Beach House Colors from Valspar

Valspar’s new color blog, Color Buzz, has a nice little post featuring colors for beach houses. Here are a couple.To see the rest, visit their site here.

Spray paint for fabric

This sounds too good to be true, but from what I’ve heard, it is. Spray Paint 4 Fabric has introduced a new spray paint that works on upholstery – even car seats.

Yes, even your favorite recliner (eeeeww). If water soaks into your fabric, the paint will too. So go ahead and paint that grungy old plaid sofa bright red! The product is priced at $13 per can. They also make spray-on blood for those of you who are into the new trend, Crime Scene Decor.

Has anyone had direct experience with this product? How well does it work?

Hue checks in with the word on iPhone paint apps

Color expert and fellow former Baltimorean, Rachel Perls, wrote an excellent post on paint color applications for the iPhone. Anyone interested in color matching, and color in general, should scoot over to Hue and read it.Don’t forget to read the comments. That’s where things really get rolling with opinions from other super smart colorists.

Almost all paint companies offer virtual paint applications on their sites. My personal bottom line is that they’re great for playing with ideas, but don’t count on them for color accuracy.

What’s your experience with paint apps? I wish they offered more room choices. Do you have a favorite?

International Design Hole Day Off

No, I didn’t get eaten by a giant lobster while in New Hampshire at my family reunion last weekend. I came home with a terrible cold and have decided to take the rest of the week off to recuperate and catch up on work.

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I promise to return with lots of great decorating tips, ideas, and a terrific giveaway next week. I hope you all have a wonderful Fourth of July. And for my international friends, a wonderful Bastille Day, or Canada Day. If that doesn’t cover it, how about an official International Design Hole Decorating Day?

Here are some ideas:

• Repaint a room
• Collect all the clutter and old clothes and hold a garage sale, or donate to charity.
• Plant some flowers in pots for the patio.
• Take a nap in a hammock and sip a cold drink.
• Shovel the walk (if you live in the Southern Hemisphere).
• Catch up on all your favorite Design Hole posts!

I’ll see you next week.

Color apps for iPhone

Benjamin Moore introduced a color match application for the iPhone this week. Sherwin Williams did, too. Do they work in real life? Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, the answer is FAIL.

The problem is that the iPhone’s camera doesn’t see color the same way we do. It seems to lack and understanding of blue. So, the aqua-blue color I used as a test, came out looking gray on the photo. No color app is going to identify a color correctly when the camera is the problem. How could both companies fail to see this? At least they’re free.

Peggy wrote a more extensive post about this on her blog, Airings on Design. It’s worth reading if you’re interested in color.

As I say when I choose paint colors for my Design Dilemmas, always test things in real life. Get a sample first – whether it’s fabric, paint, wallpaper, or anything where a color match is important.

Have you tried these apps? Have you found a design app that you find useful?