color

Paint can reinvent forgotten hallways and lost landings this thanksgiving season
By Debbie Zimmer
The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute

Traditionally, Thanksgiving marks the onset of winter holiday festivities. A wonderful way to highlight a designated theme using today's "hottest" contemporary color schemes, a carefully executed display of hallway and landing color often provides the visual thread that can link together the entire Thanksgiving holiday home. Part of the joy of decorating for the holiday season is that there are no rules! Regardless of whether you choose to implement an earthly fall-like palette or a shimmery white winter wonderland, the opportunities to add paint color to hallways and landings are ever-expanding and limited only by the imagination!

Painted floors in hallways or on a stairwell landing represent an unexpected way to add whimsy to the home decorated for Thanksgiving. Rather than commit to painting the actual hard surface floor covering, consider painting directly onto a canvas area rug that can be strategically placed atop the floor surface. Border designs look particularly striking when applied to long, narrow hallways. Border motifs can be painted easily and conveniently onto a runner for elongated, dramatic looks. Examine your existing color scheme and try to select a combination of holiday hues that harmonize with the home's existing color palette. If your home abounds with deep tone hues, you may opt to inject burgandy, forest green, russett gold or other rich colors into the mix. Using fall's colors, geometric repetitive patterns are particularly appropriate for the southwestern styled home. Winterberries on a vine and sprigs of pine bring to mind nature's imagery that sets the tone for winter and the upcoming holiday season, particularly within the home that boasts a primitive or country styled decor.

Landings present an ideal opportunity to inject a touch of earthy fun for the holiday home, and are charming when highlighted amongst any style of decor! Put a unique spin on any large basket, filled to the brim with oversized pine cones and sitting on a landing. Reiterate the pine cone theme by incorporating wall art that mimics the identical motif! Consider painting a mural that features pine cones falling from a large tree on an accent wall that sits adjacent to the landing. Or, paint the same design on a large piece of poster or foam board. For those who are less artistically inclined, simply locate interesting images of pine cones. Matt and frame the pine cone images, then hang on the accent wall for a "less permanent" committment! Rather than purchasing a pricey store-bought frame, why not paint your own "frame" directly onto the wall? You can determine the frame's size, width and colors! Spotlighting up to the minute colors of the 2003 season, incorporate several of today's natural tones, including wheat, sage, linen, rosemary, and clay. To create dimensional effects, consider painting the design (or the frame) while the paint is still wet. Gently and evenly, rub off part of the paint in order to allow the background color to show through, creating subtle variations in color.

Twig garland can be easily spray painted to reflect the desired Thanksgiving color scheme. Affix painted garland to railings on stairways, then hang tiny gourds, mini pumpkins and other seasonal "picks" (many of which can also be spray painted!) that are readily available at the local craft or discount store. Spray paint an oversized twig wreath the Thanksgiving color of your choice, then dress it up further by tying tiny fabric bows using coordinating fabric patterns and colors. Cornucopia baskets reflect traditional harvest decorative accessories that can be spray painted and placed on "flea market find" accent table to add seasonal charm to any lackluster hallway or landing. The Thanksgiving holiday offers a lovely way to utilize any "flea market find" storage related items that have been hanging around the garage or attic. Baskets, trays, pottery and other containers can all be festively hand painted or spray painted. Depending upon the size and shape of the item, stuff with natural seasonal goodies ranging from simple acorns to long twigs.

This Thanksgiving, there's no need to limit colorful and creative holiday touches to simply one area of your home! Instead, visually integrate those overlooked hallways and forgotten landings with other areas of the home using easy to achieve, colorful designs and the magic of paint!