Our living room had been due for renovation for a while, not only because I had gotten tired of the wallpaper’s colors (yellow and terracotta), but also over a period of 10 years, the fireplace and candles had left their traces on the wallpaper, which was now faded and at the same time covered with a veil of gray. When the suspension of the sliding doors broke due to the aging of the plastic rollers (conveniently hidden behind the wall covering and inaccessible without damaging the wallpaper), it was really time to tackle the renovation.

The living room before the renovation

Color selection for the redesign

For the redesign, we wanted to choose more timeless, neutral colors in a palette that would evoke a day by the sea, since that’s where we like to spend our vacations. We decided on a sandy tones for wall colors, for versatility, since the room had some elements that would remain after the renovation, and we wanted to have it all coordinate. The elements we kept included: The white wooden ceiling (it was completely cleaned as part of the renovation),

• the beech furniture,
• the couch with its cream-colored covers and terracotta pillows (although I was still unsure of the pillows, I knew they could be changed later on, as they are a standard pillow size),
• the radiator trim underneath the windows, which was painted a cream color at the top and front to match the couch
• the oak parquet floor that we sanded and resealed during the renovation

Since my husband is a big fan of wallpaper, we started our project by looking at several wallpaper pattern books. We wanted to use two slightly different shades to separate the living room and dining areas. We were looking for wallpapers without large patterns, since we knew we wanted to decorate our walls with pictures and didn’t want patterns to visually clash or compete with them.

Our wallpaper options were somewhat limited, either because we didn’t care for the pattern or the color was too dark. In the end, we decided on these two very plain wallpapers:

Datacolor’s ColorReader helped us decide on our wallpaper selection. Earlier, we had scanned the main colors of the living room with the ColorReader and created a color palette with them. We added the colors of the wallpaper to the palette to see which ones harmonized best with the existing hues.

The darker wallpaper we chose was considered for the dining area first, and the lighter tone was planned for the wall behind the sofa. However, when comparing the sofa and wallpaper color in the app, it quickly became clear that there would not be enough contrast between the sofa and wallpaper. The two colors were very similar, so we changed our minds and chose the darker wallpaper for the couch corner.

The living room renovation

As soon as the wallpaper was ordered, we started our work.

Furniture was put into the garage or moved to the middle of the room, and the old wallpaper was removed. In the picture on the left you can see well how yellowed and dirty the old wallpaper was…

After the complete removal of the wallpaper, the boxes for the roller shutter were given new insulation and later a new wooden cover.

Additionally, we also :

• removed the wall coverings for the sliding doors and replaced the hanging system with new, heavy-duty metal rollers
• filled the holes in the walls and sanded them smooth
• gave the walls a new coat of primer
• sanded and resealed the hardwood floor, which was a major operation, since we had to move furniture from left to right to allow the sealer to dry between coats

After that, it was time for the new wallpaper to shine! We started with the wall where the couch would be. From the window (away from the light) we worked our way to the sliding door:

To see if the app was right and the colors really did work well together, we pushed the sofa into the corner for a quick peek. Interesting how different the wallpaper looks, depending on the light and shadows of the room.

Since the wall and the wall paneling of the sliding door meet in the corner and the wall paneling always moves a little bit, we decided not to wrap the wallpaper around the corner to avoid dents and warps. We used a small white wooden bar to cover this corner, providing a perfect finish that complemented the wooden ceiling.

The other wall by the dining table and the left side of the sliding door of the living room entrance were papered with the lighter wallpaper.

With the furniture rearranged, the room was coming together nicely, and the terracotta-colored sofa cushions still fit into the overall picture:

We used the ColorReader again when it was time to find new curtains. I did not want to cover the windows again completely, but I wanted to frame the windows preferably in matching cream tones. Equipped with the living room colors in the color palette of the app on my phone and the ColorReader, I started my search for some ready-made curtains.

At first I had a natural-colored cotton or linen look in mind, but then found a slightly shiny fabric with block stripes, set off with a fine gold edge that I liked.

Once I scanned the colors with ColorReader, I also knew it would work well with our living room. So I purchased 4 panels for the windows.

I tried out the curtains in the living room and they looked great, so we shortened them to the correct length and created 4 new sofa cushion covers from the fabric remnants

The bare walls now got new picture prints. Of course, ColorReader helped me once again with the color editing of the selected images. We had selected two images from our vacation on the island of Baltrum (Germany) to have printed on aluminum.

In order to match the colors of the images to the living room colors, I used the measured color values of the wallpaper and furniture again. In the ColorReader app, the scanned colors also include Lab color data values:

I used these values for editing images in Photoshop and made sure the color of the sand in the two selected images matched to the wallpaper – not everywhere, of course, but the shade does appear in it. I explain how this is done in this blog post: https://www.datacolor.com/colorreader/blog/exact-color-matching-with-photoshop-and-the-datacolor-colorreader-ez/

I ordered my prints from an online print service. We like the way they match the overall color of the room.

In summer, it was time to work on the coffee table. The table top had suffered – it was scratched and had water marks. For quite some time I had been looking for a replacement, because we wanted to have a coffee table with a closed storage compartment for our board games. I couldn’t find anything (at least nothing I liked and that would match in color), so I used my ColorReader on the radiator cover and had a matching color mixed at my local paint store. I removed the table tops, sanded and repainted them. I like it much better that way!

Little by little I found more matching accessories, pulling the look of the room together with each new addition. And maybe I will change the sofa cushion covers, but for now, I still like the splash of color

Autumn is when paint companies come out with their respective Color of the Year for the next year, based on a number of different factors. In this Q & A, Andrea Magno, Director of Color Marketing & Development at Benjamin Moore, shares insights about the company’s choice for Color of the Year, and how to incorporate it into home décor.

Tell us about the Color of the Year – what it is and how do you define this color?

The Color of the Year 2023 is Raspberry Blush 2008-30, a saturated red-orange that enlivens our surroundings while awakening our senses with charismatic color.  This vivacious color is unapologetic in its boldness as it encourages a confident color statement.

How do you decide on a Color of the Year?

The Color team at Benjamin Moore spends months researching, recording observations, and sharing a wide array of ideas that are ultimately synthesized to guide the curation of the Color Trends palette and select the Color of the Year. Through this work, our aim is to analyze where the societal mood or inclination is headed for the coming year, and how we can use these cues to determine where the general color direction is headed. From there, we look at overarching color trends and how we can relate this to the many ways in which color is brought into the home.

If you had to pick a single overarching influence for this color being chosen as Color of the Year, what would it be?

We observed the impact that bold color has whether through energetic color used in art, the vivid colors of nature, and drenching spaces in color for an engaging, sensorial result. This brought us to a reoccurring theme around the willingness to be creative and expressive through color, even if it meant breaking away from the tried and true.

Why this color now? What do you feel this color brings to home décor?

While we love neutrals and our collection of off-whites with their subtleties that have been very popular over the past several years, we identified a need for an upbeat energy in rooms – a quality that color can surely deliver. This desire to bravely dive into color brings excitement and a new-found vitality that comes to life with Raspberry Blush and the rest of the Color Trends 2023 palette. For 2023, the time is right to take a confident step forward in our color selections to truly embrace the transformative power of color and paint. For some, bringing a saturated color into the home may be done in a small gesture of color, while for others the time has come to make a fearless color statement.

What other paint colors work well with (color of the year)? What other design elements?

To guide our customers through the color journey and make using bold colors more approachable, we feature four neutrals in our Color Trends 2023 brochure that will pair well with this dynamic palette. The colors included are White Heron OC-57, Etiquette AF-50, Gray Owl OC-52, and Onyx 2133-10. For example, a room with great millwork or moldings painted in one of the neutrals paired with Raspberry Blush would instantly energize a space, while creating a nice balance between bold color and reliable neutrals.

How do you best work with this color in various décor styles? (modern, farmhouse, cottage, Japandi, etc.)

Raspberry Blush certainly lends itself to the popular maximalist styles we are seeing in many inspiring and fun images, and it can also work its way into traditional or modern styles. For popular décor trends that have an overall softness or reliance on a neutral palette, Raspberry Blush may be used as a smaller accent to punctuate a space, inserting and energetic dash of personality. The character of a boho look also lends itself to Raspberry Blush, as this color can complement an eclectic play of pattern and color.

What’s your favorite way to use this color? If you could create a perfect décor setting for this hue, what would it be?

As we developed the Color Trends palette and selected Raspberry Blush as our Color of the Year, we thought back to the traditional red dining room of the past. We see Raspberry Blush as an opportunity to bring a renewed, fresh take on this idea to create a lively dining room that is sure to inspire a lively gathering. We also love this color as an entry color because this hue will set the stage with personality while welcoming guests in a confident and energetic manner.

How would you encourage people to try this color in their own home?

Taking the plunge into deep, saturated or chromatic colors can be daunting, especially when we’ve become so comfortable with all-neutral spaces. Moving back into color may require a leap of faith, but the results will be impactful and will showcase great color confidence. A way to move into using color may be through a small accent, or even painting a room such as a study, powder room, or another space where a standalone color will work well. Using samples is also a great way to test drive a color – sometimes adjusting to using a stronger color can be an important step to become comfortable with bringing a transformative color into a room.

Warmth, nostalgia, nature and sustainability are prevalent trends in paint colors for 2023 – do you feel (color of the year) follows one or more of these trends? If so which ones and how? If not, do you see it fitting into another trend?

We’ve been tracking the move to the warmer side of the color wheel after many years where cooler colors dominated, and we felt that 2023 is the right time to really make a statement with a warm color. Over the past two years we’ve included colors that fall into the red-orange family, but they had a slightly muted quality. For 2023 we wanted to a red-orange that captured the warmth and saturation that makes for a charismatic color statement.

When developing the palette, we noted many retro or nostalgic influences with designs that brought us back to different decades, whether the 70’s, 80’s or 90’s, resulting in an eclectic mix. Nature came into the story as well, but rather than focus on the softer or more organic colors in nature we looked at the bold or even fiery colors – think of a sunset or the captivating depth of color of the Mediterranean.

Another trend we are also leaning into the desire for self-expression and making a statement. We started this story in 2022, and we are taking it to the next level by bumping up the saturation for 2023.

How does this color work as part of overall color palette trends for interior décor for 2023 and beyond?

Raspberry Blush leads the way for the palette of saturated, uplifting hues included in the Color Trends 2023 palette. Each color has a distinct personality and can stand on its own for fantastic results. The confidence and charisma of Raspberry Blush is contagious, inviting us to push outside of our comfort zones and into an amazing color experience.

Need some helpful advice about painting? Check out these helpful tips from the experts at Porch – our guest blogger. Porch connects homeowners with home professionals to get their home projects done, offering tools and resources, including advice, reviews and project pages, to help homeowners manage each home project from start to finish. Read the blog post here.

Vignettes play an interesting part in interior design. A vignette is simply a small collection of items arranged in a visually appealing way that tells a story. What constitutes a vignette can also help define its function in a space and determine what story it tells.

Types of Vignettes

A vignette can be a grouping of objects you collect, such as candlesticks, salt & pepper shakers or decorative eggs. In this instance, the story behind the vignette is one of self-expression, displaying something in your home design that brings you joy.

A vignette could also be about objects that reflect your design style, such as a grouping of mid-century modern objects atop a dresser from the same time period.

Vignettes can function as both a visual resting place for the eye and a focal point in your space. A collection of mercury glass placed on a mirror can function as jewelry does for an outfit – “accessorizing” a space for a more finished look.

Color can play a strong role in creating a vignette – from tying together seemingly disparate objects to adding a pop of color to a space, highlighting a room’s accent color, or even further defining its design style (organic farmhouse, modern beach cottage, etc.), enhancing the room’s overall style ambiance.

Curated Color with ColorReader EZ

The ColorReader EZ can be a particularly handy tool to have when creating a color vignette with existing objects in your home. Simply scan the flat surface of objects you’d like to display to help you create a color theme/palette for your vignette that will look beautiful.

Tips for Creating a Stunning Vignette

Choose the Right Location – Pick a spot with adequate illumination (from natural or artificial light) in a prominent place in the space for easy viewing. Vignettes are all about presentation, so you don’t want to have yours hidden in some corner.

Decide on a Theme – Create a visual story – do you want to go with color, a favorite collection or a seasonal feel? The great thing about vignettes is that they are easy to change according to your design objectives or personal mood.

Consider Spacing – A thoughtful approach to selecting and grouping objects in a vignette is key – think curated, not cluttered. Each object should be able to be viewed and appreciated both as a single item and as part of a larger group or story. Crowd too many things together or space too few items apart and you’ll lose that sense.

Adding Interest – Include objects of varying heights, visual weights and perhaps, textures to keep your vignette dynamic. And don’t be afraid to try out an item that may be an outlier but has an interesting story that ties it into your vignette. Along with visual appeal, a great vignette can also be a jumpstart to some stimulating conversations.

Guest post by DIY / Interior Design blogger Rebecca Wallenta / sinnenrausch.at

It feels so good to finally be able to move part of everyday life outside again. On warm days, there’s nothing I enjoy more than putting my feet up on our balcony, which is right off our living room, and letting my mind wander. But where can I put my coffee cup in the morning, an exciting novel in the afternoon and a candle in the evening? A small side table would be handy – luckily, it’s also a quick DIY project, using old or discarded flowerpots, bowls and plates.

The finished DIY side table for our patio!
Perfectly color-coordinated with my favorite outdoor decorative accessories.

Personalized color design thanks to ColorReader EZ

My color inspiration for the side tables came from the outdoor table décor and accessories I have for our patio. Using my ColorReader EZ, I simply scanned my desired colors from these items to find their perfect paint color matches.

A while ago, ColorReader EZ helped me redecorate our bedroom and ever since, it has been my favorite tool when it comes to scanning and matching colors, as well as finding color-coordinating hues.

With just one click, the handy device gives you your top 3 paint color matches, along with color data for your desired color. Ever been out and come across a particularly beautiful hue you’d like to incorporate into your home decor? Simply scan the object of your color inspiration with your ColorReader EZ, then save it on your smartphone via the feature rich ColorReader app. You’ll have all the color information you need at your fingertips when you go to the store to get your paint. The app lets you save scanned colors, organize them according to project, color palette, or however you want, and you can easily share colors and palettes with friends, families, colleagues, contractors – anyone! Save colors and create palettes to use now or for future projects.

The scarf’s delicate, petal hue is scanned with ColorReader EZ, so a perfectly matching paint color
can be mixed at the paint or hardware store.

As color inspiration for my project, I chose a blue lantern and a print in different shades of blue. As a second, coordinating color, I wanted the pale pink of the linen cloth, which looked great with the blue I had decided on. A color combo that was both light and fresh – just perfect for summer!

ColorReader EZ gives you the top 3, precise paint color matches to your scanned color.

Building and painting the side tables

The tables are built from different sized flowerpots and bowls, glued together with exterior construction adhesive. These tables can be customized according to your wishes and ideas, based on the items used. These handy tables are great to use indoors, too. If my instructions here don’t go far enough, you are more than welcome to check out a more extended version on my (German!) blog.

Materials required

I used my ColorReader EZ to scan the colors from my decorative accessories then had the paint mixed at the hardware store. I chose an exterior, resin-based paint that could withstand the outdoor elements. I used 2 coats of paint on my tables, making sure to let the first coat dry completely before applying the second coat. With synthetic resin, this can take up to 24 hours.

The first table is painted in a shade of soft blue

The table’s wooden top can be removed and converted into a handy serving tray. The bowl underneath can be used as a planter or for extra storage space.

Perfect color harmony; the table colors perfectly match
my decorative outdoor accessories – just in time for summer!

Have fun creating your own DIY side table and enjoy the warm summer months to come!

Rebecca Wallenta

Rebecca Wallenta is an Austrian DIY blogger, living in beautiful Tyrol, with her husband, daughter and French bulldog, Emma. Rebecca has always had an affinity for nature, and enjoys beautiful living spaces, timeless design and hand-crafted decorations made with love.

In June 2010, she started her DIY blog www.sinnenrausch.at, where she shares her DIY projects and easy tips for creative renovations and décor, plus extraordinary crafting ideas.

When a master carpenter needs a new kitchen, he builds it himself, of course. Paul Robben, the “Nerdy Timber” takes us along his kitchen refresh journey via YouTube videos, from planning his new kitchen to the finished product. He used hisnbright orange refrigerator as a starting point for creating a color-coordinated space, using the ColorReader EZ.

In the first video, Paul and his father, himself a master carpenter, show us how the planning of the kitchen area takes shape, how the concrete 3D planning is created from an initial rough plan, and which existing materials can be “recycled.”

You can see the video here:

The second part is all about craftsmanship, as Paul and his father build the base cabinets for the kitchen from coated chipboard. Step-by-step, they show how to build the cabinets and explain what to look out for.

Once the base cabinets are finished, the next step is to color them. Paul chose a blue – a complementary color to his orange refrigerator. He had already found his desired color in a manufacturer’s color chart, but they were very expensive and exceed Paul’s budget. This is where ColorReader EZ came in. Paul used the device to measure the color blue he wanted from the manufacturer’s color chart.

He immediately got a precise paint color match, along with the LAB color code he can bring to the paint store of his choice to mix paint to this exact shade.

He also measures other colors used in his kitchen (refrigerator, countertop, wood trim, etc.) and saved them in the ColorReader app as a separate color palette:

The cabinets are painted in the next segment:

The full video can be seen here:

You’ll find partial steps to Paul’s kitchen re-do on his YouTube channel. To view the full project, subscribe to Paul’s the “Nerdy Timber” channel.

Here’s a look at the finished kitchen:

Paul Robben is a master carpenter who loves his craft. This is evident if you watch his YouTube channel, where he always shares his wonderful building projects. Whether he’s making toys and useful accessories or planning and designing a complete kitchen re-do, you’ll find a lot of interesting content on his very popular channel.

Guest blog article by DIY / Interior Design blogger Sammydemmy / Samuela Heil

My daughter Luise’s nursery was well overdue for a transformation – after all, she is now already five years old and wanted a real girl’s room and no longer a baby’s room, as she used to call it. Her new kingdom was supposed to look like a magical forest glade – with the colors of her favorite bedding: pink, purple, green and bordeaux. And the motifs on it should also feature in the design: Fawns, floral vines and purple wild berries.

This is what her room looked like before – quite boring and not very colorful, let alone harmonious:

The kid’s bedroom before its transformation

And this is what it looks like after the creation of a magical little forest glade:

The kid’s bedroom after its transformation

As mentioned before, our starting point and thus source of inspiration for our color scheme Luise’s favorite bedding, which you can see in the following photos. Actually, it would not be easy to find the exact same tones as wall paints and varnishes in a hardware store. Unless of course one has this little helper I am totally thrilled about!

ColorReader EZ is simply placed on the color hue of your choice, scans it and the mobile app shows the exact data of the three closest color matches.

ColorReader EZ scans the exact colors of my daughter’s favorite bedding

The ColorReader app then displays the color value in all available codes and color spaces such as RGB, RAL or LAB. On top of that, a feature called “Coordinate colors” suggests various matching color complements – a very cool feature that points out color combinations you wouldn’t have thought of at all.

Color scan result and matching color schemes

I went to my local hardware store, told them my precise RAL color values, and had wall paint as well as varnish (for the wooden parts that required painting) mixed just for my little DIY project.

These are the paints and varnishes that were mixed just for my DIY project at my local hardware store, based on the color values my ColorReader EZ mobile app had come up with.

I couldn’t wait to start renovating and turned Luise’s bedroom slowly, but surely into a little magic forest that seems to have jumped right out of a fairy tale. Flower vines, meadows and some clouds made her dreams come true.

Feel free to join me and come along… I’ll show you a few impressions of the new room and some matching DIY ideas.

With the help of ColorReader EZ, we were able to precisely implement my daughter’s color wishes – and are both totally happy with the harmonious color mood in Luise’s little glade in her bedroom’s enchanted forest.

Sammy is a DIY blogger from Stuttgart. She loves furnishing, decorating, crafting, DIY and creating something new! Her blog is about beautiful furnishings and DIY ideas – mostly for a small budget – because she loves to get a lot out of little! Since her little daughter Luise was born, she also started coming up with home decor ideas and DIYs for the little ones.

Most of the major paint companies have announced their color(s) of the year, and there is a clear favorite – green.

There’s good reason for this. During unpredictable times, colors found in nature are intrinsically soothing to us, and the color green plays predominantly in nature’s color palette. Plus, we have more green cones in our eyes (which help us discern colors) and these additional cones make it easier for us to see green, putting less stress on our eyes, upping its calming factor even more.

You only need to look around outside to see how well green goes with the rich array of nature’s other colors; bright flowers, muted wood tones, earthy clays, soft sands, neutral stones, crisp snow-whites and even other greens.

Whether it’s a soft, mossy shade, a clear sea glass or an autumnal green-about-to-go-gold, you’ll be seeing a lot of green popping up in interior design, especially in kitchens. Here are some ways you can expect to see the color being used and perhaps, inspire you to try it in your own home.

Warm or Cool

While many Color of the Year greens include the added warmth of a touch of yellow, cooler, oceanic greens are also in the mix.

Bright or Muted

From citrusy lime, to soft, mossy sage, your favorite shade of green can be incorporated into your kitchen in many ways – cabinetry, islands, appliances, chairs, tables, backsplashes, flooring, curtains – even cookware and accessories.

Retro or Modern

Green has appeared in kitchens for many decades, from the post-depression, optimistic, minty hues of the 40’s and 50’s to the avocados and acid limes of the 60’s and 70’s, the deep forest greens of the 80’s and 90’s, all the way up to the soft mosses and smokey sages of recent Farmhouse fame. Green is a perfect balance between working as a neutral shade in design as well as a color in its own right, making it easy to pair with any range of other hues and fitting in to any décor style.

A Little or A Lot

Whether you decide to embrace green as a statement color for your kitchen and go all in with verdant cabinetry, flooring and walls or simply add touches of it for a quick and easy kitchen update, ColorReader EZ can help. Use it to scan the flat surface of any color green you like to get its top 3 paint color matches instantly. Then tap on your color choice to find coordinating colors, complete color palettes (e.g., Complementary, Triad, Analogous and Monochromatic) along with digital color fan decks for a total exploration of color options.

Guest post by DIY / Interior Design blogger Rebecca Wallenta / sinnenrausch.at

A quick and cheap room makeover often does not require that much. A new, fresh color can already make a huge difference. After having moved into our new apartment a few weeks ago, I neglected our bedroom in terms of decoration, I have to admit. In particular the large empty space in the corner was rather detrimental to the cozy feeling you’d wish for in your bedroom.

I used my new favorite digital tool for individual color design, the ColorReader EZ, to find the right color hue for my bedroom makeover. With the color measuring device, you can quickly and precisely determine any color shade, which you can then have mixed at your local hardware store.

Photo 1: Moodboard bedroom makeover

Let’s say you have a beautiful cushion or a poster at home and would like to paint a wall, a piece of furniture or even just decorative accessories in the same color? Or you’ve noticed a particularly beautiful color somewhere along the way? Not a problem – with ColorReader EZ and the accompanying app, you can get the color you’re looking for within seconds and effortlessly create complete and harmonious color concepts for your individual living spaces. In the app, you can also save your own palettes for each project you’re planning and save your favorite colors and combinations for later.

This is how you determine your favorite color

Photo 2: Scanning my favorite color, using ColorReader EZ

Measuring colors is no rocket science at all: to determine your color of choice, first turn on ColorReader EZ, connect it to your app on your smartphone, calibrate it (with the lid closed), and then hold the color sensor on a smooth object whose color you would like to scan.

Photo 3: ColorReader EZ scan result

Click on “Measure” in the app or directly press the green button on the device itself and you will receive the precisely measured color value and the three closest manufacturer color matches within just a few seconds. With this color determination, you can then have the colors precisely remixed at a DIY store or specialist retailer.

Photo 4: The feature „Coordinate Colors“ comes up with harmonizing colors for an entire color concept for my project

As an addition to the color already scanned, the feature “Coordinate colors” suggests further colors that complement your chosen color: Analog, Complementary, Monochrome and 3-color scheme or you simply browse through the many color collections stored on the device.

Absolutely trendy: Green wall paint for your bedroom

For my bedroom makeover, I decided on the wall color, taking my inspiration from a poster I just love.

Photo 5: I determine the right color for my wall paint by scanning the color of my favorite poster

Serene Scene is an elegant and smooth grayish green, which creates a soothing mood in the room and is the ideal partner of natural tones and wood.

Powerful and sensual: a dark shade of green furniture paint for my Ikea hack

I bought three narrow storage cabinets as a storage solution for our corner with the sloping roof, and thanks to the untreated wood, they’re also perfect for an individual design with paint.

Photo 6: ColorReader EZ helps me determine the color of my furniture paint

Again, a poster with a nature motif served as my color inspiration. I had the strong hunter green, which ColorReader EZ determined, mixed as a furniture varnish at my local hardware store. The dark green wooden furniture now serves as a great contrast to the light wall color.

DIY Upcycling: Painting decorative accessories in matching colors

My wall and furniture were not the only items that received a new coat of paint. For a harmonious overall appearance, I also repainted small decorative accessories, such as an old vase.

Photo 9: I paint my clay vase in a matching shade of green

Have fun redecorating your own bedroom or other rooms you may look at renovating!

Rebecca Wallenta

Photo 10: The final result of my bedroom makeover project, using ColorReader EZ

Photo Credits: Rebecca Wallenta / Sinnenrausch.at

Rebecca Wallenta is an Austrian DIY blogger, living in beautiful Tyrol, together with her husband, daughter and French bulldog Emma. She has always been into nature, but especially into beautiful living, timeless design and into handmade decoration, crafted with love.

In June 2010, she started her DIY blog www.sinnenrausch.at and thus created her own personal space for creative renovation and decoration, simple DIY tips and extraordinary crafting ideas.

Guest article by German DIY / interior design blogger Ladystil / Monika Abts

What do you do when you like the color of a carpet so much that you decide you’d like to paint your old chairs the same hue? And what if you want to create a stunning, coordinated tablescape using the colors of the flowers you’ve chosen for the table?

Not so easy, is it?

Of course, you could lug the 2x3m carpet with you to the hardware store, look through all the paint color chips and color cards available to try to find the exact shade of beige and most likely end up with nothing since the lighting in the store is different from your home’s and the beiges you’re looking at are either too yellow, too green or too blue.

An easier alternative – just use the ColorReader EZ to find your paint color match. Simply place it on the carpet, press the button to scan the color and instantly find its exact beige color match along with its precise color data. *

Next, visit your favorite hardware or paint store and have your perfectly matched color mixed. It couldn’t be easier!

*Please note: ColorReader EZ should be used to scan a color from a flat, even surface of at least 0,6 x 0,6 cm, in order for the lens to completely cover your color of choice. My carpet was neither flat nor even and the beige patches didn’t have the required size, but I was lucky enough to get an exact match anyway. That being said, please be aware that you might need several scanning attempts to determine the right color.

OK, you’ve found your color match, but what about coordinating colors? Which colors are a good match for this precise shade of beige? ColorReader EZ is ready to help you out here as well. Just check the “Coordinate Colors” feature in the app and explore the perfectly coordinated color schemes provided – Complementary, Analogous, Monochromatic and Triad – and pick your favorite color or color combination. Moni decided on a soft green she found in the suggested Analogous color scheme.

She used this soft green to paint a few glass vases and wooden rings that will hold blue asters hanging from the back of the chairs.

When it came to choosing flowers, Moni opted for some brilliant, blue-violet asters that caught her eye in the flower shop. Once again, she used her ColorReader EZ to find a paint color match by simply placing the ColorReader device on one of the blossoms to scan its hue, find its precise color match, then have the paint color mixed at her hardware store.

Since repeating colors in a design scheme helps to create a balanced and cohesive look, Moni decided to paint the little tree disks she used as knife rests in the same shade of blue as the asters and repeated the color decorating the table napkins.

The redesigned dining area now has a coordinated look by using the same color in the carpet for the chairs, introducing the soft green found in the suggested analogous color palette for the table setting and by repeating the blue tones of the flowers throughout the accessories.

Moni Abts, creator of the lifestyle/DIY German blog www.lady-stil.de, lives by her motto “Style is whatever you consider fun!” Moni offers advice on how to style your home, recommends shops to check out and comes up with creative DIY projects that are easy for anyone to tackle. Moni’s primary focus is family, and she lives with hers by a little forest near Cologne in a house she designed herself. Her followers derive a lot of fun and inspiration from the articles she publishes, whether it’s rearranging furniture or a complete room re-do. Moni enjoys sharing her projects and experiences with her blog community, such as when she used the ColorReader EZ to redecorate her dining area.