What’s New in Restaurant Paint Color Palettes and Design?

Forget starched white tablecloths and muted palettes. Today, restaurants are designed to entertain, to surprise, to create Instagrammable moments — and color plays an essential role. Branding, mood, day-to-night ambiance and the personality of the chef or owner all give a restaurant its custom look. We spoke to nationally known commercial designers to discover the trends they’re creating.

Natural Materials

Natural elements like wood and slate are very popular right now, according to Hannah Weiner, interior designer at Phase Zero Design in Boston.

“The trend is to create cozy, rustic, authentic spaces that lend an almost ‘mom and pop’ feel,” she says. “The effect is created by starting with 85 percent of neutral colors — mostly black contrasted with grays and whites. Once that neutral palette is laid, pops of color are added on accent walls, banquettes, upholstery, pillows and wall décor to give the space a warm feeling.”

Muted Pastels

Tanya Spaulding, principal at Shea Design in Minneapolis, sees restaurant design color going from an industrial, dark and heavy vibe to a lighter, more colorful one.

“Designers have been using gray as a primary base for restaurants for a while now, but I’m seeing that transform into muted pastels instead,” she says. “Incorporating these colors into smaller areas, like on a private dining room wall or on pillows, provides energy and life to a space, and can easily be updated every few years for a fresh look and feel.”

Plants

Another trend restaurant designers are seeing this year is the incorporation of indoor plants.

“Biophilic design — a way to connect people in a building to nature — is very popular right now,” says Alicia Kelly, senior interior designer at Studio K in Chicago. “There’s a new emphasis on sustainability and nature, so designers are using leafy greenery, succulents, air plants and trees as essential elements.”

Beyond Trends

Restaurant designers pay attention to what’s trending in dining décor, but most focus on creating a custom experience for the brand and the space.

“We actually like to avoid trends and go with what is unexpected,” Kelly says. “It’s more about creating a mood and telling the story of a particular chef or owner. Colors create feelings and energy, so we focus on the atmosphere first, choosing colors that can evoke the mood for daytime or nighttime dining.”

Weiner agrees, noting that not all restaurants can be designed in a cookie-cutter way. “Many of our clients have strong identities already,” she says. “So our job is often to use their brand colors in a unique way to create the atmosphere they want to achieve.”

How Do You Get out of a Color Rut?

Trying to pick a color for a painting project? You look online to see that the latest color trend is the same old color. (Grays, anyone?) It doesn’t take long before specifying the same colors from project to project puts you in a color rut.

Encourage yourself to break free of the same-old, same-old can seem like a tough task, but there are effective methods to help expand your tastes and for you to stretch your palette.

You never know where you might be color-inspired. Heading outdoors is a great place to start — landscape and sky views offer soothing, unexpected color combinations. You might also visit museums and historic houses; they are rich with masterful color combinations.

Discovering unusual color combinations in rugs, textiles and other personal items is another straightforward way to reflect your tastes. And you might also consider alternative inspirations, such as capturing the colors of your favorite city or taking in the eye shadow wall at a makeup store. When you can describe the color inspirations used in your home or business to friends and family as clearly as you can envision them, it’s a sure win.

The end of another year…boy time flies!

Although it will take some time to fully “recover” from the effects of this pandemic, we are getting slowly back to a new normal. It is hopeful to start celebrating with family and friends this holiday. Please know that the deadline to get painting done before Christmas is December 15th. So, if you procrastinated (we won’t judge) click “yes” below and we will have someone contact you right away!
Now, as we move into our slow season we’d like to offer you 10% Off winter interior painting. This discount is ONLY valid in the months of January, February & March (sorry we cannot offer in December or for existing contracts). When “life” happens…we are here to prepare, repair or refresh your home (or business). Thank you for being part of the Hands On Painters family of friends and customers!
So, from everyone at Hands On Painters, I’d like to say thank you for your continued loyalty and trust.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Zawacki

Color for Difficult Spaces

An excerpt originally published in STIR®

Rarely is a room perfect. Low ceilings, soaring walls, odd angles, no windows, oddly configured corners – the list of common obstacles goes on. It’s sometimes easy to forget that spatial and functional challenges can often be solved with color. Here are some colorful suggestions to help you deal with pesky decorating dilemmas.
  • A room with no windows. Lighter colors – especially yellow-tinted paints and textiles – help reflect the light you’ll need in a room without windows. Painting the trim white and using white or light-colored furniture will also help throw the light around, as will reflective surfaces, such as glass-topped or mirrored furniture and mirrors hung on a wall. And to help “bring the outdoors in,” consider hanging some prints depicting nature. Landscapes and outdoor scenes that include windows and doorways lead the eye outward, creating the illusion of added space and light. And above all, make sure you install top-quality lighting.

  • A long, rectangular room. To counteract the bowling alley effect of a rectangular space, divide it into functional squares, which are actually easier for the human mind to integrate, says designer Mark McCauley, ASID. How to break up the space? “Use a large plant at the point of demarcation, large artwork, or a bookcase or curio,” he says. These items will divide the space into two halves, each having a separate function; for example, dining room for eating, living room for conversation and TV watching. If you’d rather have the room serve a single function, but you want to give it a more squared-off appearance, paint the two narrower end walls a darker color and the longer walls a light color. This will create the illusion of wider end walls and make the room appear more symmetrical.

  • Oddly shaped room. You can physically change the proportions of an oddly shaped space with built-ins. Not only can built-ins hide construction errors, but they can serve as interesting focal points while also providing extra storage. To draw attention from a sloping ceiling, uneven floor or a misplaced corner, place a colorful area rug in the center of the room to draw attention away from the periphery and create a central living space.

  • A low ceiling. Put down a darker floor covering, be it a wooden floor, carpet or tile. Paint the walls with a lighter color than the floor, or use light-colored wallpaper. If you can, use white paint for the ceiling, since this always gives the room maximum light and instantly draws the eyes upward. Hang wall art featuring strong vertical lines, which give the impression of height.

The Surprising Relationship Between Spices and Paint Color

By Amanda Lecky

If you’ve ever been inspired by the rich red of cayenne or the intense gold of curry while cooking, you’ve reacted to the natural pigments found in spices. In fact, it turns out that when it comes to color, spices and paint share an ancient history.

The chemical compounds that give spices their vibrant colors tend to fall into several categories, including chlorophylls, the greenish pigments that all plants contain; carotenoids, the red, orange or yellow pigments that give paprika, saffron and turmeric their brilliant hues; and flavonoids, the yellow pigment found in cassia cinnamon, for example.

Plants use these different natural pigments to help capture the energy of sunlight for photosynthesis and to attract insects and animals to aid pollination and seed dispersal. And for centuries, humans have also adopted natural pigments — many of them derived from the same spices they used for their native cuisine — to add vibrant organic color to their surroundings. The paint used in 50,000-year-old Persian cave art contained saffron, just as classic Persian “Jeweled Rice” does. And the same turmeric cooked into a Tibetan curry also gave Buddhist monks’ robes their golden hue.

Today’s synthetic pigments have made it easier to surround ourselves with these earthy hues — and tap into our instinctual appetites for color.

“Spice tones create in us a very visceral connection to color. They’re rooted and anchored, they come from the soil — which is very comforting,” says Sue Wadden, Director of Color Marketing for Sherwin-Williams. “Of course, if they’re bright — like a cayenne-pepper red — these colors can be stimulating, so you have to decide what kind of effect you want when you’re deciding where to use them.”

 

 

EPA Lead Certified – Did You Know?

Did you know, Federal law requires all contractors performing renovation, repair or painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child-care facilities or schools built prior to 1978 to be certified and to follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination?

Hands On Painters has completed the certification process and has been trained by an EPA-accredited national training firm. Team members are trained in; Regulations, Prep Work, Dust Containment, Clean-Up, Record Keeping, & Job Site Supervision

If you have a building that was built before 1978, make sure your contractor/painter is EPA certificated!

Q & A; Can you apply latex paint over oil-based paint?

The general answer is yes. However, it is vital that the surface be properly prepared. Generally, sand the surface until it’s no longer slick. Then wipe the surface down with a cloth and apply one to two coats of primer and let dry before applying two coats of paint. If the surface may have been coated prior to 1978, please consider the following lead hazard cautionary statement:Warning! Removal of old paint by sanding, scraping or other means may generate dust or fumes that contain lead. Exposure to lead dust or fumes may cause brain damage or other adverse health effects, especially in children or pregnant women. Controlling exposure to lead or other hazardous substances requires the use of proper protective equipment, such as a properly fitted respirator (NIOSH approved) and proper containment and cleanup. For more information, call (in the U.S.) the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD or contact your local health authority.

Best Bedroom Blues

Our bedrooms should be a space for sanctuary. Neutral and versatile, blue paint can act as a bold accent, or provide the perfect backdrop to give you a sleepy, sweet sanctuary.

THE BOLD & BEAUTIFUL – “Navy” may be a dark paint color, but pair it with bright decor and accents to create a balancing contrast. Create a focal point for your bed by using navy on a geometric accent wall. The dimensional lines will naturally draw the eye toward the center of your bed.

BORING BEDROOM NO MORE – Say goodbye to boring bedroom walls with a splash of bold color. Try combining bright hues like Sherwin-William’s “Lagoon” with natural textures and white accent colors to give your space an uplifting look that feels carefree and coastal.

SAIL AWAY TO SLEEP – Try a nautical-inspired hue to bring the calming vibes of the beach to your space. Sherwin-William’s “Deep Sea Dive” is a jewel tone that can be balanced with warm-colored accents. As a backdrop this bold is the perfect way to highlight your most beloved belongings.

Ready to dive into a blue bedroom refresh? Call us at 410-242-1737!

Except from Sherwin-Williams

Prepare Your Home for Selling

Everyone’s timeline for selling their house looks different. Whether you’re looking for more square footage or embracing the minimalist draw of downsizing, we’re sharing our tips to sell your home, so you’ll make the most of your listing no matter where you are in the process.

SELL RIGHT NOW

Sometimes the right house pops up when you weren’t even looking – the good news is you don’t have to pass on your dream home just because you weren’t planning on selling. If your timeline is tight, get down to basics with a little cleaning and light painting. Start by fixing any holes on your walls from hanging decor. Once repairs are taken care of, give your trim a fresh coat of paint to make your rooms look sharper and more defined.

BONUS TIP: Painting your front door is another quick project that goes a long way. 

SELL SOMEDAY SOON

If you have a few months before selling, start by clearing out clutter. Now is the perfect time to go through the things that’ll make the move with you and say adios to the things that won’t. Not only does getting rid of extra decor and dust collectors make it easier on your move, but it also gives you more room to stage your space and make some cosmetic changes.

Giving your space a new coat of color is a huge bonus for you and potential buyers. Painting walls in a new hue can increase your home’s value while attracting buyers with that shiny, move-in-ready appeal. If you’re not sure which color to use, sticking with neutrals will always be a crowd-pleaser when it comes to selling.

SELL DOWN THE ROAD

While these tips to sell your home are a great place to get started, you might not be ready to leave your abode until a few years – this means you’ll have even more time to think about the bigger picture. Much like a newly painted space stands out, a renovated room can be just as enticing to potential buyers.

Make a list of the spaces around your home that could use a little sprucing. Whether it’s updating a half-bath with new fixtures or adding new hardware to kitchen cabinets, you can prioritize little updates here and there that go a long way in increasing the value of your home.

Regardless of when you sell your home, there’s always one golden rule to keep in mind – show your exterior some love! A picture-perfect space that feels move-in ready inside and out is a big draw for making potential buyers feel right at home.

Sherwin-Williams

Choosing Stain Colors

Staining can be colorful (and easy). It doesn’t take a doctorate in color theory to work with stain colors. Start with the basics like opacity and stain palettes.

Determining your proper opacity is crucial in the staining process as opacity can range from lightly pigmented to total coverage. Opacity options include solid and semi-transparent, all of which enhance and protect any porch, deck, trim or siding as well as concrete driveways and walkways.

Color mixing and matching. Discover the world of stain colors and let the natural wood shine through, match grain colors or cover unsightly wood blemishes.

  • Stain is available in several pre-mixed colors; a great way to bring colorless areas to life.

Sherwin-Williams