Rugh Design

Color Consultations, Schemes & Reviews by Laura Rugh

Color Wheel Update: Passive

Passive is a soft blue-gray with a hint of green to it’s undertone and when used in the right lighting is so pretty! Cityscape is four shades darker than Passive and I have found myself using this color more often lately in spaces like bathrooms, offices, laundry rooms and for accent walls and kitchen islands. I felt like the timing was perfect to focus in on Passive, the lightest shade on the same paint swatch as Cityscape. Like I mentioned, Passive is a soft blue-gray that has a hint of green to it. Since I am a huge fan of the cooler colors, I love Passive as a…
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Color Wheel Update: Extra White

Extra White is a favorite white of mine for several reasons. First, it is Sherwin-Williams’ “true white.” This means that it doesn’t have any warm or cool undertones. It’s just bright white. Since it is a true white, it is the base (or starting point) for which I categorized the warm and cool whites from Sherwin-Williams. You can read all about it in my post: The Best White Paint Colors: Undertones Explained. My second (but not last) reason for loving Extra White, is how clean and fresh it is. I personally have Extra White in my own home for my trim…
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The Best Wall Colors To Update Stained Cabinets

I have had several clients that have existing stained cabinets and are at a loss with how to pick a wall color to pair with the stained cabinets. This month, I am focusing on the best paint colors to compliment and update stained cabinets. In order to find the right wall color, it’s important to know what type of stained cabinets you have: dark (espresso), medium (walnut), cherry (red toned) and light (yellow or orange toned oak/maple). Each stain has an undertone of it’s own, just like paint colors. I have noted the undertone color…
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Color Wheel Update: Lazy Gray

I picked Lazy Gray to highlight this week because I just love blue-grays. Plain and simple. Depending on the lighting, Lazy Gray can look more blue or more gray. If you are looking for more of a true gray, steer clear of Lazy Gray because it definitely has a blue undertone, which I personally love! I like that Lazy Gray is a bump up from the lightest shade on the paint swatch (Olympus White) for a bit more saturation and depth of color. Lazy Gray is a cooler color, but doesn’t appear too cold and sterile. It is a great color to open up spaces that…
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Color Wheel Update: Anew Gray

Anew Gray has a warm feel to it and goes well in schemes with warm gray/greige/taupe selections (tile, backsplash, countertops, etc.). I tend to specify Anew Gray in homes that have higher ceilings and/or more natural light since it is a step up from the lightest shade on the paint swatch (like I just mentioned: Agreeable Gray). Anew Gray is one of my top neutral paint colors used in my Color Consultations because it really is a perfect transition color. If you are going away from the golden beige colors, but don’t want to go full gray either, Anew Gray is an ideal choice!
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Color Wheel Update: Oyster Bay

This week I wanted to focus on a color that I ADORE: Oyster Bay. It is in the same color family as Sea Salt, a super popular and beloved favorite green-blue with a hint of gray. Oyster Bay is two shades darker than Sea Salt, but is still considered medium toned and not super dark by any means. My favorite thing about this color (and really this entire color family) is that it provides the spa-like green/blue feel without being too bright. The hint of gray in the undertone helps to dull it down in a positive way. I don’t think an electric green-blue is going to feel very…
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Color Wheel Update: Colonnade Gray

The more that I look at Colonnade Gray, the more I like it. It’s a cross between Agreeable Gray and Repose Gray, two colors that I love and specify often. Colonnade Gray has more brown undertones to it than Repose Gray, but is less gray than Agreeable Gray. Again, it’s the in between color to Repose and Agreeable; their baby! Now do you see why I like it more? If a client is stuck needing a color that is cooler than Agreeable Gray, but warmer than Repose Gray, viola! Enter Colonnade Gray.
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30 Cabinet Colors that will Rejuvenate your Kitchen

30 cabinet colors that will rejuvenate your kitchen. I know, that is a lot of colors. But honestly, can we stop at 30? I didn’t set out to pick 30 colors, the 30 color picks just happened organically. I receive numerous comments from my readers (you!) often asking what color to paint cabinets or what wall colors to use with their stained cabinets. Cabinets continually come up in Color Consultations with clients who have existing stained cabinets and they are at a loss with how to pick a wall color to pair with the cabinets. There are as many…
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Color Wheel Update: Dover White

Dover White is actually very similar to one of my favorite “creams,” Creamy, but with more of a yellow undertone. Dover White is one shade lighter than Napery, a soft butternut color. So, Dover White goes in the same “warm white” category as Navajo White. So, what does all of that mean? Navajo White has a more golden yellow undertone, while Dover White has a bit more of an orange or “butterscotch” undertone. It is very subtle, but it helps to view the darker shades in the same paint swatch “family” of whites and off-whites.
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Color Wheel Update: Alpaca

I am a huge fan of Alpaca as a main wall color in spaces that have lighting that will keep Alpaca feeling a bit warmer and thus will bring out more of the greige tones (versus the violet tones). Although, we will see in a minute that there is a time and place that works to play up the violet tones in Alpaca. Alpaca is not super saturated and dark, so it’s a perfect color to have on trim for more of a subtle contrast against the wall color. Be mindful of the violet undertone that can come out in Alpaca and be sure that you are designing your space around that factor.
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