colors
American Clay plaster. This natural clay and recycled marble dust plaster creates a look that falls somewhere between southwestern adobe and Venetian plaster — rich, earthy and highly pigmented. American Clay is nontoxic and durable, and can be applied over just about any type of substrate. Costs tend to be a bit lower than Venetian plaster — about $2 to $10 per square foot.
High gloss or lacquer. Lacquered (aka high gloss) walls and ceilings have been a hot look in decorating for some time, and it's a trend that appears to have staying power. Real-deal lacquer contains toxic ingredients and is no longer used in most places. Instead, a lacquer-like effect can be created using regular paint with a high gloss finish, or with a modern lacquer that combines high gloss paint with water-based varnish. High gloss paint creates a reflective surface and is highly durable. But be warned — it will show every imperfection in your walls.
Matte. Not to be confused with flat paint (generally only used on ceilings), paint with a matte finish is velvety and makes colors look especially rich and deep. It is not at all reflective and hides wall imperfections well — but it is hard to clean. A good choice for areas with less traffic — and homes without crayon-wielding children.
In the living room, with dark walls. Blue sofas seem to be everywhere lately. Choose a true navy one or something lighter, like the sofa shown here. It might sound counterintuitive, but a deeper, richer neutral color on the walls can help the piece settle in, and it will give you the freedom to add more color around it.
Colors for rest What bedroom color promotes restfulness? A Travelodge survey of 2,000 U.K. homes looked into how the color of bedrooms impacts quality and duration of sleep. Blue was the clear winner: blue-drenched sleepers clock in an average of seven hours and 52 minutes of nightly shut-eye. Those exhausted denizens of purple bedrooms owe the bruise-colored circles under their eyes to their wall color: purple supposedly affords sleepers a measly five hours and 56 minutes of sleep nightly. The lesson for interior design buffs seems clear: if your heart beats faster at the thought of violet, keep those sleep-estranging dabs of purple concentrated into accent pieces, not wrapping entire walls.
Black. A surprisingly elegant choice for any room, black looks great against most colors. When using black, try contrasting it with crisp white trim and punchy colors in fabrics or rugs. I prefer to see an eggshell finish on walls, and black looks particularly sophisticated in eggshell. This regal bedroom boasts a beautiful shade of black called Beluga, by Beh
Gray. A popular color for modern and transitional interiors, gray is a unique neutral. I love a soft charcoal gray paired with creamy whites and beige. Try gray with a punch of chartreuse for a surprising combination that really works. This dramatic great room is painted in Dunn-Edwards' Baby Seal DE 6361.
Greige. A made-up color, but important enough to mention because I use it so much. A soft gray with beige undertones that is a perfect complement to most white marbles, such as Calacatta. It's a great solution for those who feel gray is too cold. This elegant bathroom is painted in my favorite greige, Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter HC-172.
Stained wood panel walls. If you have wood paneling rather than sheet rock or plaster, you have the option to stain, rather than paint, the wood. The appeal of stain is that the grain of the wood shows through. Wood stain alone will have a finish akin to matte paint, but you can alter the look by applying a glaze with a higher sheen on top.
Q