In touch with nature

For a home where the living spaces all open directly out on to courtyards and look towards trees and hills beyond, the interior colors need to complement the surroundings.

Ensuring that the colors in this home, designed by architect James McCalligan, worked with the landscape was a key feature of the design.

"We had the rich greens in the foliage of evergreen trees and earthy browns of summer grasses, so we incorporated a lot of green and brown tones. But there are other colors in the landscape too, like raspberry red, which add a little liveliness, and avoid a monochromatic look," he says.

To achieve the color effects he wanted, McCalligan worked closely with the Kelly-Moore Paint Company.

"I showed the team at Kelly-Moore the colors I wanted, and they made samples up for me to show the client. Kelly-Moore is always accommodating in this way, and is extremely good at matching colors," says McCalligan.

The whole ground level living space is one open-plan room, with colors used to create emphasis and help make the spaces feel interconnected.

Because the kitchen is a busy space anyway, McCalligan has restrained the use of color here. One splash of raspberry red draws the eye to the corner pantry, while the rest of the area is limited to green tones.

"Color also helps to accentuate different forms in the open-plan space and to delineate the various areas," the architect says.

Kelly-Moore Enviro-Cote paints have low VOC levels, ensuring this low-fume, environmentally friendly paint is suited to use in a family home.

For more information on Kelly-Moore colors and paint types, contact Kelly-Moore Paint Company, toll-free 1 888 KM Color (562 6567). Website: www.kellymoore.com.

Story by: Trendsideas