Friday, August 14, 2009

Why Should You Paint Your Ceiling White?


During a color consulting appointment clients will often remark that they are nervous choosing a paint color for their ceiling. There are far more reasons to not paint a ceiling white than you'd think. In situations where white is the perfect color to use, it is successful only because it is used very consciously as a color -- not a knee-jerk reaction to getting out of the paint store sooner than later. I posted a piece about the color white on my color blog. Here's the lead.
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Painting your ceiling white is not necessary or even always a good idea. White paint will not always make your room look larger, cleaner and more fashionable. Sometimes white will seem to expand the size of a room, but sometimes it’s a big mistake. Mostly, people paint their ceilings white because they don’t know what else to do.

I’m not exactly sure when white ceilings became fashionable, though I suspect the country’s fascination with white paint began in 1893 at the Chicago World’s Fair. The famed White City at the World’s Fair included a complex of buildings and streets over an area of hundreds of acres. Buildings were finished with white stucco and brightly lit with the new-fangled street lights. Acres of radiant whiteness must have been an entrancing alternative to the dark countryside and dimly lit city streets filled with dark tenement buildings.

Then, about thirty-five years later, the Great Depression. . . READ MORE at Color Conversations with Cristina.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Color Consulting Architectural Project Portfolio



Creating color plans for residential, commercial and institutional buildings is a fascinating way to put color theory into practice. Color is a language that exists in the spoken and written word as symbol and metaphor. I love the challenge of translating the subconscious and conscious reactions of my clients to color into a color plan that they love.

Read more about my color advice at Color Conversations with Cristina
Hire me as your color expert:
Cristina Acosta Art & Design llc, Certified Minority Contractor

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Friday, August 7, 2009

Change a Few Colors Instead of Repainting Your Entire House

I posted a new entry on Color Conversations with Cristina. I wrote about how to fix an exterior house paint project that didn't turn out quite like you'd expected. Here's the lead:

Are you ready for a home makeover but you don’t want to break the bank? Have you ever painted your house and when it was done, wondered why the paint job didn’t look as good as you thought it would? Changing paint colors doesn’t have to be a complete re-do. With a few strategic changes of color you can get the look and pizzaz you want by changing only the colors or areas that make the most difference, rather than repaint the entire exterior of your home. . . . .READ MORE

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Bragging About My Kid's Artwork

Isabella Acosta Barna's paintings

Please forgive me, but I'm a mom and I am so proud of my daughter, Isabella Acosta Barna, that I just have to brag a bit. Isabella's greeting cards are for sale at the Clinton Presidential Library Gift Shop!!

And, a portion of every sale funds The Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation Youth Advisory Board and Empower Me 2 Be (of which Isabella is a board member) is on task to halt the increase in childhood obesity. Last year the Alliance asked Isabella to make some images using their color scheme that convey health. They would then choose one or more to use in their outreach.

The slide show of Isabella's art work has a photo of her at work in her respirator, carefully layering stencils and other collage materials on her piece as she paints. This was a great opportunity for her to work within the client's design and concept parameters as she explored how to creatively fulfill those guidelines.

Isabella is a strong and independent artist -- which means that I had nothing to do with the outcome of these images beyond explaining to her the mental/artistic process of how to approach this type of project. I love her final images -- they are beautiful!

And as a mom and an artist, I'm glad my child likes to make art. Presenting art to a kid and knowing when to slip in a little teaching now and then is a very fluid experience over their lifetime. There is no one right way to encourage creativity. My approach is to have the tools and time available and then to be a good example of working my own creative process.

www.CristinaAcosta.com