Boston Design Blog

Check out Lifetyme Exteriors' SmartColor Exterior Coating System on Youtube

Do you hate painting your house? Do you dislike how vinyl siding looks? See this detailed and informative video about Lifetyme Exteriors and their Smart Color exterior coating system here! Check it out, and you will see how this company can keep you from ever needing to paint again. Only 5 minutes of your time can educate you on why the re-painting process is costly, inconvenient, and now something you should never need to worry about, thanks to Lifetyme Exteriors.

An Arteriors Highlight

"Great Room" takes on new meaning in this Newport-like space (click on image to enlarge). Arteriors created this trompe l'oeil atrium to be the crowning jewel in a coffered ceiling.

See more of Arteriors' work at www.arteriorsfaux.com

Part 3 of 3 in the Barbara Jacobs Color and Design Mini-Series: 10 Tips for Choosing Paint Colors

Your paint project: 10 Tips from Barbara Jacobs for choosing colors

See part 1 and part 2

Finally, it’s time to choose the colors. Well, maybe it’s not “Finally”—maybe that was actually your first thought!

It often happens that I’m called to help with a color palette when “the painters are coming next week!”
While crisis-mode color selection is not optimal, it’s certainly possible to do. But your color choices deserve your best attention since it’s color that sets the tone for your entire space.

If you have time to give your color selections adequate consideration, it will be to your advantage. Even if you intend to use the services of a color consultant it will be helpful to your final decision-making to really be aware of your space in some ways you might not have considered before.

1. Where to start?

• Dream in color, starting in a smaller space such as a Bathroom, Hallway, or Accent Wall.
• Begin where you are most comfortable. Select a favorite color, drawn from artwork, rug, china, accessory or furniture, as main color or accent.
  In the image to the left (color design and photo by Barbara Jacobs) the wall color relates to the bright green design lines in LOOPY/Soft Tide: Silk Road Weaves – Tibetan Rugs

Q & A on Lifetyme Exteriors' Smart Color with Lifetime Warranty vs. Typical House Paint - How & Why Does it Work?

Below, the experts at Lifetyme Exteriors answered some questions about how their Smartcolor technology works and why it's better than typical house paint.

1) Tell me about the process of getting a home done with Smartcolor. How is similar to painting? How is it different?

Our process is somewhat similar to painting in that there is prep work involved, then the installation of a topcoat. However, our process is definitely more involved than the typical paint project. We start out with a pressure wash to make sure the house is clean. Then, we scrape and sand until the surface is sufficiently prepped for our coatings. We also caulk and seal around all doors and windows, and in all necessary cracks and crevices. At this point we apply a full coat of our bonding agent, a primer-like coat specifically designed for our coating system. Finally, Smart Color is applied 10x thicker than paint. The end result is a house that looks freshly painted, and will remain that way for many years to come. It looks like paint but is completely maintenance-free.

2) What are the major differences between regular house paint and Smartcolor?

Part 2 of the Barbara Jacobs Color and Design Mini-Series: “Apples to Apples” Tips for a Successful Paint Project

"Apples to Apples": Tips for a Successful Paint Project
from Barbara Jacobs Color and Design

Part 2 of 3: Questions to ask your paint professional for an “apples to apples” evaluation

I’m so relieved to know more than one excellent painter I trust, whose presence in my home is at the very least pleasant and unobtrusive, who is orderly and respectful of my personal environment. Personally, I’m more comfortable with someone working in my own home–or in homes of my clients–who has a fairly low profile on the job site and is focused on the project at hand.

You’ll probably also want to feel comfortable with people in your home even though you don’t know them well. There might be times when you are not there, but the project must go on!  Even though it’s temporary, their presence is a part of your life. Some of these things you can infer when you meet them, and some things you might just have to ask directly.

Barbara Jacobs Color and Design Introduces The Metropolitan Collection: Decorative Finishing Redefined

Barbara Jacobs Color and Design is ushering in the new year with new additions to The Metropolitan Collection™: a new concept in fine decorative finishing. This unique system is her way of bringing a fun, easy and affordable way of seeing and deciding on the best decorative surface finishes for your home or business.

Whether you're considering an artistic finish for your own home or your place of business, Barbara Jacobs will work with you directly to show you the color cards. If you are a designer, this is a great way for you to show your clients some ideas for decorative finishes along with your other design inspirations. The special finishes in The Metropolitan Collection are priced per square foot, so Jacobs can provide all the information you need to include this work in your budget.

The focus of The Metropolitan Collection includes a variety of color finishes in glazes, textures, tinted plasters, Venetian plasters, and metallic inclusions.

Whether it's a complex dramatic flourish or a sublimely simple, elegant background, The Metropolitan Collection can also be customized for your specific color and visual needs for a variety of surfaces.

Call (508.359.5753) or email Barbara Jacobs (info@IntegralColor.com) to find out how this system can work for you.

Barbara Jacobs Adds Case Studies to her Website

Question: What’s more detailed than a portfolio picture and similar to a blog but less fleeting?
Answer: It’s a Case Study!
 
Now, Barbara Jacobs has added a special section to her web site: “Case Studies,” which is linked on the home page of www.integralcolor.com.

The “Case Studies” section will include a more in-depth view on a variety of commercial and residential exterior and interior projects, and even custom rug design processes and projects.

The focus is on sharing the featured project's client requirements and goals, design approach, methods and solutions, results, and responses.

The first featured project is an Arlington, MA residence where Jacobs worked on new exterior colors for the owner’s custom built 1950s home. His response: “Spectacular! It does exactly what I’d hoped it would do!”  In fact, he recently told Jacobs that neighbors passing by often stop him to comment and that the response is “100 percent unanimous: Magnificent!”
That, of course, is Barbara Jacobs' desired goal for every project.

Register for the Integral Color newsletter to receive notice of new additions to this section.

"I hope you’ll visit the site often to check out the blog posts, and the case studies that will be added from time to time," says Jacobs.

A Holiday Offer from Barbara Jacobs Color and Design

A colorful gift for you, or for the lucky recipient of your thoughtfulness:

Decorating for the Holidays and Beyond, with this special Holiday Offer for 2009-2010 from Barbara Jacobs Color and Design:

Whether painting on your own, or hiring a professional painter, you’ll want to be using the paint that gives you the most color-per-can.

What do I mean by that?
Consider: Simply put, color is reflected light. If there’s a black or gray tint in the paint-can-mixture, that means “color lost.”  Black, as ‘reflected light’ is a virtual dead space where color is concerned.

So, how to get the most ‘color-rich environment’ possible?
Use paint that is mixed with the full spectrum array of tints. Even in a color we’d typically call “neutral,” each can of color from Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paint includes the full component of spectral hues in tint form. The usual paint mixtures contain 3 (or maximum of 4) tint colors used, and normally include some black or gray even in the light colors.

A 3-part mini-series from Barbara Jacobs Color and Design - Working with a painter: Be educated, Ask for advice. Tips for a successful painting experience.

Part 1: Do you love to paint your own house or will you hire someone else? A few tips

 
Painting a room is the most cost-effective way to achieve the greatest change and impact.

Most homeowners have tried their hand at painting a room. Some are more successful than others, but most people think it is "easy." But, of all the work you could do or have done in your own home, painting is the one that you might be most likely to try yourself—and then wonder why it may not have come out as well as you had thought it would.

As with most projects, preparation and experience in a painting project is a big part of the success. You’ll achieve your best results when you ask your painter for his or her expert advice. An experienced professional will notice critical factors that most homeowners overlook, such as: water damage, substrate weakness or damage, peeling paint, small cracks, need for caulking, lines from previous wallpaper and what to do about them, old paint layers that could affect the final result, and myriad other elements that are a part of a successful paint job.

Learn Professional Decorative Paint Finishing from a Master, Ami Mesner of Arteriors

Come learn from Ami Mesner, an artist, true Master and co-founder of Arteriors (Natick, MA). This class, held at Boston Center for Adult Education on December 10, 2009, will be a visual demonstration of different professional faux painting techniques – both contemporary and traditional.
 
In this show and tell workshop, you will experience techniques such as wood graining, Old World textures, wide stripes, metallic finishes and more, while Ami reveals essential trade secrets and a wealth of information in his informative and entertaining style. This class will be instructive to both the professional, experienced painter as well as the novice. You will have an opportunity to interact with the instructor and ask questions and will come away with a comprehensive understanding of a variety of beautiful finishes while watching a master transform ordinary walls into elegant works of decorative art! Click here for more information and to register online.