moore color would you recommend? The foyer leading into the kitchen has marble tile, and the foyer walls have a raspberry Shumacher large traditional paper on them. The adjacent dining room is a very neutral beige.

I'm leaning towards natural wicker, but afraid it will turn green. The kitchen is not dark, but it's not a sun catcher either. The trim color is mayonnaise.
Thank you!
Joan

You must be a very warm person because you sure do like warm colors! With all the honey maple, red oak, brick fireplace and raspberry paper you need to cool down a bit. Oh and by the way ... what's wrong with green? The perfect lozenge to those warm colors would be cool shades of blues, grays and greens. You never want to have a room that is all warm or all cool colors and you never want a 50/50 mix either. With this balance, colors will fight with each other rather than compliment each other. Try and shoot for a 75/25 mix to have a pleasing effect. So, back to you Joan, you seem to have the 75%... now chill a bit on the walls. Pick cool neutral shades like Healing Aloe (1562), Gentle Gray (1624), Windy Sky (1629) or Mountain Mist (868). Although I would need to be in your space and light, I can assure you that these soothing shades will compliment your warm tones and go with your neutral trim and dining room .... "if you can't stand the heat then get out of the kitchen" will not apply!

Julie's Got the Blues

2009-06-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

I've tried for years to find a mid-century modern blue paint for my dining room that goes well with blonde furniture (such as light maple and wheat-finish Heywood-Wakefield), but once I get it on the wall it always seems to look more Caribbean/Southern Florida than modern. Do you have a few favorite blues I could try out? I usually buy Benjamin Moore paint, and have used 212 as a pale yellow/neutral in most other rooms -- where I display my collection of Atomic Starburst dinnerware and other mid-century modern collectibles (mostly in blue/aqua, sea foam green, lime, and red-orange). Thanks for any input! - Julie

Don't feel too blue about your choices. You are unconsciously influenced by the times you live in. What am I talking about? In everytime period there is a collective consciousness in art, music, etc. and color is no exception. In the late 50's and 60's, blue (think TWA uniforms) was one the influencers, so many colors have a blue cast - neutrals were very peachy, oranges were more rust. In the 70's yellow was the cast (think Harvest Gold) so neutrals were warmer, greens more olive. Then we had the 80's and in came reds and purples (think mauves and Nancy Reagan) beige's went pink casted, greens deepened to pine and fuchsia was hot! So, back to you, Julie. We have been coming off a warming trend but warm tones are still very popular - teals, reds, golds and warm browns, (newest now are 80's redo's but look forward to the basic nineties with stones, whites and grayed shades) so when you go to chose a blue you unconsciously go to a warmer shade (tealy). I think what would be authentic would be more of a cornflower or sky blue and would set off the yellow tones of the wood beautifully. Since Wedgewood Blue (YIKES!) and cornflowers may be authentic but hard to live with, go lighter and a tiny bit more yellow with Benjamin Moore's Watercolor Blue #793, Mediterranean Breeze#799, or (less warm and the best one in my light), Soft Sky #807. Often when looking to do a retro color it's pays to do a little research. Go to a library and look at books in color from the time period or a vintage clothing store with clothing from the decade you are researching. Colors should be similar in items from the time period given this collective theory and you just may have to lighten and neutralize them to please today’s eye. Remember lighting in the room is key and color is a backdrop for what's in the room. Good Luck Julie!

Should Gail Go Green?

2009-04-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

I am renovating the kitchen of my Manhattan apartment and cannot decide what color to paint the walls. Really, it is one long wall (across from the windows, so it gets a lot of light) and a bit of wall between the two windows, as well as the window frames and the windowsills. All the rest of the walls (under the cabinets) will be covered with the tile you see in one of the photos on the sample card. The day that I took the photos was very overcast so the light is very blue. On sunny days, it is more golden, especially in the early morning, but the windows face north, so most of the day it is a cool light. The kitchen is usually very bright because there is open sky in front of the windows, as you can see from the photo. I thought of going with a very light green, and someone told me that that would look like a hospital. So I tried darker greens but I am afraid to have an enormous green wall. I am afraid it will reflect and make people look sickly. I haven’t tried a really grayed green yet. But it also occurs to me that possibly green is not the only color to try. The tile has green highlights and a greenish cast, and since I also have a black granite countertop and chestnut brown cabinets, I thought I should avoid introducing yet another color. The appliances will be stainless steel. The flooring throughout my apartment is red oak with a clear, satin finish. The adjacent living room is painted white. Lighting for the evening is a mix of dimmable incandescent overhead and 3100k fluorescent tubes under the cabinets above the counter. Of course there is also the ceiling, which I thought I should leave white. And I wondered whether I should paint white or a lighter version of the wall color on the window frames and sills. Finally, I won’t be able to afford a very high end paint job, so the many bumps and imperfections on the walls and door frames from years of bad paint jobs will remain for the most part. I thought that possibly a less dramatic color would minimize the imperfections more than a dramatic (dark green) one. Please help!
-Gail Burk, New York City

Dear Gail,
I must say, you win the "incredible amount of information for picking one color" award. First, judging from your pictures, you are being a little (make that a lot) heavy handed with the depth and intensity of color for the space. Remember that the wall color is a back drop for the room and it's contents and since the cabinets and the counters are strong, lets lighten up. I do think green is a fresh breath of color to soothe the red wood tones and the black counters. Try finding the palest green shade in your tile back-splash and go a shade lighter and grayer/more neutral - this will also work with the white living room better. It is hard to judge exact shade when not in the space but choose a level in depth and neutrality like Benjamin Moore's Vapor Trails #1556. Once this is accomplished take a chip and tape it to the wall and see if it looks good in all the various light situations - remember color can reflect the color around it so adhere it to a neutral area. In a space like this I would paint the trim and the walls the same color. Paint the trim in a semi-gloss and the walls in an eggshell. The eggshell finish won't be as wipe-able as a semi-gloss finish (usually recommended for a kitchen), but will hide the wall imperfections a bit better. Good luck going green Gail and Bon Appetite!

Bedroom Paint Color Dilemma!

2009-02-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

Bill Baccini, Modernism's trusty color consultant, recently received this question from a reader. If you have color questions, please send it with your snapshots to jen@modernismmagazine.com. Ideas for this reader's color dilemma? We invite you to post a response!

I have a color dilemma that I’m hoping you can help with. Please take a look at the attached photos of my master bedroom. The walls are painted a very pale purple. I think the color is called “American Beauty.” (I bought the paint from MAB a few years ago.) The color is so pale that in some lights it looks white and other times it looks blue. I like that it’s got some life to it but doesn’t compete with my modernist furniture. The problem is that I recently got married and my husband thinks the color is too boring. We live in the Pocono mountain area of Pennsylvania, and I’ve tried to go with light colors and earth tones. My husband prefers bolder colors with more pop. Can you suggest a new “compromise” color that would work for this room? FYI, the adjacent hallway is a light brown called “Irish Cream”. I’ve attached a photo showing the bedroom, looking from the hallway. We can’t afford to change all of our accessories, such as our purple duvet. Do you think a medium brown might work well in the bedroom? Would a darker purple be too overpowering?

Dear Perplexed Pocono Dweller,
While I believe marriage is all about compromise, this may be a battle neither of you has to pick. Though the design community is presently really hot for accent walls whether wallpaper or paint, I choose to be judicious on its recommendation. Your space and situation, however, lends itself perfectly to this solution. Lavenders with taupes and browns are wonderful and chic combinations. I would paint the wall behind the bed a grayed milk chocolate - not too deep, more of a mid tone. This would be a beautiful backdrop for the wood headboard, a nice contrast with the window above and add an inviting warmth that presently is a bit stark. You could then leave the rest of the room its present color or paint it (ceiling too) a shade deeper lavender, still keeping it light but with a bit more personality. In this case I would keep the purple shade fairly neutral (not too red or blue). I would also recommend a smattering of another accent color for room accessories in perhaps a dusty apricot. I do however have one last thought - why no rug? Move away from that wood heavy gymnasium look and throw down an area rug with a range of plush brown and lavender stripes. Sweet dreams!

Ever have trouble Picking the Perfect Paint Color?

2009-01-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

I met Bill Baccini (pictured left) this past fall when he gave a presentation on “picking the perfect paint color” at Twist Gallery in Philadelphia, during the weeklong DesignPhiladelphia event. Bill is a professional color consultant and has kindly agreed to answer your color questions!

Have a question for Bill? Email info@modernismmagazine.com or join this blog! You can send questions, photos, your own thoughts on color…whatever you want.

Here is the first question Bill received:

I live in a ranch house in Ft. Collins, CO, where we receive a considerable amount of snow. My living room has large expanses of glass and all of my furniture is white. The walls are currently painted white and combined with the furniture and snow, I’m starting to suffer from sensory deprivation! Can you suggest a color that would complement my all-white modern furniture, while not competing too much? The flooring in the room is a gray slate, and I have shag white area rugs. I have one large abstract painting that contains mostly whites and blues.

-Jenny Johnson, Ft. Collins, CO

It sounds like it may be a bit cold inside as well as outside! To warm up the space but still stay somewhat neutral (allowing you to stay in your comfort zone), I suggest a pale butter cream yellow or a light dried parsley color. Both of these directions would coexist nicely with gray floors and the blue in the painting, while also creating a sophisticated backdrop for your white furniture. As a final note, if the majority of the light in the room is northern light, which is a cool light, you would want to go with a bit warmer shade.

General thoughts on the color white…White or Not?

White is a strong choice and not the noncommittal choice that some think it is.

Whites can be very tricky but should follow the same rule of thumb as above - choose warm vellum whites or cool-cast whites (such as chalk) depending on the space, what it holds and its end use. Using a variety of whites in one space can be subtle but complex. This could be influenced by how light enters the room and what will be on and in front of specific walls.

Got a question for Bill? Send it to info@modernismmagazine.com!