Tie it together

To define the dining area in this open plan, a contrast wall in rich purple was painted to mirror a chair of the same color opposite in the living room.

Can't visualize?

For those who have a hard time visualizing a color combo for interior or exterior spaces, try the Color Viewer on the Benjamin Moore website. Using their photo examples, you can 'try out' different colors from their fan decks for free.

Or, for $10, you can download the Personal Color Viewer, enabling you to upload your own photos . A word of caution: this can be a bit clumsy when done with a mouse. Using a stylus and tablet makes it a bit easier to fill in color.

Remember, this can only give you a rough idea of color -- monitor color and print-outs will vary greatly from the 'real thing'. Color is site-specific.

Current project

Here's a project that I'm working on in west Seattle: a contemporary home that overlooks the Puget Sound. The exterior has various types of siding - panels, horizontal plank siding & stained cedar. Since the cedar has a fairly orange stain, we needed a fairly neutral color palette with a contrasting color for 'pop'. The wife chose a green that complements the cedar very nicely -- and she'll look great standing at the green front entry with her red hair!