Updating your home’s exterior is about more than just a fresh coat of paint – it’s about curb appeal and showcasing your personality. Summer is the perfect time to give your house a facelift, so we compiled a list of our top five favorite exterior paint colors for a refreshed look.

1. November Rain 2142-60 by Benjamin Moore

This pale beige is the perfect exterior neutral. White trim and porch railings pair well with this color. Use the Wedgewood Gray mentioned below on the front door to add interest. Touches of an olive green would also look great with this color.

2. Wedgewood Gray HC-146 by Benjamin Moore

This pale soft blue/green/gray color pairs well with white trim or the November Rain above. This shade is a great backdrop for lush green vegetation. Add an eye-catching pop of color with a bright red front door.

3. Dior Gray 2133-40 by Benjamin Moore

This is darker and more saturated gray than Wedgewood Grey, but has some of the same qualities. White trim with black touches on doors and shutters would create a dramatic yet timeless curb appeal.

4. Coventry Blue 4005-5C by Valspar

This blue makes you think of floating clouds and summertime. Light accent tones work well, but touches of a darker blue like Blue Sash by Valspar add depth and interest.

5. Collonade Gray SW 7641 by Sherwin Williams

This is a truly timeless gray. Use Panda White by Sherwin Williams for the trim. We recommend adding a pop of color on the front door – a bright red or sunny yellow.

Our Top Five series is brought to you by Blue Door Painting’s design partner, Jasmin Reese Interiors. Looking for design inspiration? Contact Jasmin and her team for an unparalleled professional opinion.

If you’ve already found your perfect exterior color scheme and want to get started, contact us today for a FREE estimate so we can help you create the home of your dreams. Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirations and read our 5 STAR reviews on Yelp, Angie’s List or Houzz.

At Blue Door Painting, we don’t just paint over the flaws – we restore and prepare surfaces before completing the color. A recent Lake Shore Drive condominium refresh required us to repair extensive existing ceiling damage caused by water leaking into the apartment. Our expert repairs not only made for a smoother painting surface, but they rectified an issue that could cause larger problems down the line.

Once we restored the ceilings to a perfect, like-new finish, we painted the whole home interior to provide a much needed update. Now the homeowners can sit back and enjoy the gorgeous lake views!

This one bed, one bath Edgewater condo has impressive views, so we wanted to give the interior an impressive facelift to match. The walls were an unappealing yellow shade, with mismatched decor elements. We updated the yellow in the main living space to a calming green – SAGE SW 2860 by Sherwin Williams – with bright white trim.

As you can see in the photos below, the water damage on the ceiling was considerable and spanned the entire hallway and into other areas of the home. After meticulous repairs, we updated the look with a clean white to match the trim.

In the foyer, we updated the existing yellow to the more subdued Ambitious Amber 6366 by Sherwin Williams. The brightness of this shade complemented the white trim, ceilings and doors to give the space an airy quality.

To give the bedroom a unique feel, we replaced the bright yellow with a relaxing shade of purple – Beguiling Mauve 6269 by Sherwin Williams. We also painted the metal radiators in each room to match the walls for a more cohesive look.

This full interior update has been one of our most extensive interior jobs this summer, and we’re proud to share the final product with you! Blue Door Painting is a five-star rated, highly experienced professional painting contractor that delivers quality interior and exterior painting services to condominium associations in the Chicago area. Contact Blue Door Painting today to get a free estimate for any painting project – we are fast, professional and affordable!

We hope you enjoyed this installment of our monthly Job of the Month Series. Stay tuned for more Chicagoland painting projects by Blue Door Painting!

Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirations and read our 5 STAR reviews on Yelp, Angie’s List or Houzz.

Who says beige has to be boring? At Blue Door Painting, we see a trendy, neutral color for interior updates and chill atmospheres. We compiled our favorite beiges in the list below:

1. Indian River BM 985

This beige is anything but dull! Layer the drama from the very beginning, starting with the walls and working up to the ceiling. This tone is a saturated color that stands up well alongside dark furniture or gold accents.

2. Pashmina BM AF100

Soft and romantic, Pashmina is a muted taupe that ‘s super elegant and comfortable. This beige variant is easy to love in any room.

3. Tapestry Beige BM OC-32

If you’re looking for what we’d consider a classic beige, Tapestry is for you! This shade is timeless but looks fresh and new. Whether it’s the featured color or a backdrop for other design elements, this color can work in any space.

4. Brandy Cream BM 1030

Brandy Cream is a great neutral option when you need to bring light into your space. It works great with a minimalist style and provides a beautiful contrast with dark wood floors. Perhaps more cream than beige, but an unstoppable neutral!

5. Accessible Beige SW 7036

Like the name suggests, this is an accessible, malleable shade. There are no orange or brown undertones in this color; instead, it’s a crisp, clear beige that radiates light and makes the perfect backdrop for whites.

Our Top Five series is brought to you by Blue Door Painting’s design partner, Jasmin Reese Interiors. Looking for design ideas or color inspiration? Contact Jasmin and her team for an unparalleled professional opinion.

If you’ve already found an ideal beige and want to get started, contact us today for a FREE estimate so we can help you create the home of your dreams. Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirations and read our 5 STAR reviews on Yelp, Angie’s List or Houzz.

Out with the old, boring kitchen colors and in with the new, vibrant tones! Blue Door Painting wants to upgrade your kitchen with these interesting and on-trend color options.

Neutral Grays:

– Kendall Charcoal (HC 166)

This luxurious shade pops perfectly against vibrant metals or when paired with bright counters or trim. This versatile neutral would work nicely with most palettes.

– Hazy Skies (OC 48) 

Subtlety is key with this delicate option. Hazy Skies evokes a misty, soft feel in any room that reminds us of lazy Sundays in summertime.

Greiges:

– Stone Hearth CC-490

Photo by Benjamin Moore

A seemly unorthodox choice, this version of greige can accentuate other colors or pair well as the featured shade against bright white cabinets or counters.

– Tapestry Beige BM OC32 

You can’t go wrong with off-white! This color is a part of the Benjamin Moore Off-White Collection, and looks amazing against a range of tiles, granites and beautiful backsplashes.

Cool Colors:
– Down Pipe

Dark moody blues are showing up more and more in kitchen designs and we are in love with these saturated rich colors. This shade has deep blue undertones and is a wonderful way to create a dramatic and chic look with your cabinets.

– Van Deusen Blue HC-156 

This blue will pair well with white or grey cabinets for a fresh look. A white marble countertop with grey veining would be the perfect finishing touch. For a contrasted look, paint lower cabinets blue and uppers in white or a light grey. Another blue that would work well is Downpour Blue 2063-20.

– Forest Green 

We absolutely love the patterned tile to accompany this bold choice. Some other color options to give the same dramatic effect include: Green Bay and Hunt Club.

This color inspo is brought to you by Blue Door Painting’s design partner, Jasmin Reese Interiors. Looking for design ideas? Contact Jasmin and her team for an unparalleled professional opinion.

If you’ve already found your dream cabinet color and want to get started, contact us today for a FREE estimate so we can help you create the home of your dreams. Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirations and read our 5 STAR reviews on Yelp, Angie’s List or Houzz.

Gray is anything but bland – it continues to shine as a popular choice in interiors, from interior walls to cabinets and veining in marble choices. The Blue Door Painting design team expects this trend and its “greige” color cousin to stick around.

Thinking about updating your interior with some trendy neutrals? Check out some of our favorite grey and “greige” options, as well as some beige wall colors that combine beautifully with gray decor elements.

1) Repose Gray SW 7015 

This Sherwin Williams shade is the perfect gray base with warm undertones. It immediately creates a comfortable and warm feeling of home. There’s nothing flat or dull about this gray!

2) Gray Owl BM OC-52

Scared gray walls may be too overwhelming? Consider this soft-as-a-cloud option. It features cooler tones and is gentle on the eyes. The adaptable shade is approachable and picks up the tone from the surrounding environment.

3) Timber Wolf BM 1600

Not for faint hearted, Timber Wolf by Benjamin Moore is a bold saturated color that provides drama without draining the light from the room. Embrace the gray and make a daring statement with this moody and deep color. Bonus: It plays well with gold touches.

4) Mindful Gray SW 7016

This versatile and warm gray is in the same family as Repose Gray. This shade is a perfect neutral that works beautifully with any color combinations because it has enough coolness to transition. Mindful is not only great for walls, but makes for a classy cabinet color.

5) Classic Gray BM OC-23

Names can be deceiving – this color is actually part of the Benjamin Moore Off-White collection. It’s a subtle nuance off-white with just enough gray to make our top five. Classic Gray walls create a tranquil and serene environment, so this is the perfect base to create a restful space.

Our new Top Five series will join our Job of the Month series as a regular facet of the Blue Door Painting blog. It is brought to you by Blue Door Painting’s design partner, Jasmin Reese Interiors. Looking for design ideas or color inspo? Contact Jasmin and her team for an unparalleled professional opinion.

If you’ve already found your perfect gray and want to get started, contact us today for a FREE estimate so we can help you create the home of your dreams. Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirations and read our 5 STAR reviews on Yelp, Angie’s List or Houzz.

For September, our interior design partners at Jasmin Reese Interiors are giving a nod to blue, possibly the most versatile color on the spectrum. It’s also very special to Blue Door Painting, of course!
For the native New Englanders at JRI, blue is especially evocative of the coast, and September is when the chilly Atlantic is finally at its warmest. You can bask in the waves and enjoy the last breaths of summer at the beach. In honor of this exceptionally rich, classic color, Jasmin’s design pros assembled a selection of beautiful blue tones, as well as some tips for using blue paint and decor to make your home spectacular:

We love using barn doors like these to add a pop of color to interiors for bathrooms, or anywhere else sliding doors might be a practical solution for the space. These lovely barn doors, painted a Yale Blue and fitted on an iron track, add some drama to this living room entryway.

This high-gloss floor-to-ceiling royal blue paint, with a setback ceiling painted in gold, render this elegant salon extraordinary. Blue pairs wonderfully with gold, and also with white. The simple white and blue furnishings and ginger jars nod to the gorgeous blue and white Greek Key flooring.

Here’s another great blue and gold example! Hexagonal tile in cerulean blue works well with the golden shower head and accent mirror, giving this well-appointed bathroom a lavish feel.

Blue is a fabulous color for accent furniture because it complements so many other colors and designs. You can add style and save money during a bathroom renovation by repainting existing cabinets for a revitalized, fresh-looking “new” piece of furniture. We love this vanity painted a crisp navy blue to call out the navy honeycomb wallpaper. We often paint vanities in bathrooms a bold color to add drama.

We love the luxury this deep turquoise delivers when applied to custom built-in bookshelves — complemented by turquoise lamps and drapes and set off by unexpected burnt orange accents — in this classic library. We are working on a similar vibe in a library in Evanston right now, and we’ve included that paint color as one of our picks for the month. Stay tuned on our social channels for pics to come!

For our favorite paint colors this month, we’ve selected Benjamin Moore, Tropical Paradise (the color we used in a gorgeous Evanston library!) and Sherwin Williams, Indigo Batik.

We adore many shades of blue for their soothing elegance, and for the timelessness that they bring to complete a design. Share some photos of how you’re using blue in your home and garden!

Not sure which shade best suits the room? Call us for a free color consultation.

Looking for professionals to do the painting for you? Call Blue Door Painting today.

Read on as the design minds at Jasmin Reese Interiors make the case for this month’s featured color: orange.

Orange is one of the boldest colors on the spectrum, calling your attention immediately (but there’s a reason it’s used on “Caution” signs!). Don’t let those fluorescent traffic cones give orange a bad rap — when used correctly, it can be an incredibly sophisticated way to add some unexpected zest and movement to your space.

Orange Beachy Entryway House Beautiful

Many homeowners shy away from including orange in their interior design palate fearing that it will be too intense or distracting. In truth, it’s the intensity that makes orange such a fabulous accent color — the trick is just to use it sparingly!

Here’s a Bohemian chic kitchen in Lake Forest that we had the pleasure of designing recently. We used an orange tile backsplash to add some visual interest to an otherwise neutral-toned space.

LF Boho Kitchen backsplash

A few key orange accents around the room, using furniture and window treatments, pick up the orange from the backsplash and complete the look.

LP Boho Kitchen Window Treatments

Here’s another great example of a strong orange accent making all the difference. This orange nightstand subtly draws out the orange trim on the pillows. Orange took this sweet twin bedroom from conservative and classic to unexpectedly stylish.

White and blue twin beds with orange table

This orange doorway at the Parker, Palm Springs, shows us exactly what fierce modern style looks like. It’s all about contrast!

Orange Door, Parker, Palm Springs

Our favorite orange paint picks are Orange Nectar from Benjamin Moore, and Navel from Sherwin Williams. Use either of these to add some pop to an accent wall or piece of furniture in your home.

       Benjamin Moore Orange Nectar

          Sherwin Williams Navel

Sherwin Williams’s 2015 Color of the Year Coral Reef has been applied to paneled accent wall in this elegant sitting room. Notice that it doesn’t take anything away from all the gorgeous layers of white furniture, window treatments, or the striking fur rug — the whites pop brighter!

Orange Panel Wall White Fur Rug

Just because we’ve emphasized the importance of orange as an accent color does not mean it will necessarily overwhelm a space if it’s used as the primary color in the scheme. If you love orange, go wild and paint the entire room. The orange walls paired with sleek blue furniture, and blasts of pinks, yellows, and reds in the artwork give this fabulous dining room that appeared in Elle Decor a fun, energetic vibe.

Orange Walls dining room Elle Decor

How are you daring to use orange to liven up your home or garden? Inspire us with pics!

Need to find just the right orange? Call us for a free color consultation.

Looking for professionals to do the painting for you? Call Blue Door Painting today.

Need some on-trend color inspiration? Jasmin Reese Interiors is turning their attention to the understated beauty of blush tones for the month of July.
Blush is an especially fitting choice for this month because it evokes the sweetness and tranquility of a warm summer night. Think sweeping salmon-y sunsets and a chilled glass of rosé on the deck…are you relaxed yet?

Blush and pink tones are traditionally associated with tranquility and femininity. This is by no means a new concept – Feng Shui masters use blush tones to calm the energy in a space. This lovely nursery exemplifies the soothing effects of the color with a pale blush accent wall.

While blush is naturally subtle, it provides a stunning contrast point for the rich green accent color lining the bookshelves in this stylish office. Plus, pink represents fire and green represents wood, and we think the color pairing below nails that combination!

Blush interior paint is a striking tool to soften a space and to provide a powerful yet gentle contrast to a stark, minimalist palette. Just a warning: the color tends to be most effective in small doses. This lovely bedroom decorated in neutral grey tones with just the right touch of blush accent on the ceiling is perfect!

Here’s an even more dramatic example of blush as an accessory color to offset stark, masculine black walls. The chunky crystal chandelier adds a final touch of glamour to this alluring sitting room.

blush sitting room

If you’re considering adding some blush accessories to your space, don’t miss this lush velvet from Schumacher in “Sophia.” The fabric is upholstery weight so it can be used for furniture, pillows, or even drapes if they’re lined.

As for paint picks, here are our faves right now:

Wild Astor from Benjamin Moore

Cosmetic Blush from Sherwin Williams

Brag about blush! Do you have a success story using blush tones to paint or decorate your interiors? Share the pics on Facebook!

Need to find just the right shade? Call us for a free color consultation.

Looking for professionals to do the painting for you? Call Blue Door Painting today.

Need a little color inspiration? Let our interior design partners at Jasmin Reese Interiors tell you about May’s color of the month: green!

Here in Chicago, the spring comes pretty late in the year. We’re just starting to see a riot of flowers budding on the trees in Lincoln Park, and so many lovely shades springing up all over the city!

For us, green represents renewal and revitalization, and reminds us to appreciate and be inspired by nature. To highlight the visual appeal of this undeniably fresh color, we have selected some of the best uses for green we’ve seen in the design world recently.

Photo courtesy of Rue Magazine

Green is a beautiful and versatile choice for the walls in your home. Bolder than a typical neutral tone, but always classic and crisp, green is often a fabulous choice for interiors.

We adore the way this jungle-esque large-print banana leaf wallpaper combines with an elegant, muted rose upholstered dining set to deliver just the right amount of zing to the room.

Photo courtesy of the Glam Pad

We just installed this delightful green zebra-striped wallpaper by Schumacher in a sassy Lincoln Park powder room, and we’re so happy with the results!

Schumacher – Zebra Palm Linen Print

This addition of a rich green accent wall gives this room an air of sleek sophistication, and we love how it draws out the bright hue of the palm plant.

Cilantro Green Sherwin-Williams

Benjamin Moore Seaweed Green

Right now, our favorite green paint picks are Benjamin Moore – Seaweed and Sherwin Williams – Cilantro. Don’t forget — effective lighting for your rooms is essential to help the colors shine!

Naturally, green evokes plants and the organic world. We’d like to leave you with this image of maze gardens at Ruspoli Castle in Northern Lazio, Italy for inspiration.

Maze Gardens at Ruspoli Castle / Northern Lazio, Italy

Think you’d like to liven up your home or office with some naturally inspired hues? Call us for a free color consultation with Jasmin.

Sometimes you want a room to feel spectacular – more than just a regular coat of flat paint can provide. For those daring enough to make a statement, paint companies are selling metallics.
Generally reserved for dining rooms, the metallic look is making its way into other areas of the house with patterns and new color options.

Photo courtesy of Ralph Lauren

Photo courtesy of Ralph Lauren

These options are great for a statement wall or sitting room, or for a naturally dark bedroom. The metallic textures take a few more coats than a normal gloss, but they add a warm glow and an upscale, classy look to any room.

If you aren’t interested in a full sheen, consider patterns like these:

Photo courtesy of Cutting Edge Stencils

Photo courtesy of Cutting Edge Stencils

And don’t just consider gold, silver and bronze when adding extra glam to your home – Sherwin Williams and Ralph Lauren both have metallic options that span the color wheel.
 

Think metallics would look great in your home? Contact Blue Door Painting today for a free estimate.