• First, she said, create a continuity of color through different rooms, but change up the combination. Use a deep, dark color with light trim in a vestibule, for instance, and reverse that order in a larger room beyond.
• If you are using wallpaper, make sure your painted trim highlights the pattern in the paper. She held up this deep-blue sample of Farrow’s St. Antoine paper to make her point:

A bright white trim would only draw your eye to the contrast line, she said. Rather, use one of the blues from the paper – either the background or the pattern color – to make the wallpaper pop.

• Ann also addressed the eternal question for painting in a room with a chair rail: What goes above, and what goes below? Try to keep the darker color below the rail, she said, because it will have a grounding effect, such as in this bedroom:

• Painting the darker color above the rail makes the room feel top-heavy, and gives an impression that the room is falling in on itself.
• Of course, she added, rules are made to be broken, as they are here with this ultra-modern kitchen.

• Then there are times when you might think about subtle color gradations on the trim, walls, and ceiling, rather than sharp contrasts. Paint the ceiling in a variation of the wall color, for example. That way, the ceiling will seem to disappear and make the room seem larger. If the ceiling is a stark white, it creates a sharp cutoff from the wall, confining the space. “It’s all about layering colors,” she said.
• Sometimes, it’s best just to use one color everywhere, especially in rooms where there is lots of trimwork all around. One consistent color allows your eye to roam around the space, instead of stopping and starting with each new piece of trim. As a result, other items, such as the kitchen shelving below with its colorful dishes, stand out more.

• Finally, she said, rid yourself of the notion that small, dark spaces need a bright color to wake them up. “Embrace the darkness of the space. Don’t fight its inherent qualities.”

Thanks, Ann, for the tips. These will serve me well as I contemplate a new color scheme for my dining room and my sons’ bedroom. But you didn’t help me with the hardest part: deciding which colors to use!

Among the highlights in the new house, which was just sold last week, are:

     • 32 roof windows and skylights
“This way, you don’t need electric lights to read in most of the public rooms,” Green says. This house overlooks Rock Creek Park, which makes the views out the windows delightful.

A second floor window overlooks Rock Creek Park.

Another window brings the outside in.

Seeing daylight throughout the house can give a lift to your day. This window has a blackout screen, in case darkness is desired.

     • If the pocket doors in the hearth room, which is adjacent to the kitchen/living/family area, are closed, windows can be opened, and the space will become a three-season room.
“In the fall, on a crisp autumn day when you want to feel the fresh air, you can open the windows without letting all of the heat go out of your house.”

     • The hearth room includes a Tulikivi soapstone fireplace.
“A traditional fireplace is only about 30 percent efficient, but a Tulikivi stove is 95 percent efficient. It’s advertised that it ‘only pollutes as much as the tree rotting in the forest.’ ”

The hearth room can be closed off and converted into a three-season room.

One exceptional view on the first floor of the house is a 90-foot enfilade that flows from the kitchen/living/family room area, to the dining room, to the central hall, to the living room, and into the media room or north wing of the house.

Flooring is made of certified sustainably harvested lumber – acacia wood.

The new kitchen includes eco-friendly appliances and countertops.

Other key sustainable features include:

• Radiant heat throughout the house
• Non-toxic paints, coatings, and glues
• A roof made of Vermont green heavy weight slate
• Windows with aluminum exteriors so they don’t have to be painted

Green built an apartment over the garage, seen here through the window over the front entrance.

Keeping your house dry is critical, says Green, who installed hardscape – flagstone –  around the perimeter of his whole house. “Most people could use gravel… Moisture means mold.”

He advises keeping bushes, mulch, and anything that will hold moisture away from your house. In addition to helping to prevent moisture from getting into the house, Green says, “Termites will not cross hard surfaces.”

The architect says, “Indoor air quality in our buildings can be anywhere from 10 to 100 times more toxic than air quality outside, according to some government statements.” So he encourages people to go outside and get fresh air.

“A properly placed bench is something to look at from the inside to invite you to go outside. This bench faces the southern sun. You could sit there on a winter day and be quite toasty.”

A ribbon of water flows from a lovely fountain in the front yard.

“If you make the building delightful, you’re probably going to want to spend more time there,” Green says. “The silver lining to the Great Recession is it has us focusing on a simpler lifestyle, which is perfect timing for the Greening of America.”

The Shade Store is an offshoot of the family-run Home Works, which produces custom window treatments for "very, very high-end clientele" in the New York region, says spokesman Greg Spatz. "People love the quality, love the style, so how do we make this more affordable and more accessible?" its owners asked themselves when they founded the e-commerce Shade Store about four years ago, Spatz says. 

Robert Allen drapery, shades

Custom drapery starts at $129 per panel and ships (free) in 10-15 days. Hardware, which can be equally as prohibitive, starts at just $70. Shades start from $65 to $242, depending on the type and maker. They have a great price calculator that will give you pricing for fabric choices with your specific window dimensions.

Dwell Studio drapery, Robert Allen Roman shades

"When you start getting into the real custom products, there’s really nobody else out there that offers this type of quality and this type of turnaround time," Spatz says. 

Here’s a wild Geometri pattern by Verner Panton for Maharam, with roller shades from Chilewich:

And Chilewich shades alone make a lovely statement.

Dwell Studio is perfect for children’s rooms. I have to say, though, that the detritus of my own children’s play isn’t nearly as lovely. If only their messes were so perfectly styled.

And whenever I think of panel shades, I envision those ugly, clattering vertical blinds. But not here:

My sons have started lobbying for a new, older-boy look to their bedroom. I already know where I’ll look to replace the construction-themed valances that are there now. 

Bamboo Wall Mural from Décor Place

Now that they’re back, pre-made wallpaper murals are affordable and easy to find online. Web sites such as decorplace.com and wallpaperstore.com offer hundreds of choices including the bright one above.

Chinese-Red from Murals Your Way 

Buddha’s Breath from Murals Your Way

Muralsyourway.com and myfotowall.com allow customers to personalize the mural using their own photo. You send these companies a digital photo and they’ll blow it up to fit your wall without distorting the image.

A City Skyline from Myfotowall

Marilyn from Myfotowall

Tropical Stripes from Murals Your Way

Murals Your Way will personalize a pre-made mural by adding a child’s name to a racetrack or the family dog to the sidewalk outside a café.

Come in Sit Back from Murals Your Way

Falls Leaves from Myfotowall

Wallpaper murals come in easy-to-hang panels and go up just like regular wallpaper. If you’ve never worked with wallpaper before, we recommend hiring a professional wallpapering service.

Believe from Murals Your Way

Golf Course from Myfotowall

We’re curious: What photo or image would you choose, and for which room? Send your wallpaper-appropriate photos and your ideas for them (and the stories behind them) to  editorial@washingtonspaces.com  for a follow-up blog within the next few weeks.

A few I’m considering for my home:

Bonsai at the National Arboretum

Lonely road in Texas’ Panhandle

Horses in Arizona’s  Navajo Country

She takes long license with form and texture, turning walls into panels of buttons or artfully cut seams.

Buttons and Cut Curves

I’d apply these alphabet-cutout and puzzle-piece papers sparingly, as on an accent wall or in a rec room – but aren’t they fun?

Alphabet and Jigsaw

And if you’re anything like me in the sense you actually drool over exquisite letterforms, you’ll dig these.

Silver Newsprint, Text, and White Room Text

Perhaps my favorite of the bunch: trompe l’oeil wallpaper that looks like stacked paperbacks, china, or (what else?) design magazines. What’s your favorite?

Paperbacks, Plates, and Magazines

Visit Kendall’s site for more.

No sooner did I leave the C.R. Laine showroom than I saw Thomas Paul’s delightful birds surface again at Lee Industries.

I love the yellow piping on this sofa:

When I was at Hickory Chair later that day, I was starting to feel like Thomas Paul was following me, or was I following him? This showroom easily had the largest presence of Paul that I had seen.

I love the vibrant, dramatic note his damask pattern adds to this classically styled room.

Here’s more, in purple.

And check out Paul’s chrysanthemum-inspired pattern throughout this room:

Here’s another lovely angle.

And how could you resist scattering Thomas Paul all over a huge sectional?

After overdosing at Hickory Chair, I was walking down a wing of showrooms that was primarily art and accessories, and again, Thomas Paul was blinking out the window at me from Decorative Arts.

In this iteration, the fabric is wrapped around boards to serve as wall decor. “We’re really just trying to soften the rooms with the new fabric,” says Julie McBride, vice president of sales and marketing for Decorative Arts.

You can switch out the fabric, and the boards can also be fashioned as window treatments or headboards. “It’s really opening up a new avenue,” McBride says – a new avenue paved with Thomas Paul, that is.

When you walk in the front door, the architects, Cunningham | Quill Architects LLC, have created a view straight through the front area, past the stairs, past the dining room, through the kitchen and into the mudroom.

The east- west axis will look from the front door, which is shown, through the kitchen and beyond. Photograph by Carrie Russell

The owner’s bedroom, which is on the first floor, will have a direct view of a swimming pool. Photograph by Carrie Russell

Three bedrooms will be upstairs. Photograph by Carrie Russell

The blue ductwork being installed is for air conditioning. It has an R value of 10. “It’s compressed foam so you don’t get any heat loss, it’s very efficient,” Turner says. “Metal duct work is at the mercy of how well the joints are sealed and most duct work doesn’t typically have a significant R value.” Photograph by Carrie Russell

Aluminum-clad, double-paned, Kolbe windows were delivered this morning. “Kolbe windows are about as good as money can buy,” Turner says, noting that the rating on these is low-E 366 and the color is “Truffle”. Photograph by Trish Donnally

Meanwhile, Barry Dixon and Victoria Neale met with more than 40 designers and their teams last week to review the guidelines for green design and explain how designing with sustainable principles can make a significant difference in the world. For some, this is new territory. “Some designers are having an epiphany,” says Deanna Belli, who is co-chairing the CharityWorks GreenHouse with Victoria Sabo.

Stay tuned to learn who will be selected to decorate this show house, which will be opened for touring this fall.

McCain’s White House

Ben Moore predicts a Federalist color scheme with roots in Arizona’s desert earth tones and a palette that painter Georgia O’Keeffe from neighboring New Mexico would have used.

“Casual” and “laid back” were also terms used for a McCain décor.

For the formal, public dining room (all colors refer to the chart above), Angelica AF-665’s grayish white with the warm rust of Salsa Dancing AF-280, and the deep grape of Chambourd AF-645.

In the living room, an “intimate” combination of Palermo Rose 1278, the soft green of Mountain Lane 488, and White Dove trim.

The McCain master suite might grace its walls with Mascarpone AF-20, a pale pink Proposal AF-260, and a soft beige Pensive AF-140. Daughter Bridge, 17, might enjoy “the serenity and sophistication” of Riviera Azure 822 in her room.

Obama’s White House

Benjamin Moore predicts an invigorating yet soothing color scheme for the Obamas’ family quarters, “if Michelle Obama’s fashion penchant for purple and other strong colors is any indication.”

To that end, the color experts predict a formal dining room with Citron 2024-30 and Autumn Purple 2073-20 with an accent of Dior Gray 2133-40.

In the living quarters, “the perfect trio for producing a de-stress zone” includes historic-based colors: Wethersfield Moss HC 110; Beacon Hill Damask HC 02, and Greenmount Silk HC 3.

The Obama’s master suite would tone it down, with a soft Violet Petal 1382 and Silver Bell 1458 and a top coat of Silver Metallic specialty finish. And for the girls – who could forget the girls? – Rhododendron 2079-50 for 10-year-old Malia and Pink Pansy 2083-50 for Sasha, 7.

Schumacher, one of the most venerable decorating houses out there, has a marvelous site with great inspirational uses of its wallpaper:

I just love how the shapes of the leaves and the gold vases pick up the pattern of this Zimba pattern in Soft Chartreuse.

Same thing here with the Fireworks pattern in Glacier. The twigs, the texture of the chair cushions and rug, and the billowy shapes of the vase and light all reinforce the wallpaper’s look.

Here, from the sconce to the flowers to the pulls on the drawers of the chest, the Valais Stripe pattern pulls it all together.

Osborne & Little also provides a cool gallery of room settings to get you thinking about how to use wallpaper.

This is the greatest idea: Cover a panel in wallpaper, such as this Stanza pattern in Lovelace, and place it against the wall, so it’s easy to replace. Also, by using pillows and accessories to echo the wallpaper, replacing the room’s look becomes much easier than, say, buying a new sofa.

See caption above. Same concept, using this fabulous Nina Campbell wallcovering (owned by Osborne & Little) in the Perroquet collection.

Here, a lesson in miniatures. If you have a small nook somewhere – a dressing room, maybe? – don’t be afraid to go bold, as they did here with the Folia pattern in Clarendon.

Next Zoffany has to great line of papers from understated to big and bold. There seems to be something for everyone here. What caught my eye was this modest little pattern called Starflower. Rather than setting a room’s theme, it can fade into the background, but give even plain pieces of furniture some punch.

As a parting shot, here’s something totally fun, but not exactly for everyone – the Serious Bokay in orange from the Nama Rococo Wallpaper Studio. This paper, combined with the aqua chair, yellow table, lilac lamp stand, and green pears just puts you in a good mood.

The Living Room:
Johnston got the frames for a pair of antique chairs from Mueller, who then painted them. Then Johnston splurged on Scalamandre fabric to upholster the chairs. “I just wanted them to be this perfect fabric,” she says. “This [blue] dictated the color scheme throughout my house.] If you look closely, there’s a hint of this shade of blue in every room, but it is so subtle that all a visitor notices is how cohesive it all looks. Her use of zebra print, furthermore, in an otherwise restrained room gives the space a delicious flourish.

Family Room:
Johnston almost didn’t buy the house because of this now-gorgeous room. To make it all work, she had built-in cabinets installed, which she painted and glazed herself to match the kitchen cabinets. Then, she purchased an extra-deep Manor Sofa from Z Gallerie, so she and her fiancé can lie side by side to watch television. She also had molding applied on the wall to frame the art. Her layering of drapery panels over fabric-backed woven shades gives the room added texture.

Dining Room:
Johnston loved the look of wallpaper she put up in the powder room of her previous home, so she went for it here in the dining room, with a Thibaut pattern that “looks real tea-stained or kind of warm and old,” she says. Then she hung a contemporary painting to juxtapose with the room’s antique look. The sea shells on the table and the plantation shutters add a crispness to the space as well.

Bedroom:
She carried the blue accents upstairs and into her bedroom. Those colors, along with more plantation shutters, lighten up the dark woods in the room to make a delightful retreat.

Boontje’s work recalls UK artist Susan Bradley’s Outdoor Wallpaper:

Bradley’s Botanica collection is equally inspiring:

Alessi’s Mediterraneo series also takes up the charge:

And if you want to take a bike ride through nature, nothing beats this basket:

Finally, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola calls her T-Table (T stands for transgenic) a technological fossil, according to Dwell magazine. Along with Boontje’s Garland Shade Light, her table was also honored by Real Simple magazine as another one of the 10 accessories that will become a future collectible.

You can get it here: