20.5.09

Making Orange Work with Sherwin-Williams Paint

Making Orange Work
 
 The following is an article I was interviewed for in this month's issue of Sherwin-Williams Stir on how to
successfully incorporate orange walls in your home.

You can successfully incorporate orange walls in your design by choosing the right rooms, complementary colors and accessories.

Orange is a vibrant, happy, social color. An orange wall can bring a dynamic energy to any room. It can simultaneously brighten a space while warming it up. Paired with the right colors and accessories, a large swath of orange can make a room really shine. But orange walls haven’t always been an easy sell to homeowners. An orange wall need not look like a giant homage to the citrus fruit; many different hues of this inviting, invigorating color exist in the paint world. Patricia Gray of Patricia Gray Interior Design in Vancouver, British Columbia, has selected three Sherwin-Williams paint colors that she feels illustrate the diversity of orange:

  • Husky Orange Sherwin-Williams 6636: "Husky Orange features rusty tones with more brown in it, and I find that this color is a lot more acceptable to a broader range of people. It is one of my favorite colors for using in living rooms, libraries and family rooms."
  • Tango Sherwin-Williams 6649: "Tango Orange is what I would call more of a mid-range orange, a current and hip color. I would use it for a focal wall in the living room or dining room; it would also be fun for an entryway."
  • Kumquat Sherwin-Williams 6648: "Kumquat is beautiful because it tends to go into the peach tones, but it’s an upbeat and livelier tone than what we were inundated with in the ’80s. I find that Kumquat is very relaxing and soothing, which makes it ideal for a bedroom, sitting room or anyplace where you want a quieter mood."

Like any dramatic color used abundantly, orange needs its counterparts.
"White or cream help balance the heat of the color,"
Gray says.
"Chocolate browns and charcoal grays are also accents that balance and coordinate nicely."  

Jeffery Bilhuber  Sherwin-Williams Paint Husky Orange 6636
Sherwin-Williams Husky Orange 6636

An example of what might look like on a wall in a living room or family room.
Photo Jeffery Bilhuber

Sherwin Williams Paint Tango Orange Antonia Hutt Sherwin Williams Paint Tango Orange
Sherwin-Williams Tango Orange 6649

An example of what Tango Orange might look like on a wall in a dining room. in a dining room.
Photo Antonia Hutt

Sherwin Williams Paint Kumquat Orange Jennifer Gilmer backpainted glass Sherwin Williams Paint Kumquat Orange
Sherwin-Williams Kumquat Orange 6648

An example of what Kumquat Orange might this color might look like in a kitchen on a backsplash of back painted glass.
The glass gives this color more vibrancy.
Photo Jennifer Gilmer
** Colors may show differently on computer monitors than in real life. I always recommend painting a sample test.

Have you used orange paint in your home?
Do you think that you are likely to use orange in your home in the near future?
If so please let me know about it by leaving a comment.

The Color Orange

Read full article at Sherwin-Williams Stir
Read another article on The Color Orange where I give examples of Benjamin Moore Colors.


 

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Orange is one of my favorite color. I also used this color on my office wall.
Again its a nice article with great information.

thanks with regards
interior decorators

Rachel said...

Hi Patricia, thanks so much for the article...and for the recommendation of orange colors...there's not too much out there. If I went with a Tango Orange or Husky Orange accent wall, what color would you recommend for the other walls. I'm thinking either a light brown or cream color...suggestions anyone?

Anonymous said...

ORANGE is my favorite color! Love the choice of 3 different options.
I used orange paint to jazz up my kitchen pantry walls.

Laura Casey Interiors said...

These are all done so well. It is a hard color to get right, thanks for the link. I was very close to doing orange walls for a client once and decided not to and it was the right decision. This is good direction for the future!

French furniture said...

Great post! I love vibrant colours!

Ricky said...

I appreciate the labour you have put in developing this blog. Nice and informative.

Lanell said...

great color....I just painted my bedroom salmon! luv it!

dana said...

Orange is not a favorite color for all but thanks for sharing this post with us all. I really enjoy checking out your posts Patricia they are always so inspiring.

I liked the Sherwin-Williams Tango Orange used in the living room walls.

Great inspiration!

DESIGN BY CATHLEEN said...

I'm loving orange! Growing up it was my mothers favorite color, and our home had lots of orange! I remember the fake tree my mother loved with orange grapes hanging off it! ( causing me to believe grapes could be orange and grow on a tree!) LOL

xoxo,
Cathleen

VictoriaArt said...

I am just right now so thinking about color and I saw a fabulous orange at Gore Dean's Blog: she posted on a show house design by Camille Saum, the dining room was painted in Farrow & Balls orangery, with purple accents, beautifully done!
If you want to have a quick look find it on my blog list via Pigtown*Design blog.

Betsy Head, Affordable Interior Design said...

Orange is one of my favorites! Thanks for the feature.

Betsy

Beautiful Bowls said...

Lovely, lovely. I've used orange in my decor but stuck with accessories and it has worked very nicely.

Zuniga Interiors Design Studio said...

Congrats on the feature! Orange is one of my favorite shades! Always love your picks on colors!

Hope you are doing well!
Take Care!
Zuniga Interiors

Zelda said...

yesterday I was with a client , she pop up the idea of orange... I froze .
it's because it's the cousin of brown and mustard and the misusing of those colors around me made me so sick that I totally develop an allergies ,,,, what to do !!!?? help... hermes lunch box maybe?

Love Your Homes said...

Dear Patricia,

this is an interesting subject about colours.

I have always believed it's a matter of finding the right shade ( of any colour) to go well with the rest, but´s also about achieving the wanted effect. That is sometimes a challenge, yet great fun...

My running customer project includes silky chocolate brown with beige, white and a little gold. I can picture an earthy shade of orange on the walls.

So thanks for the advice.

Take good care,
Ingela

henzy said...

love the orange.. never would have thought of painting a room that.. but looks good.

DesignTies said...

I really like the orange back-painted backsplash. I think that one is my favourite of the three oranges described in the article.

I painted the living room in our last house a sort of terra cotta orange with a ragging faux finish. Don't moan, it looked cool, really!! I was really into southwestern style at the time, and it reminded me of adobe walls :-)

I probably won't be using orange in our current house, but I'm using an orange and lime green colour scheme on the patio in the backyard :-)

Kelly

abby jenkins said...

I adore that kitchen! Orange is my favorite color of all time. When I was a little kid my father would frown upon my hip orange jumpsuit (thankfully no photos of that) ...he said I looked like an escaped convict. Still out of the clink but it certainly influenced me...and my favorite color.

♥Aubrey said...

These pictures are lovely! Everytime someone mentions orange i remember an interview i saw a few years back that no one used this color ever. Seems we've come into a new era because i see it everywher in all types of hues.
~Great post~
You should stop by my blog as i have a lovely giveaway you just might be interested in.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Renee Finberg said...

love love love !!!!

what a super article.

i am particularly fond of back painted glass.
i love that orange back-splash the best !

Bravo Miss Patricia !
xx

red ticking said...

love orange paint, love to eat oranges... and love this post..fabulous as always...

Meade Design Group said...

Yesterday I was remembering a very funny story.

When I moved with my partner the first time, we did some painting in a our new love nest. I selected the colours for the rest of the apartment but my partner a software engineer wanted (in a very stubborn voice) a yellow bathroom so he selected a yellow by Ralph Lauren called Mango Gold - well the result was very hideous and we look so unhealthy every morning. I never looked so pale in my life (lol) and I am already pale.

Then one weekend while Jeff was out of town I selected a new warm colour - Baja Orange by Ralph Lauren Number: IB62 and it looked amazing and also we looked healthy and happy. Even Jeff loved it :)

We had white subway tiles and hexagonal ceramic floor tile - very 1930's and I also got some white and navy blue towels. The bathroom turned to be the coolest thing ever and it was so unique because it was a very old building and nobody thinks that orange will work in a bathroom. The best thing is that it complemented our skin colour and we looked really good every morning.

Today I have a taupe colour in my bathroom walls, but my towels are Rust Orange - well the result is that I still feel that I look good every morning :)

DesignTies said...

Orange is one of my most favourite colours! Even so, it was scary to actually paint my dining room in that colour (BM's Bronze Tone). Fear didn't last long - I love it!! Now, I need art on a long expanse of a wall and I'm crazy about the piece in your first photo. Something like would be fantastic!

Thanks for the fun post, Patricia!
Victoria @ DesignTies

Easy and Elegant Life said...

Mrs. E. and I painted the library orange after a Penguin paperback inspired the choice. Then we stippled it with a red varnish. Now we've got to change the carpet... It is an exciting colour with which to live, though.

Jill said...

My office at home is SW 6354 Armagnac...I love it!
A guest bath is SW 6352 Soft Apricot...I've also used this in a client's bedroom. It glows beautifully throughout the day.

I'm dying to use SW 6643 Yam.

Obviously I'm an orange lover...all of its varying shades.

Tricia Mitchell said...

Congratulations on the feature!

Love the orange in the dining room and in the kitchen. The glass back splash is genius.

Tricia - Avolli

Brillante Home Decor said...

Hi Patricia,
Great interview and advice.
As you said so well orange is vibrant, happy, social. The dining room creates this atmosphere.
Hermes orange boxes and brown ribbons are another perfect example.

Velvet and Linen said...

I find picking out colors to be such a challenge.
I always welcome the color advice from designers I admire like you. The images and orange tones you selected are beautiful.

xo
Brooke

Material Girls- Emily said...

Congrats on the article! Personally, I am very obsessed with orange...such a great color- just featured this post in our MG Weekender newsletter- goes out today!

Rekha said...

Difficult colour to use but this is a really nice piece you have written. I love the kitchen backsplash.

Orange is used here mostly with ethnic decor--more rajasthani look and feel. It's nice to see it in a contemporary setting

I love the orange and lime green combination

Renae said...

Patricia,
I love these. I am working with a client in Buckhead and we are leaning towards Tango for her LR...will be fab!
Blessings...

qerat said...

Loved the picutres. As everyone said it is a difficult color to use. I once painted a room orange back in the days when effects were in, it was almost sponged and I hated it from day one. It was a West facing room and in the afternoon it became like sitting in a furnace. Could not wait to change it to a neutral.
I have a project now were I am using a bright orange for one wall as an accent. I like the color and how it can go with ethnic or modern.

Dale said...

I'm really warming up to orange, and it's becoming one of my favorite colours. It was all the rage (and most dominant accent color) at the Hospitality Design Expo in Vegas last week.

Mélanie said...

I am a " colors girl" I guess , orange is one of my favorite and a lot of my friends are making fun out of me because of that . My teenager bedroom was orange and I love it very much. Now the curtains of my living room are very orange . I think orange match perfectly with a lot of colors but above all chocolate and blue.
I would love to paint my wall coral orange

Maria Killam said...

Love this article, well said. Orange is tricky for some people because when you say 'orange' people go to the primary colour in their head (like yellow) but there are so many different shades of orange like you've described!

Love the images you've shown as well!

Nadine Cruce said...

Hi! I am a restaurant interior designer. I like your design. It is just simple but look.. very nice..! keep it up!

Meade Design Group said...

Kumkuat = Yuminess! (lol) - I have to see that colour in person. I love the fruit, but to be honest I never thought to place that colour in a wall.

maison21 said...

yay for orange!