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A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for your house. Just ask author and photographer Garance Doré and interior designer Sarah Sherman Samuel as they reimagined Doré’s Mar Vista house into a home.
When Doré bought her house in 2016, the interiors were purely functional—the modern design meant a lot of open space and the light gray walls were a slightly more interesting color than eggshell white but didn’t do much in terms of design or flow.
The duo had the vision of playing up natural light where Doré wanted and dial it all the way down to zero where she didn’t. Each room also had to feel balanced, peaceful, and full of good vibes and purpose. That meant an earthy palette of neutral colors that enhanced the natural sunlight in the living room and studio space, and dark saturated hues inspired by the night sky in the bedroom and as accents around the house. “I feel like it’s very important in any house to have retreats and contrasts,” said Doré. “The whole house is bright and airy, I wanted something surprising that gives depth.”
Choosing a dramatic color palette might seem daunting without the help of an expert, but Doré says it was a seamless process. In fact, with the help of the “Everyday Balance” Color Collection from HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams, choosing paint colors might’ve been the easiest part about redesigning Doré’s home.
The collection is part of the brand’s 2019 Color Trends of the Year forecast, but it goes way beyond buzz. Taking the guesswork and frustration out of coordinating colors in your home, this Color Collection consists of eight earthy, neutral, and bold hues that all pair beautifully together for a cohesive palette. Each color in the thoughtfully-curated collection complements each other so well no matter how you mix or match them that you won’t even need a designer to create your dream home.
“It took about a minute—no, seriously, it made things so easy,” said Doré of the curated Color Collection. “Also, as an illustrator, I have used color palettes forever so, to me, it’s very natural and helpful.”
Watch the video to see the finished rooms, and then read on to see how Doré and Sherman reimagined each one into a calming retreat for the eyes and soul.
Doré wanted her living room to evoke warmth, clarity, simplicity, and to basically say “welcome home and stay as long as you want.” That’s why Sherman harnessed the warm sunlight by painting the space using HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams INFINITY “Pure White,” a color that looks true to its name. It has a slightly shiny finish that helps bounce light around the room, lending an overall playfulness and brightness that doesn’t look matte or flat. Textural elements, organic shapes, and lots of plants keep the room feeling warm and inviting.
Doré’s studio faces west so it catches a lot of light—which is perfect because she photographs everything in her bright studio. Pink happens to be one of her favorite colors so it made sense to lean into the dusty pink “Quaint Peche” and help keep the creative vibes flowing without overwhelming the room. It’s also a super calming shade, one that almost mimics rose quartz and is perfect for grounding Doré when she’s in the middle of several projects and needs a quick mental retreat.
Finally, Doré wanted the bedroom to be the darkest space in her house for good reason—she wants a good night’s sleep! The inky green “Dark Night” shade acts to almost absorb even the tiniest amount of light that filters in around the blackout shades. It’s a softer and refreshing alternative to black or gray that serve as functional colors but might not match the rest of the house.
For more color inspiration, visit HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams to see all the rest of the 2019 Color Trends of the Year and shop all the collections exclusively at Lowe’s.