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2 of the New 2024 Paint Colors of the Year
It’s that time of year again - falling acorns, changing leaves and paint companies releasing their Color of the Year and paint palettes for the upcoming year. Let’s take a look at two of the many Colors of the Year, Sherwin Williams and Home Depot’s Behr.
It’s that time of year again - falling acorns, changing leaves and paint companies releasing their Color of the Year and paint palettes for the upcoming year. Let’s take a look at two of the many Colors of the Year, Sherwin Williams and Home Depot’s Behr.
Sherwin Williams’ cool coastal color Upward SW-6239
Sherwin Williams Upward is a breezy, peaceful, calm blue hue. According to Sue Wadden, director of color marketing for Sherwin Williams "Upward SW 6239 represents the gentle forward momentum in all of our lives. It brings to life that carefree, sunny day energy that elicits a notion of contentment and peace. With this color, we invite our consumers to take a pause and infuse a new sense of ease and possibility into their spaces – one that doesn't overwhelm, but rather establishes meditation and tranquility."
Sherwin Williams Color of the Year 2023 Upwards
This nice, mid to lighter denimy blue has just a smidge of gray and the same smidge of violet in it, reminiscing for me my periwinkle toned pale blue wedding dress I sported for my nuptials many moons ago. For the rest of you, you’ll think of your most washed, comfy jeans, a clouded blue sky, or channeling the Coastal or Nordic style vibe.
How can you incorporate this color into your home?
Color psychology says that blue is a color often found in nature, such as the pale blue of a daytime sky or the rich dark blue of a deep pool of water. It is for this reason, perhaps, that people often describe the color blue as calm and serene making it a perfect color for places you want to feel calm and serene in - Bedrooms, living rooms, offices.
Too, this color with its touch of violet will pair nicely with natural and oak woodtones, which is a bonus for older homes.
A survey spanning 10 countries found that blue is the most popular "favorite color" for people globally, with men preferring the color blue more often than women (40% versus 24%, respectively, among subjects from the United States) making it a good choice color when staging a home. A pale blue bathroom will add 1.3% to the value of your home according to the Zillow Paint Colors Analysis.
Sherwin Williams recommends pairing the hue with blues and greens, deeps and darks and delicate tints like Sherwin Williams Snowbound SW 7004, Drift of Mist SW 9166, Gale Force SW 7605, Tricorn Black SW 6528, Honeydew SW 6428, Palm Leaf SW 7735 and Antiquarian Brown SW 0045.
Sherwin Williams Upwards Collage
Behr’s moody, sophisticated Cracked Pepper PPU 18-1
The Behr 2024 Color of the Year is Cracked Pepper, a soft black that exudes confidence and instantly elevates any indoor and outdoor space. It is a versatile and sophisticated color that can be paired with various styles, finishes, and accents.
"As we look into 2024, creating a sense of comfort and belonging will continue to drive design decisions—but now, as life returns to its more familiar rhythms, it's time to allow our senses to come alive," says Erika Woelfel, Vice President of Color and Creative Services at Behr Paint Company. "We recognize the growing desire for using darker colors throughout spaces," says Jodi Allen, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Behr Paint Company. "Adding a soft black like Cracked Pepper evokes a sense of confidence and individuality that we want all of our customers to feel after completing a project."
This edgy, deep gray black with blue undertones reminds channels for me the whole Dark Academia vibe we have seen the past few years. I’m itching to paint my living room TV/media wall back wall this color. For the rest of you, you’ll think pencil graphite, the perfect color winter cashmere sweater, or channeling anything Ralph Lauren home to minimalistic Contemporary style vibe.
How can you incorporate this color into your home?
According to Behr, more than half of Americans (54%) say black tones in a home create a new energy and vibe, so anywhere.
When selling Buyers are saying goodbye to bland and bidding more on homes with dusky, dramatic walls. A new Zillow® 2023 study finds recent and prospective home buyers would offer more money for a home with interiors painted dark gray. Charcoal walls are associated with higher offer prices than white in every room studied: kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom.
Quiet Luxury, a term borrowed from the fashion world, refers to the understated elegance of classic cuts and quality fabrics over the brashness of logo-mania. Thanks to its dramatic and moody feel, Cracked Pepper is the perfect way to bring this aesthetic to your home. For polished results, Behr recommends pairing it with warm neutrals, such as Chic Taupe N230-4 , a hue that’s the perfect balance of brown and gray.
Thanks to its earthy, organic undertones, Cracked Pepper is also a great exterior paint. It’s a decidedly modern hue when splashed across the whole house, but paired with red brick, it leans more traditional. For a small project with a big payoff, try painting your front door and shutters.
Behr’s 2024 Cracked Pepper Collage
Want to find out more about who and how these paint colors are picked each year, more details on how to use new color trends whether selling or dwelling?
Tune in tomorrow (Wednesday 10/11/23) for the launch of my new Home Staging Podcast ONLY STAGERS IN THE BUILDING. I’ll be joined with Mary Hoffman paint and color expert from Benjamin Moore.
House to Home - Ideas for Your New Place
Whether you are moving into something new, or just want a fresh look for your existing place - here are some great tips, ideas and sage advice on making a house a home.
The keys are yours! You’ve gone through the process... the searching, deciding, inspection, stress, closing and finally, the elation of buying a new home. Now, you have to make it your own. Here’s how. Whether you are moving into something new, or just want a fresh look for your existing place - here are some great tips, ideas and sage advice on making a house a home.
“Pick one room and make it yours. Go slowly through the house. Be polite, introduce yourself so it can introduce itself to you.”
Color - Paint is the least expensive, easiest way to update a space. It can individualize a room and put your personal stamp on your home. Pick your color style - From calming nature-inspired neutrals, clean, fresh whites, to bold and fun retro colors, whatever you have in mind for your style, color can showcase it. And color doesn’t have to be just on the walls - If you want to keep the wall color simple, infuse color with your furniture, art or accessory choices. Get your craft on by painting a piece of furniture, or recover your dining chairs seats with new fabric. Try trending wallpaper on a single accent wall or power room. Create a signature look with a statement making - front door color. With color, the change is quick, easy and is all you.
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal Blue Door (Photo: Benjamin Moore)
BOLD WALLPAPER
CREATE A STATEMENT WITH SOME FUN AND FUNKY WALLPAPER. PEEL AND STICK MAKES IT EASY
ORGANIZE YOUR PAINT
WITH THIS GREAT PAINT COLOR ORGANIZER
Your Favorite Things - This is your chance to create a space that reflects your unique style. Home should hold your beautiful art, furniture, passed down family treasures and loved flowers in your garden beds. Simple daily rituals with favorite things, cozy slippers slipped on at the end of day, or tossing your keys into that old bowl, will infuse you into the home. It could be something new that defines your new chapter of home - that perfect comfy sofa you spied, a fresh new style that you’ve wanted to try out, fun new pillows to add a splash to a patio set. By incorporating these favorite things - you’ll become instantly grounded in your new space.
KEY BOWL
PERFECT FOR YOUR FOYER OR COUNTER TOP TO TOSS YOUR KEYS AND MAIL IN
Make Your Bed! A bed is your personal haven and cocoon. Dressing your bed makes your home environment feel luxurious. Even if the bedroom still has boxes, you can sleep well with a beautifully made bed. It can boost your mood. Making your bed is a simple task that can have a big impact on your mood. Studies have shown that people who make their beds are more likely to feel happy and positive. Make your bed so that every time you see it, you want to jump into it. I like to mix old with new. New, fresh, very fancy (the best you can afford) sheets, a stylish linen duvet set slipped over your old favorite down comforter and pillows. Pair the bedding with Grandma’s quilt or your favorite throw at the end of the bed and you'll be ready for a great night's sleep.
LINEN DUVET SET
SOFT, BEAUTIFUL AND EASY TO CREATE A GREAT SPACE
Room to Room - This is where you channel Frances Mayer, the character from the book/movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" - by going room to room to make it yours. When you first move in, take some time to spend in each room. This will help you get a feel for the space and start to envision how you want to use it. Don’t try to tackle the entire home’s decorating and styling needs, instead, try to work on the spaces you spend the most time in first.
5 Senses - Nothing says home more than seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, and feeling your favorite things at home. Put out those family photos, beloved books, play music, light some candles in your favorite scent, open your favorite wine and curl up on that fluffy sofa and celebrate home!
Your home should be a place where you can relax and escape from the stresses of everyday life. Make sure it's a space that you love spending time in. With a little effort, you can easily make your new house feel like home. So take some time to get settled in, add your personal touch, and start creating memories in your new space. - Julea
Need HELP? From move-in services to one day room makeovers, I’m a call away 708.448.7500 Julea@Julea.com
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Best Styling Home Staging Accessories
Selling a house requires you to bring out its very best. Here’s a short list of my favorite home staging accessories.
Selling a house requires you to bring out its very best. Here’s a short list of my favorite home staging accessories. Why? ‘Cause they’re easy like Sunday morning. Easy to find, easy to style, BUT make a big impact on presenting your best space. Betcha you have these already, but if yours are tired, dated or you are moving to a new place that could use a few of them - I’ve got you cover in my last post.
Take a gander at the infographic and make sure to read the details. If you want to learn more about accessorizing, join me this Friday, the 17th via ZOOM hosted by MAINSTREET ASSOCATION OF REALTORS for my Accessorizing for Home Staging Workshop. Starts at 10am. If you are still in need of assistance , or want to get a pro’s home styling eye, call me - I’m happy to help you with your poor accessorizing aptitude. I can be reach by phone and text @ 708-543-8597.
15 Home Staging Props to Up-Style an Occupied Home
Last week’s home staging evaluation needed a shopping list. Although this luxury home had it all, and may I say, was quite lovely - every home, no matter how fabulous, needs some level of home staging.
Last week’s home staging evaluation needed a shopping list. Although this luxury home had it all, and may I say, was quite lovely - every home, no matter how fabulous, needs some level of home staging.
Most homes need to be weeded, packed, and organized. A well showcased home gives the potential buyer an explained lifestyle. Make it easy for them to picture themselves living beautifully in the home; show off the details, and explain how wonderful it would be to own it.
With that, there are three rooms in a home going on the market sellers need to focus on: The Living Room, The Kitchen and the Primary Bedroom. The NAR (National Association of REALTORS) in their annual Profile of Home Staging report stated that staging the living room was found to be very important for buyers (46%), followed by staging the master bedroom (43%), and staging the kitchen (35%). After all, we spend most of our time in these spaces.
Kitchens need to follow form and function -showcase how the space will delight and how at ease it functions.
Living rooms are for living, so comfortable, attractive aesthetics, family and entertaining friendly, and a great traffic pattern to get to and from.
And then there is the primary bedroom, a power place for rest and respite after a full day.
Showcasing these spaces and attracting buyers with home styling may include changing out or adding to the space to create that ideal environment. At all of my Home Staging Evaluations I offer a shopping list of staging props needed to up-style the home for market.
Here are 15 things I suggest in a home staging evaluation. Many of the items on this list can be used to style any home - whether selling or dwelling.
[Click on photo for direct links and details on Amazon. Please note that I have an AMAZON Store front receive a small commission. ]
Inviting, neutral, bedding. This simple, elegant duvet set is perfect for any bedroom. Too, you can slip any existing bedding into this envelope style bedding option making it super east to stage with it.
2. A chunky, textural throw. Add a lifestyle layer to any seating or bed. (Don’t you want to cuddle under it?) This Hygge style, big knit throw in a light tone creates a comfort cue to a staged space.
3. A washable area rug. Choose your size and area - a washable area rug is functional and beautiful.
4. White lacquer serving tray. A styling prop for any surface. It’s light color and modern style will enhance anything styled within it.
5. Silver, oblong serving bowl. Its perfect size, elegant shape and metallic finish is one of my favorite staging props. Empty or filled, a statement on any surface.
6. A pair of clear glass based tall 30” lamps for anywhere needed. You don’t want short scaled lamps to other things in a room. These fit any style in any space and are the right height for most furniture arrangements.
7. Round Mirror. Mirrors bring light and style into a space. A round mirror add interest and plays off all the square angles of most rooms.
8. Simple, neutral art/photo frame for anywhere needed. Perfect to replace family photo areas, or missing spots where needed.
9. Storage Baskets. Stylish, textural baskets to tidy any space.
10. White waffle weave shower curtain. Every stagers favorite shower curtain. (Rings included)
11. White, high-style, linen towels. A great set of fluffy, white towels can elevate any bath. For baths who’s finishes may not be to the tastes of today’s buyers - white towels can neutralize odd colors and patterns.
12. Covered glass storage jars. A perfect prop in any space. Showcase a lifestyle or corral a collection.
13. Up-style your pump soap to the next level. It’s the little luxury details that people notice.
14. White craft paper to “school” wrap your books to style a bookcase ot create a beautiful vignette.
15. Coffee Table Books to make your table look fancy.
Need expert and insightful advice for your home environment? Whether moving out, in, or at any chapter of your home experience, I can assist you with your decorating dilemmas. call/text 708.543.8597 email julea@julea.com
EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS: Join Julea at mainstreet organization of realtors for home staging education EVENTS
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The Heritage Home Design Trend
It’s best to call it a NEW trend, especially for the younger generation home dwellers who abhor all décor of their parent’s abode.
Everything Old is New Again
It’s best to call it a NEW trend, especially for the younger generation home dwellers who abhor all décor of their parent’s abode. We’ve seen home trending whiffs of a collective Grandmother direction worded as “Granny Chic” “Granny Millennium” and last summer’s “Coastal Grandmother” (brought on perhaps by watching too many newly discovered Nancy Meyers’ movies during the pandemic?). In any case the buzz worthy 2023 home interior design and styling trend has been coined “The Heritage Home”
The Heritage Home
My interpretation of this home styling trend means that old is finally and refreshingly OK, passed down is cool, and mixing old and new creates individuality. Mix + match is the trend, pairing your functional clean lined current furnishings with passed down and vintage. This combination results in a home that doesn’t look like this month’s home décor aisle at your favorite big box retail store - but one that’s style looks like has been curated and patiently collected for years.
Items that may have been tucked away for years can be showcased, garage sale finds layered and celebrated in a new, fresh way and favorite pieces refreshed with a new coat of paint or fabric. The trend stems in pairing them with your present-day pieces to create a space that looks curated and developed and totally uniquely your own.
An accent table can be the perfect surface to showcase your vintage finds. (Photo: Reinventing Space)
Paint company Krylon chose their 2023 Color of the Year ( #COTY) Spanish Moss by this trend saying “The heritage trend style is increasingly growing in popularity - the comfort and reassurance found in the past. The color is seen in upcycle, recycled, vintage and antique furnishings and it inspires D-I-Yers to create inviting spaces full of comforting personal choices - ..offering a dose of nostalgia and familiarity at the same time.”
Reinvent an old tea/cocktail cart into something new and fresh for your home by giving it a makeover. The piece can be that infused celebration of “old + new.”
Krylon 2023 Color of the Year Spanish Moss ( photo: Krylon)
I like the phrase “full of comforting personal choices”. If we’ve learned one thing about the past three years it’s that home IS truly our shelter from the storm. It’s no wonder that our past down treasures and quirky vintage finds now find a special place in our home, and the need to refresh what we already have is our new home design mantra for 2023.
Create a comfortable space filled with old and new (Photo: Reinventing Space)
The trend celebrates and embraces a home’s architecture and esthetics too - meaning not erasing the heritage of a home’s build era, but instead following its guidance to include the history and flavor of the home’s ambiance. Flippers are you listening?
Quirky Embraced
Your home’s bones should be embrace and celebrated. (Photo: Reinventing Space)
Pinterest calls it Hipstoric
Pinterest brands the trend “Hipstoric” and according to their data - “in 2023, people will find new ways to honor old stuff in their homes. Got a hand-me-down handy? These searches are helping people combine vintage—often inherited—pieces with their modern styles. Thanks to the Boomers and Gen X driving these trends, antiques have never looked so chic.”
High trending searches on Pinterest:
Eclectic interior design vintage+850%
Mixing modern and antique furniture+530%
Antique windows repurposed+50%
Maximalist decor vintage+350%
Mix + Match style with layers of personality. Furniture, pattern, eras, magically melded to create a one-of-kind space. From floral wallpapers, lush velvets, to repurposed vintage finds revitalized with peel and stick paper.
Drew Barrymore for Walmart (Photo: Walmart)
The English Home
Across the pond, and always a jump ahead, this trend has been in full embraced in 2020 -
“As the latest spring home décor collections preview at London Design Week (LDW) 2020, it’s clear that heritage design principles continue to influence the work of today’s leading interior designers.
Whilst new design ideas offer innovative inspiration to those updating their homes, they also incorporate style from the past – bringing colour palettes and patterns back from the archives. Interior experts are guided by time‐honoured techniques and architectural features, too, celebrating the importance of skill and craftsmanship in home décor.” - The English Home
Home Entertaining + Celebrations
82% of consumers surveyed said they plan on entertaining at home as much or more than 2022 (International Housewares Association)
Heritage Trend - Traditional dinner entertaining (Photo: Pottery Barn)
Scroll through any online home furniture/lifestyle retailer and you’ll find the Tabletop/Entertaining tab is chocked full of product and explained inspiration. Home entertaining and daily traditional home rituals seem to be très chic, from afternoon tea in lovely antique cups, to sit down dinner parties with friends. Perhaps there is still hope for us Boomers to pass down generational China sets and silver serving ware!
As an Interior Stylist I straddle two worlds - I consult home dwellers how to fully embrace, personalize and celebrate their home, and home sellers who want to prepare their space for a new family by removing that personalized stamp. The 2023 Heritage Trend can be fully embraced by both dwellers and sellers.
Mix + Match - Erase the idea that you need a matching “suite” of furnishings. Create a room that incorporates many styles and eras.
Repurpose and Reinvent - Have a passed down or well loved piece? Don’t be fearful of reinventing it with a coat of paint or new fabric.
Consider traditional updates to a home. Celebrate the bones of your home. Instead of erasing the past, embrace it. From lighting architectural elements, to color palette - consider following a guide to the past to update.
Maximalist or Minimalist, all are welcome with this trend and can work to both’s advantage
Curate collections and passed down heritage - whether in a bookcase vignette or as your daily dinnerware, personalized and individual are key ingredients.
Infuse old and new - Daily function always trumps fussy, the goal is a space that looks like it has been layered over the years.
In conclusion - Shop your home and unearth passed down and forgotten treasures. Repurpose and reinvent them if you want to put your fingerprint on them. Consider adding some traditional and old design styles into your home whether with color, fabric, wallpaper or architectural elements. Create a home that celebrates its heritage, your own heritage and create a space that is individually yours.
- Julea
Can’t figure out how to pull your it all together? My business model is based on using what you have 1st before buying new. I’m happy to help you create a curated home whether in person or on-line. Call or text me at 708-543-8597.
Reference Links:
(https://www.homeaccentstoday.com/trends/mother-nature-inspires-2023-colors-of-the-year/)
(https://business.pinterest.com/en-us/pinterest-predicts/2023/hipstoric-home/)
(https://www.theenglishhome.co.uk/the-top-5-heritage-design-elements-for-elegant-homes/
New Year New Room Re-style - Shake up your space with these post holiday styling ideas
STOP! Before you start shoving your furniture back into its old spots after you’ve packed away your holiday décor, consider this instead -
STOP! Before you start shoving your furniture back into its old spots after you’ve packed away your holiday décor, consider this instead – Why not give your space a new perspective by re-styling things? After all isn’t the New Year all about making changes? And don’t give me the excuse that if you move stuff around what will you do about those carpet divots. Please…
A fresh perspective is a good thing, especially in your home environment.
[1st things first. Start the new year with clearing your home of the past year. Scientists have observed that sage can clear up to 94 percent of airborne bacteria in a space and disinfect the air. The Latin word for sage salvia stems form the word heal. Light an essential oil Sage candle and start the new year with a fresh, cleared space.]
Here are some things you can do to up-style and reinvent your rooms and home spaces.
Move What You Have Around: Start with what you already have. Take a stroll through your home and inventory the furniture you have from attic to garage. Could that consignment shop find desk up in the spare room work as a sofa table or would that rug in the dining room look really nice in the living room? After you do some mental inventory, address the room you want to reinvent. Consider flip flopping the sofas, changing the room's focal point to a different wall or changing the entire feel of the space by swapping pieces from other rooms to make it more formal or casual. If these suggestions are a bit overwhelming to you, our One Day Makeover services can breath a fresh new perspective into your spaces and uncover things you’ve haven’t used in years.
Our One Day Room Makeover services recreate a space in a matter of hours - (Photo: Julea Joseph)
Accessory Re-Styling: Rotate it, archive them or repurpose it! From tabletops to bookcases to wall art, your accessories can always use a new look. The same family photos in the same frame in the same space aren't even seen anymore. Your very favorite piece of art hanging in the dining room isn't being celebrated there - move it to a spot so you can view it all the time. That boring bookcase or China hutch could make your room POP if you rotated and swapped the pieces. Give a lamp a new look with a new shade, harp, finial, or re-style it - by raising it up with a stack of books or painting the base.
Flip your shades. Change out your lamp shades, and/or lamp finials. (PHOTO: One Kings Lane)
Furniture Reinvention: Can you reupholster, slipcover, paint it? If your furniture is good, if you love the lines or it has sentimental value, keep it, and improve it.
We are pros at offering advice on how to reinvent your treasured furniture (PHOTO: Julea Joseph)
Paint Color Up Grade: Once you get your room rearranged, you may want to take the next step and change the paint color as well. If you have had the same color on your walls for years, a new hue can upgrade your furniture, accessories and art. 2023 offers a plethora of amazing trending paint color to choose from. Try just painting an accent wall, or, try a wall of wallpaper.
2023 Paint Colors of the Year (PHOTO: Source/Julea Joseph)
A Few New Purchases: Any room could use a few new things. It could be as simple as a lovely potted plant on your cocktail table, a new fun rug in a bold hue or pattern to take your formal living room from boring to spectacular. A new accent collection in a trending color, or a new piece of furniture to refresh the old. Feel free to shop for a few new items, but only after your room has been re-styled. Consider the new items as the frosting, not the cake.
Refresh a room with a new piece or two - rug. (PHOTO: Amazon)
No time for shopping - Here’s a few examples for you on AMAZON - From a Sage candle to furniture pieces. Julea’s January finds on AMAZON
Don't have the time or talent to do this yourself? Good news, we can help. We're interior arrangement experts, have fabulous ideas on how to give your old stuff a new life and don't even get me started on what we can find with our shopping skills! Give me a jingle, send an email my way and let's talk. We offer both on-location and e-makeover sessions. Let's get your home refreshed, restyled and reinvented. Biz phone: 708-543-8597 M 708-448-7500 B Email: Julea@Julea.com.
WANT TO LEARN MORE? Visit my website for my upcoming workshops, education and training. JULEA’S SPEAKING & EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS
Oh... and those divots - Add crushed ice to the dent, let melt and then use an old hairbrush to re-fluff your carpet. Refluff again after drying. Divots gone! - JULEA