Exterior Home Painting

It’s Spring!, the time of year when people are beginning outside projects on their homes. Oh, how we love a beautiful bed of new flowers!  It’s the perfect time of year to upgrade your grill and outdoor entertainment space in preparation for all the planned cookouts. Did you know it is the ideal time of year to paint the exterior of your home? It’s not too hot or too cold which is not only essential to the painter but to your home’s exterior surfaces. Painting the exterior of your home provides aesthetic and functional benefits.  

Reasons to Paint Your Home Exterior

Better Curb Appeal

According to the National Association of Realtors, buyers today consider a home’s curb appeal as one of the six most important criteria when deciding to purchase a home.  Having an appealing exterior entices the potential buyers to want to take a look inside.  If the exterior is poorly kept then the buyers might take one glance and keep on driving.  Have you ever heard of the phrase about judging a book by its cover? Even if you are not looking to sell your home, curb appeal is important to a lot of people because it adds a sense of pride.  Having a fresh coat of paint on the exterior is giving your house the look it deserves, plus it will leave a lasting impression on your neighbors.  Some of the most popular exterior paint colors are neutrals such as white, gray, and tan.  Bold colors are welcomed as accents, such as your front door and window shutters.

Protection Against Weathering

The paint on your house protects and shields the siding from nature’s ailments; wind, rain, snow, and sun can be tough on the exterior of your home.  It can increase the lifespan of your siding.  Moisture can cause the exposed siding to expand and soften leading to further paint cracking, flaking, and peeling. A new coat of exterior paint will prevent moisture from seeping into your home which inhibits the growth of mold and mildew that lead to rot.  There is nothing that can be done about rotten wood except for being replaced.  Replacing wood can be expensive especially when it comes to the structure of your home.  Therefore, covering up blemishes before they have time to progress is extremely important.  Additionally, the sun can cause paint to fade and weaken the integrity of the paint.  Not only will a fresh coat of exterior paint brighten the appearance of your home, it also adds protection from the sun.

Help Prevent Insect Infestation

Termites have the capability of demolishing a wood home.  It is imperative to receive regular home inspections for termites and there are additional measures that you can take to protect your home from these pests.  Adding exterior paint covers up cracks that they use as access points and can stop an infestation from occurring.  An additional option for prevention is to apply a layer of borate-based wood preservative before painting.

Inexpensive Renovation

An exterior paint job is one of the cheapest renovations you can do to your home.  It has a considerable return on investment because the increase in the value of the home is greater than the cost to have the home professionally painted.   

Exterior home painting is a budget-friendly springtime renovation.  Having your home exterior regularly painted keeps it looking beautiful and gives it a strong defense against weather and insects. It improves the appeal, function, and value of your home. 


Interior Fabrics and Paint Colors for the Fall

As we approach the end of August, Autumn is just around the corner and we’re getting very excited here at Kelley Astore Interiors. One fantastic thing about design is that with each new season comes different and exciting trends, palettes, and creative opportunities. Although I love the summer months and the warm weather, there is something so cozy about Fall, and I am simply in love with Fall colors. As the weather cools down, the colors warm-up, a magical juxtaposition. Keep reading to find out my four favorite interior fabrics and paint colors for this Fall!

Autumn Leaves and Autumn Skies

The first up on my list of favorites is this remarkable combination of rich burgundy, burnt orange, and deep dusky blues against natural tones. This reminds me of those crisp Autumn nights where the leaves are bright red and orange and the sky feels mysterious. I love the contrast of the warm and cool tones in the fabrics against the comforting neutral tone of the paint. The paint color is an old Duron color called Buckwheat #5672. It provides a gorgeous backdrop for the colorful fabrics to appear vibrant without becoming overwhelming in any sense. The fabrics seen here are Colefax and Fowler #F 4710-03 Carsina and Pindler #9122 Ghent Slate, which would be perfect for a sofa or draperies. Pindler #6770 Classic Rustic or Fabricut Kirkville 07 would be a lovely choice for some armchairs.

I am in love with this palette and think it would work beautifully in a living room or a library/reading room!

TIP: Duron paints were purchased by Sherwin Williams so if you have an old Duron color you love take it into Sherwin Williams, they will mix it up for you!

In Between Summer and Fall

The next set of interior fabrics and paint colors for the fall reminds me of those days in September that fall perfectly in between summer and autumn. The world somehow feels calmer and more manageable. The days are still long, but the air is cooler and more forgiving. The green in this palette really catches my eye. I feel that each season has a different version of green, as reflected in nature. The deep evergreen shade in the winter, the soft and bright green of spring, the vibrant and joyful green in summer, and this beautiful olive shade for the fall. 

I wanted to let this color pop in this palette, so I paired it with neutral shades such as the natural paint color, Ralph Lauren Cymric #TH09, as well as more of those deep dusky blues for contrast. I would recommend Lee Jofa #ED 851604 or Fabricut Douppioni Silk #27 for draperies or a sofa, using the patterned fabric as the accent, perhaps as throw cushions. I would recommend Pindler # 9122 Ghent Slate or Villa Nova from Romo # V 3209/05 for sofas. All of these fabric houses currently reside at the Washington DC Design Center.

This palette would be the perfect fit for a living room or dining room!

Autumn Serenity

For those of you who prefer neutral and natural tones, this is the palette for you! These colors and fabrics would be wonderful in a family room – they are very reminiscent of that peaceful Fall feeling with the wonderful beiges, browns, taupes, and grays. I paired these fabrics against the paint color from Ben Moore #1032 Bar Harbor Beige as a lovely beige, that I actually think would be a great backdrop for a variety of fabrics, no matter the season. 

Because this palette doesn’t feature much color, I made sure to include different textures and patterns, including a wonderful plaid that would be a great sofa or throw cushion choice: Pindler #6271 Thayer color Burlap! It pops against the other fabrics such as Pindler #6770 in Classic Otter or Classic Silver which I would recommend as a fabric for a sofa or chair. Lastly, I think Kravet #27591-414 would make excellent fabric for draperies.

An Ode to Autumn Foliage

For the final palette, I’m bringing you lovely shades of camel, teal blue, sage green, and taupe as a beautiful homage to the dried flowers and foliage in the fall! Once again, I think this palette would work really wonderfully for a family room this autumn. 

I really wanted the patterned fabric from Pindler in #P6485 Oleander color Pearl to stand out, so I have paired it with complimenting neutral tones including a Ben Moore paint in #1095 Oakwood Manor. I would suggest this beautiful pattern be used for draperies, certain to bring life to your design! All of the fabrics in this palette are from Pindler. I recommend #7175 Athena color Sage to be used for a sofa with # 6883 Richter color Camel or # 6228 Gatwick color Haze for chairs. 

This palette brings me so much peace and joy and gets me so excited for the Fall!

Before you go…

If you are planning on giving your home a revamp for this Fall season, we are here to help! We offer a variety of services from renovation to bespoke upholstery and more. Head to our services page to book your free consultation today!


Five Unmissable Paint Trends of 2021

2021 is already going by quickly and now is the time to nail down any New Year trends before this year gets ahead of us. The color of a room is one of the most key parts of interior design and will make or break a room. Every year new colors start to trend, and all of the paint trends of this year have one thing in common. They’re all an attempt to bounce back and heal from the tumultuous 2020. Many of them pay homage to the home we all share: Earth. Very little is as grounding and calming as being in nature, so now we’re bringing those tones into our homes. So get out your paint roller and get ready to get painting with these five unmissable paint trends!

Restorative Neutrals

Up first are restorative neutrals. Neutral colored paints will always be in style, but this year sandy-beige tones are taking center stage. Painting your room a neutral color is a great way to create a calming and bright environment without opting for that hospital-like pure white. It creates a beautiful foundation to incorporate colors in other ways.

I recently remodeled a dining room for a client. They originally had a very bright red color that wasn’t right for the space. It made the room seem smaller and darker. As with many of my designs, I started with a beautiful oriental rug that had a lot of green and sandy shades in it. We decided to repaint the walls with Benjamin Moore HC-99 Abingdon Putty, a great neutral tone that blended with the rug beautifully, while still allowing the greens to shine. Just check out the before and after!

Grounded Earthy Tones

As stated above, many of the trends of this year pay homage to nature and grounded earthy tones are at the top of the list. Surrounding yourself and your family with earthy tones will create a calming and comforting atmosphere for everyone to slowly get back on their feet. We painted this entryway with Farrow & Ball’s Elephant’s Breath – a beautiful grounded neutral tone. It’s reminiscent of rocks and mountains, perfect for this gorgeous winding stairwell. It paired beautifully with a brilliant white for the trimming and provided a lovely contrast to the darker woods on the stairs. Once again, this shade creates a bright and serene environment which is just what you want to come home to.

Serene Greens & Olive

Serene Greens and olive tones strike a beautiful balance of color without being too bright. These shades of green are extremely welcoming and calming. Being in a room that’s painted with the right shade of green can make you feel like you’re walking along a forest path, surrounded by animals, plants, and sounds of nature. Serene Greens and Olive tones also make fantastic accent walls. It’s a perfect shade for houseplant-lovers, as the green will complement your plants and help them shine. Opting for a color like Sap Green or Olive from Farrow & Ball is perfect for feeling cozy and safe in this new year. Sap Green is even part of the Color by Nature palette, which was created in collaboration with the UK’s Natural History Museum to, “bring the true colors of nature into your home.”

Warming Reds & Mulberry Tones

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I absolutely love warming reds & mulberry tones. These are such comforting but invigorating colors that are perfect for all year round – not just the holidays! As discussed in our article about picking the perfect paint color for your home office, red can inspire passion and adventure, and evoke a sense of urgency. If there’s one trending color this year that is all about the bounce back, it’s the red tones. However, red has to be used in the correct way to have the right effect. Oftentimes when an entire room is painted red, it can feel overwhelming. I often choose red as an accent color, as seen here where I used a Benjamin Moore Mexicana to paint this built-in bookcase. It’s created such a lovely reading nook, energizing you to get all your reading done in 2021!

Calming & Smooth Blues

Calming and Smooth Blues are perfect for anyone who loves the ocean. Blue is known to stimulate the mind and increase productivity while maintaining a calm effect, which is exactly what a lot of people need in this new year. A shade like UltraMarine by Farrow & Ball is a perfect soothing blue with a slightly romantic and nostalgic edge. It’s also a part of the UK’s National History Museum’s Color by Nature Palette, officially deemed the ultimate ocean color! Once again, blues work as fantastic accent colors. I didn’t design the room below, but I love how they incorporated the gold with the smooth blue accent wall!

Need help choosing?

We want to help! Interior design can be intimidating if you’re just starting out. Let us take that stress away for you. We offer an array of services from painting to full renovations, and we always put our clients at the center of every design we do. Head to our services page to learn how we can help you today.

Want to learn more about paint? Check out our article on picking the perfect paint color, or how to choose the perfect paint for your home office.


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