Though you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, it’s fair game to judge a library by its color. When Louisa and Stan McCleary bought their house in Portland’s Forest Heights neighborhood in late 2001, most of the rooms—including the library—had taupe walls and white woodwork. And the carpet? More taupe. Its bland palette notwithstanding, the 4-year-old house had lots of charm and traditional touches not always found in contemporary homes, including crown molding and built-in bookcases in the library. So though the library had great bones, its ho-hum color scheme had to go “Boring is a good way to put it,” says Louisa. “I wanted to experiment with saturated color, because in my previous house I’d also had pale walls. That can be a nice look, but I was ready for something bright and rich and deep.”

Choosing the right colors was important for another reason: The library would be home to treasured family keepsakes that the McClearys wanted to display. Those keepsakes include a set of leather-bound books by English authors; porcelain Lipizzaner horses that Louisa’s late father, who’d obtained the figurines during his many vacations to Austria, had bequeathed to her; and a coastal-theme oil painting from Stan’s late parents.

For guidance she called in Mary McMurray, a color consultant with Portland-based Art First Colors for Architecture. “When you’re doing multiple rooms and you want them all to be extraordinary in terms of depth of color, it helps to have someone who knows what they’re doing,” says Louisa. “When I’m working with paint samples, I can’t predict the effect the color will have after it’s painted on a huge wall. But Mary can look at a paint chip and say, ‘That’s going to be too beige.’”

The McClearys and McMurray turned to the oil painting for ideas. “We used it as a departure point, but we didn’t match the colors,” says McMurray. “I think a common error is to use the predominant color in a piece of art as a wall color. When you do that, you don’t see the artwork as much.” Inspired by the painting’s coastal hues, McMurray created custom variations on a theme of blue: a deep teal for the walls, an aqua for the back of the bookshelves and a lighter aqua for the ceiling. She also advised ivory for the bookcase and sand-colored carpeting in place of the old taupe one. To help her clients visualize the final result, she painted three-foot-square patches of paint on the walls.

“When we first put the big patch on the wall here, my husband came home and looked at it and went, ‘Oh, my god!’” says Louisa. “Because the blue is so bold. But now he loves it. Sometimes it’s just a matter of getting over the hump of being ready for a deep color.”

As for Louisa, she’s thrilled with the room’s revamped ambience. “Before, it was kind of depressing to look at all that taupe,” she says. “Looking at colors that are this deep and this pretty, it almost gives you physical pleasure.”

Color and design consultant: Mary McMurray, Art First Colors for Architecture, Portland, 503-287-4354 or visit her website, art-first.com.

before

In the home of a colleague in the design profession, Art First recommended these richer colors to heighten the dramatic effect of the architecture.

after

before

after

Warm colors personalize a loft in the Pearl district

Home for collectors of early American antiques, the design plan includes painted graphic squares which reflect elements in the gameboards. Kitchen cabinetry was stained a warmer green-grey, concrete was glazed to subtle shades, and colors in a range from neutral to dramatic applied to selected walls.

before

after

before

before

Restoring and updating a home on the Historic Register

The living room of a home built in 1883, which we designed to incorporate authentic Victorian elements. A raised firebox is surrounded by handmade color-washed tiles. The magnificent black walnut fireplace surround, overmantle, and bookshelves create a focal point and fill the volume of space created by eleven-foot-high ceilings. A light and airy color palette suits the style of the homeowner, a blend of traditional and contemporary.


Splashes of Red Pepper and Savory Herbs simmer in this tasty kitchen.
And the adjoining living-room above: before right: after
A rough panorama assembled from the photos above.

Remodelling your bedroom into a luscious haven of repose.

ART FIRST consulted in this delicious kitchen remodel, removing a wall to embrace the adjoining family room. We retained the cabinets to conserve costs, but designed new counter tops, co-ordinating backsplash tiles, and paint colors. The fluid shape of the dining bar was outlined on-site, both to facilitate traffic flow and to function as a free-form sculpture.

below: before; on the right: after.

A multi-colored interior personalizes this open floor plan. The kitchen, dining room, and family rooms radiate with co-ordinated colors.

Before, all white walls and ceilings lacked spatial definition and character.

Only changing the paint colors made this house a delightful home.

Featured in HOME Magazine:

Colors for Kitchen remodel in N.W. Portland. Ginger walls and a custard ceiling warm up a room that might appear too cold with granite and tile surfaces.

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before In the home of a colleague in the design profession, Art First recommended these richer colors to heighten the dramatic effect of the architecture. after before after

A multi-colored interior personalizes this open floor plan. The kitchen, dining room, and family rooms radiate with co-ordinated colors. Before, all white walls and ceilings lacked spatial definition and character. Only changing the paint colors made this house a delightful home.

Featured in HOME Magazine: Colors for Kitchen remodel in N.W. Portland. Ginger walls and a custard ceiling warm up a room that might appear too cold with granite and tile surfaces.

before

In the home of a colleague in the design profession, Art First recommended these richer colors to heighten the dramatic effect of the architecture.

after

before
after

A multi-colored interior personalizes this open floor plan. The kitchen, dining room, and family rooms radiate with co-ordinated colors.

Before, all white walls and ceilings lacked spatial definition and character.

Only changing the paint colors made this house a delightful home.

Featured in HOME Magazine:

Colors for Kitchen remodel in N.W. Portland. Ginger walls and a custard ceiling warm up a room that might appear too cold with granite and tile surfaces.