My Grand Entryway. Why Indi Go Go Would "Go Everywhere."

Ten Top Tips for Choosing A Deep Paint Color

I spent the last thirty years coming in and out the front door of my Victorian Home, greeted by the grand entryway with prominent ornate trim, a hand-carved staircase, chandeliers, and high ceilings. It was beautiful and inviting. As elegant as it was and still is, distractions were everywhere. I began to see the faded beige plaster-filled foyer for what it was, lackluster and cramped with numerous competing visual features. The low-hanging six-bulb chandelier obscured the artwork. Three doors with stark white trim framed adjacent rooms. A giant wall-mounted cast iron steam heater was the focal point of the staircase landing. As I started designing, I envisioned an open, expansive space with a cohesiveness that would envelop me with pride and joy as I entered the home I love.

Before Image, Entryway

Before Image, The Stairwell

Before Image, The Foyer

Tip #1 Forge a Successful Mindset

I gradually realized that dramatic deep paint color was a way to pull together disparate looks and expand the space simultaneously. I succeeded with Spanish ed and Timson Green in two adjacent rooms. I drenched My Second Kitchen with Essex Green and forged ahead with an undeterred mindset.

Spanish Red Living Room

Timson Green Dining Room

Essex Green Kitchen

Tip #2 Make Oversized Paint Boards

I loved the Benjamin Moore Aura Color Stories palette. It marketed a new visual experience - a series of striking hues crafted to take on different appearances as the light changes. That's what was needed in this persnickety-lit southeast space.

I was intrigued by dark blue. I continually invested in color-laden paint samples and large display boards to reduce the chance of getting it wrong. I purchased Adriatic Sea, Nile Blue, Finley Blue, Hidden Sape, Washington Blue, California Blue, Hale Navy, and Van Deusen. I moved them around the room, knowing I would live with my choice for many years.

Choosing a dark color for space was emotionally and financially complicated. Was it the right move? Deep colors are risky; you must love them. It takes courage. Re-painting was not an option. If I got it wrong, I would have to live with this decision for a long time.

Oversized Sample Boards

Sample Boards in Stairwell

Tip #3 Hire a Fussy Painter

Typically, I would tackle the job, but because of the twenty-foot ceiling, I hired a professional painter, Dan Gauthier, to do the work. Dan was terrific and on budget; he was fussy, just like me.

I am also lucky to have a handyman at home who embraces creativity. My husband Paul installed crown molding with a dental design to match the front doors. The entryway needed a finished look, so he offered to install it to make it come to life and add the refined look of a Victorian Home. It was challenging because the ceiling was not square, but he worked it like a professional.

Fussy Painting and Crown Molding In Progress

Crown Molding, Dental Design

Tip #4 Check Your Color Choice

My mom chose the wrong color for her repainted living room, a twenty-forty-foot space with eleven-foot ceilings. She decided on a cool light yellow, and my older brother agreed to paint it for her. The color was wrong when she entered the room, and my meticulous brother had to repaint the whole thing. My siblings thought t it was funny then, but I remember he was furious.

Tip # 5 Change Your Mindset

What about the trim? Yes, that would be white, or should it be? It was hard to shed the traditional look of white trim that transcended my entire house. White trim is such a staple in ornate-trimmed Victorian homes. I never questioned the look. I grew up with it in every room in my family home next door with my mom, who loved to decorate. White trim was visual comfort. It never occurred to me to paint it any other color. But on closer inspection, the white trim cut up the room and distracted this space. The blue trim pulled it all together. I am so glad I changed my mindset.

Tip #6 Go Go Monochrome

I chose Benjamin Moore's Indi Go Go for its deep hue and incredible experience, claimed on the website. I finally decided that Indi Go Go would "Go" everywhere - on every wall, ceiling, crown, and baseboard.

Foyer, Cohesive Design

Radiator Blended Stairwell

Ornate Archway

Tip #7 Reimagine Color As Art.

I love art, especially family artwork. I have extraordinary watercolors, collages, and prints all over my house. So it took a lot of restraint to keep the wall color free to express itself. It's difficult to break a lifelong habit. My husband questioned whether we needed to appoint the walls now that they were a beautiful shade of deep blue. It took some time and persuading. Eventually, I also realized the unique color was its art form.

Family Art

Color As Art

Tip #8 Use Free-Standing Art

Free-standing art was just the expression needed to fill the wall artwork void. So I assessed the situation and devised alternatives using flowers, rugs, fur hats, ornate plant stands, and antique lamps. I arranged elegant silk flowers, their long stems appropriate for the high ceilings.

Tip #9 Fill Nooks and Crannies with Memories

Cozy nooks and crannies are ideal for my memory-filled vinyl record collection, my mom's writing desk, and a lovely old family hat rack. The antique Eastlake mirror, a gift from my mom's best childhood friend, Mary Alice Scott, fits snugly inside an existing door frame and displays a cherished wedding glass vase.

Eastlake Mirror, Tucked Inside Door Frame

Writing Desk, Vinyl Record Storage, Decorative Rug

Mirrored Hat Rack

Tip #10 Use Online Color Tools

Narrowing down color choices is beneficial. If you need more clarification on a dark color, start with one room and see how you like it. An online computer tool from Benjamin Moore will help visualize color in the room.

Depending on the time of day and sunlight changes, the My Grand Entryway always feels moving and alive. Every day and night, I am intrigued. I could never have imagined Indi Go Go providing many color effect opportunities. But I only experienced it by taking the courageous plunge.

I hope I have encouraged and inspired you to give dark colors a "Go" for your next home decorating project. Expanding your mindset and living in a beautiful space will be its reward.

If you need help choosing a color for your home, please call Gayle at +14138845684.

Visit gayledonohue.com for additional services.

Gayle provides personalized interior design and home staging services for Victorian and historic residential properties in the Tristate Area of Northeastern NY, Southern Vermont, and Western MA. Please email or call gdonohue2263@gmail.com at 413-884-5684.