Saturday, December 28, 2013

Afraid of Color?


My friend Suz just moved into a house and this is the guest bathroom!
It is OVER the top.  Of course, I love it.

It has wit, whimsey and last but not least COLOR!

A small space, but it's so delightful that you don't even notice that.

When space is small, use vertical space as this glass shelf provides towels.

Using small items, such as inexpensive nichos and grouping them creates a lovely assemblage.

I tried to photograph the contrast of the white flowers with the Virgen of Guadalupe.  But failed.
It is a nice touch however.

The second restaurant I designed in Houston was Cuellar's.  The number of paint colors used, 52.  The paint crew, from Mexico, were not even perplexed.  They loved it the most when I was finished.

The exterior of the building was fuscia and turquoise.  It was intentionally done to create a buzz and to be noticed.  There was so much press on that restaurant that the cost of the remodel was paid for in 90 days due to increased food and liquor sales.

I love color.  After all, what's the worst thing that can happen?  You don't like it, repaint.  It's the least expensive way to redecorate, for sure.

Suz' purple bathroom was a delightful surprise.
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12 comments:

Steve Cotton said...

Yesterday I met the woman who bought the big house I was interested in at the beginning of the year. She has budgeted $100,00 (US) to re-model it. That was a bit more than I had foreseen in fixing it up. But I am not surprised. The estimate for a full high-quality paint job was $10,000 (US). But it would ave been a fun project.

Calypso said...

I bet that lady does not have a husband - The Color Purple!

Babs said...

Steve, that is a ridiculous price to pay in Mexico for a full "high-quality" paint job in Mexico! Totally ridiculous......

Calypso, you ARE right!

Babs said...

Steve, tell her I said so......I've done enough work in Mexico to know what is should cost.

Christine said...

Babs, I wonder if you have any pictures of the restaurants you worked on. If so I, for one, would love to see them.

Babs said...

Christine, I'll dig some out of my portfolio and post them in the near future....Thanks for asking.

Anonymous said...

The other smart thing about that bathroom? The sink and toilet are a cream color, so you can change the wall colors in a heartbeat without doing any plumbing.

As you've likely seen on my blog, my house is pretty colorful too. After living for years in off-white apartments, I WANTED COLOR!!!! And I bought a color wheel, collected dozens of paint chips, painted samples onto the wall, and thought long and hard about the colors I used.

As a result, sixteen years later, I'm still happy with it, and still find it refreshing, energizing, and relaxing all at once.

I love all your work that you've posted on your blog. In fact, I'll share a formerly secret fantasy. Maybe someday if I ever buy a place in Mexico, you might be able to help me decorate it.

That'd be a dream come true.

Saludos,

Kim G
Boston, MA
Where the outside of the house constantly garners compliments for its colors too.

Babs said...

Kim, I'd love to work with you on colors. That and fabrics were always my favorite part of the design concept along with lighting.

So, get thee down here and find a place. I saw one advertized for $139,00 - 2 bedroom that had all kinds of potential just the other day. The roof terrace was awesome too........

Gin said...

That's one of the things I miss most about Mexico - the wild, wonderful colors. The homes in NM are all monochrome. Thank heavens for the beautiful skies and mountains here. Thank you for all your beautiful postings AND color this past year. Keep it up.

Babs said...

Thanks Gin. I certainly will. It's people like you that make this so much fun and enjoyable.....

Anonymous said...

Wow, that place you mentioned sounds interesting. And a roof deck is high on my list of priorities. I've always thought roofs were such under-utilized spaces in general, though in Mexico they at least see duty as laundry places.

Saludos,

Kim G

Babs said...

Kim, in San Miguel the roof terrace is another floor of living since our weather is good about 10 months out of the year. I nap up there, eat up there, watch the bird migrations, read and listen to music. In other words, another living room. Any house in SMA that has a roof terrace has a view which sometimes is of beautiful sunsets over the mountains as I have.