Photos & Reviews

Have you seen House Beautiful's 2009 Fall Color Issue? Featured as "THREE OF THE BEST" COLOR CONSULTANTS!

(Did you know we offer free color consultations? Visit our Color Consultations page to find out more!)

We often receive wonderful emails with feedback and photos from our paint customers. Please find below some of these we'd like to share!

If you haven't seen our Spring Living Well Newsletter, be sure to see the wonderful photos of the Dreher-Mistry home in New Orleans where our paints were used inside and out. I get thank you notes daily from pleased paint customers, but wanted to share a special "Haiku" from Daniel about his project:

The gifts of Ellen Arrive in quarts and gallons Pop the lid and smile . . . . To brush, spray or roll? Choose your tools with clear intent Let love guide your hand Home in New Orleans 'Chateau Blue' and 'Mistry Red' Shaded by the Oaks 'Pumpkin Spice' greets us 'Chartreuse' and 'Citrine' surround 'Bone' and 'Limone' dance To see with fresh eyes The faith of a 'Mustard Seed' 'Parchment' graced gestures 'Fairy Dust' magic: Earth treasures sparkle and heal Strengthened and Renewed Full Spectrum Paints SHINE Subtlety and vibrancy Beams of joy delight! -Danielson

("Pumpkin Spice" & "Citrine" in foreground with "Mustard Seed" in Dreher-Mistry Foyer) For more photos of this project, see our Spring 2009 Living Well Newsletter

"I really can't begin to explain how the room radiates 'energy' --even in low light, no light situations. The cats and I just sit in it and 'zone out' (in a good way!)-- relaxing, soothing, comforting."

- Denise in Ohio

(Color Consultant Barbara Jacobs of Integral Color (www.integralcolor.com) specified "Buttercream" in the 2-story foyer shown above and below & a "Milk Chocolate" accent in the hallway. Not only is Barbara an outstanding color consultant, but she also designs her own line of area rugs (Silk Road Weaves) that go beautifully with most of our full spectrum colors!

("Buttercream" walls on left)

("Milk Chocolate" accent wall)

("Olive" walls in Guest Bath above)

(Basic "Beige" walls never looked better in this Barbara Jacobs' project. The stunning rug is from her Silk Road Weaves Collection)

("Beige" walls take on different variations, depending on the light)

("Beige" walls with "Jaunty Jen" accent wall above)

("Beige" Living Room & "Jaunty Jen" in office beyond. Detail of "Blockworks" rug in LR and "Loopy" rug in office, both Barbara Jacobs designs)

(Barbara specified "Pumice" walls for this foyer, above and "Honeysuckle" for the walls in the entry below)

("Hitching Post" accent wall coordinates well with "Sand" used on the rest of the walls)

("Mykonos Red" accent wall with "Powdered Pebbles" shown on right)

("Pueblo" Dining Room Walls by Interior Designer Jennifer FaGalde of FaGalde Designs, who specializes in residential and light commercial design projects in Northern California. Jennifer, who is also known for more eclectic designs, created "Jaunty Jen" from our Designer Palette!)

("Dusk" & "Cognac" walls & ceiling)

(Above photo "Camelhair" walls on left in with "Gustavian Grey" walls in room beyond and photo below really shows the chameleon-like characteristics of our "Gustavian Grey" which are on all walls. Project colors specified by Color Consultant Lori Sawaya of Color Strategies)

"As a Color Consultant, I specify a lot of paint colors. I depend on Full Spectrum Paints by Ellen Kennon to help me customize environments and create unique atmospheres.  Unfortunately, I regularly encounter people trying to “match” her full spectrum colors.

For a recent project, I specified one of her stock colors, Slate, and a custom full spectrum mix she created of Sherwin Williams' (SW) Relic Bronze.  My client’s painter guaranteed them that between the technology available to the paint store staff and his experience, “any color could be matched”.  They were not successful in matching Slate or Ellen’s full spectrum version of Relic Bronze. 

Their version of Slate is more of a turquoise; it is missing that refined, muted edge that makes Slate so sophisticated.  Their version of full spectrum Relic Bronze is totally off and the most problematic.  It does not even match the SW Relic Bronze color chip.  Multiple gallons of attempted color matches, a store manager and a local paint rep later, they were still not able to get a spot-on match to the full spectrum swatches.  Apparently, they thought their final attempts were close enough and it did not matter. Well, it matters. The miss on the color matches is obvious.  To top it off, the product they felt matched the custom Relic best made a streaky mess of the walls.  Because of their lack of understanding of how full spectrum color is mixed, two of the colors painted in my client’s home are not what I nor my client expected. 

A repaint will be scheduled and the full spectrum paint colors I originally specified will be used. Clients are disappointed to say the least. Their painter "guaranteed" that he could match anything and they made the mistake of trusting him when it came to custom, designer color. Even though he is an in-demand, experienced, and quality-oriented crafts man, his lack of advanced color knowledge left my client with two rooms that need to be repainted. After having their whole house in paint-chaos for a week, they are not looking forward to starting over in those rooms.

The initial cost to purchase the full spectrum colors as specified would have been a fraction of the losses in material and labor accumulated in the effort to copy them."

-Lori Sawaya, Color Consultant, Color Strategies

("Camelhair" walls left & right with "Lilac Mist" specified by Color Consultant Lori Sawaya)

("Classic Cream" ceiling and Custom Color walls created for Color Consultant Lori Sawaya)

(Lori Sawaya's photo of "Pumice" Walls)

(Lori's "Wedgewood" walls & "Aqua" ceiling)

(Custom "Pappas Bronze" ceiling for Lori Sawaya)

("Adobe" walls above wainscoating)

(Lori's photo of one of her projects shows "Mushroom's" chameleon-like qualities)

("Mushroom" walls, "White Opal" trim with "Citrine" walls in room beyond)

("Aqua" walls)

("Edgewood Green", although a color, is the perfect neutral. See how it coordinates with many colors in the photos that follow):

("Edgewood Green" with "Slate" in the room beyond)

("Berry Red" on left with "Edgewood Green" & "Chartreuse" beyond )

("Greige" in foreground with "Edgewood Green"& "Peridot" in rooms beyond)

("Edgewood Green" with "Seaglass" in bedroom beyond)

("Edgewood Green" with "Shell Pink" in Bedroom beyond)

("Edgewood Green" with "Sky" in Bedroom beyond)

("Chartreuse" walls)

("Citrine" walls with "Edgewood Green" millwork, shown in Pitot House Museum Bedroom featured in the book Creole Houses)

("Ruby" walls with "Edgewood Green" ceiling & millwork - Pitot House Museum featured in the book, Creole Houses)

("Mushroom" walls)

("Rainbow Fog" walls in both photos above)

("Lavender Mist" on walls above)

("Lilac" walls above)

("Violet" Walls)

(Walls and ceiling in "Gustavian Grey" create the Zen-like atmosphere in this bedroom perched high up in the treetops. "Edgewood Green" trim coordinates with carpet & helps ground the space.)

"I'm not sure if you are working today or not, but I have to tell you that I LOVE the Gustavian Grey on my bathroom walls! I just finished the second coat and it is absolutely beautiful!  When I first applied the paint, it looked like the Aqua sample I had ordered.  But as it dried, it mellowed into a deep blue/grey. 
Thank you so much for your help in choosing my color!  Working with you has sure given me an appreciation for color expertise and the keen eye it takes to understand color relationships."

-Colleen Langdon

("Mocha" walls)

"So love my office now. Paint is everything & yours is the best!"

-Amy Churgin, Sr. V.P. Conde' Nast (former Architectural Digest V.P. & Publisher)

"We LOVE the colors you helped us choose. The Camelhair absolutely fascinates me. The Lavender Mist is so incredibly and beautifully subtle in my daughter's room. My son's Ashen Green bedroom is exactly what he wanted. The Mushroom in our bedroom is so tranquil, but not boring or blah. We'll be using the Ruby on our dining room walls soon and the living room is going to look as fabulous as the entryway and stairwells as soon as we get the Camelhair on the walls."

(Barbara's "Magnolia" walls left, "Citrine" walls right)

(Barbara's "Magnolia" cabinets with "Old Brick", "Bronze" & "Magnolia" used to accent the window & bring the outdoors in)

" I thought you would find my window treatment rather interesting. It actually looks a bit like I matted and framed the window. The treatment and the colors add a bit of whimsy to my kitchen, which is quite fun. I am attaching a couple photos of the Magnolia cupboards, which I really do love.
My kitchen feels like it has had a $30,000 remodel, and all I did was let a few gallons of your paint work their magic!"

-Barbara Drake, Arlington, Virginia

In this next section, you'll enjoy seeing the beautiful interior designs of renowned New York designer Marc Charbonnet. We are proud to claim him as our No. 1 client who uses our paints on all of his fabulous projects!

-Marc Charbonnet, MECA Productions, NY, NY

("Classic Cream " foreground with "White Opal" Millwork, photos above & below)

(Detail of above two photos-"White Opal" & "Classic Cream")

(Custom "Seafoam" & "White Opal" Millwork above)

("Classic Marc" walls, "White Opal" trim in Dining Room above & below)

("Classic Marc" walls, "Snow" ceiling & "White Opal" millwork)

("Classic Cream" walls with "White Opal" ceiling & trim)

("Classic Cream" walls with "White Opal" millwork & ceilings)

("Seafoam" walls)

("Emerald" walls)

("Sunshine" walls, photos above & below)

("Pueblo" walls)

("Berry Red" walls)

("Albania Mango" door, left, "Coral" walls & door, right)

("Coral" Walls)

("Del Sol" Walls)

("Giverny Blue" walls)

("Shrimp" walls, photos above & below)

("Giverny Green" walls)

(Custom color "Albania Teal")

("Tuscan Sun" walls, photo above)

(Custom Color "Albania Mango" on the walls of this Plantation Parlor above & below in NYC Loft)

("Mustard Seed" walls)

("Mustard Seed" walls with Oak Trim)

("Mustard Seed" walls)

("Moutarde" walls with "Gustavian Grey" ceiling)

("Citrine" walls)

("Citrine" walls)

(This client transformed her basement into a wonderful playroom, painting walls "Monet Soleil" and an accent wall "Watermelon Red")

("Ashen Green" walls above & below)

("Berry Red" walls with "White Opal" trim)

("Berry Red" walls in kitchen above)

"We purchased Ellen Kennon's Full Spectrum Paints to cover most of the walls of our new home (a few walls will receive a faux finish). Ellen came through for us in a big way. She dropped everything (on a Saturday morning), patiently helped us decide on three of her colors, and got the formulas to a local paint supply for us to pick up within an hour. In contrast to our disenchantment at the thought of settling for the best possible Benjamin Moore colors, we are truly thrilled to dress our walls with Ellen's. She has far fewer colors to choose from, but it was a breeze to find the right (actually PERFECT) ones. It is so difficult to describe nuances of color. Now that we see large patches of painted surfaces beside each other on site, I can say this; the Full Spectrum Paint has remarkably more depth and richness (compared with the closest Benjamin Moore color match), and is much more responsive to nearby colors and light. I just can't think of better words to describe it. In direct contrast, the Benjamin Moore paint appears flat, one dimensional, and static. It's not just me. The effect has won over my sceptical husband, our painters, our builder and even our architect. Ellen was great to work with; a savvy color consultant very generous with her time. I didn't expect to be this excited about house paint."

(Above: "Pumpkin Spice" walls with "White Opal" millwork)

("Chestnut" walls )

("Olive" walls in foreground with "Sage" trim & "Gustavian Grey" ceilings. "Chestnut" in rear bathroom.)

("Chestnut" walls)

\

("Cognac" walls & ceiling)

("Cognac" walls)

("Parchment" Walls)

("Wheat" Walls, both left and right)

("Bone" walls)

("Bone Walls)

("Azure" walls in photos above and below)

("Magnolia" walls, ceiling, trim & even fan blades bring the outside in in this small bedroom)

("Spring Green" on walls in both rooms above)

("Adobe" walls with "Edgewood Green" trim & cabinetry)

("Green Apple" walls with "Gustavian Grey" ceilings in this Tween's Room)

("Edgewood Green" walls )

("Adobe" Walls)

("Aqua" walls & ceiling)

("Lichen" walls)

("Gustavian Grey" right, custom "Sherwood Green" left for Color Consultant Amy Woolf)

(Amy's Living Room, above, in her custom "Sherwood Green)

(Amy's "Classic Cream" Kitchen)

(Amy's Kitchen with "Mustard Seed" accent wall)

(We named this wall color after Amy, "Amy's Sarasota Sand")

("Honeysuckle" wall left meets "Tuscan Sun" wall right)

("Moutarde" walls )

(Walls & ceilings are our full-spectrum version of BM "Marblehead Gold")

("Oasis" walls with "White Opal" trim)

("Olive" walls, "Sage" crown & "Gustavian Grey" ceilings -window trim not yet painted)

("Peridot" walls)

(left to right: "Peridot", "Old Brick" & "Pumpkin Spice")

("Pumpkin Spice")

("Old Brick" wall)

("Shrimp" walls, "White Opal" beaded board & trim)

("Tulip Leaves", like all warm greens, complements woodtones)

("Buttercream" walls, "Edgewood Green" trim above & below)

(More "Buttercream" with "Edgewood Green trim above & below with "Sage doors. Main front door is "Kennon Ivy")

("Kennon Ivy" solid stain on body and opaque stain on doors & trim weathers into the landscape quite well!)

("Tuscan Sun" left, with "Citrine" right on this Santa Barbara home shown in photos above & below)

("Tuscan Sun" on front entry wall)

("Before" photo of house clients intended to flip as they hated the busy lines and pink-purple brick.)

("Moss Green" paint on left and right is transforming this work in progress! "Forest Black"
shutters & vents)

(Above: Close up of completed project. Colors: "Moss Green" body with ""Forest Black" shutters. Clients love is so much, they've decided to stay put!)

(Newly renovated New Orleans home went with custom "Chateau Dreher Blue" body, "Dreher Red" & "Limone" trim)

(Exterior of same house where "Citrine" was used in the MBR balcony alcove above & front door below)

("Citrine" in front door alcove with "Limone" trim and custom colors "Dreher Red" door & trim & "Chateau Dreher Blue" body. Base of brick columns & porch painted "Chelsea Grey")

("Peridot" fence helps nestle home into it's landscaping. All paint products Dulux Fortis Lifetime Warranty)

("Chartreuse" selected for the walls of the Ogden Museum in Watercolor, FL for their first season)

And, now. . . For some of our more vibrant colors from our Magical Gem & 2007 Summer Brights Palettes; the photos below are all from the recent show at the Ogden Museum in New Orleans:

Hunt Slonem: Artist & Collector

(Above: "Mykonos Blue")

(Above L to R: "Mykonos Blue", "Carnelian" & "Giverny Blue")

(Above: "Amethyst")

(Above: "Amethyst" far left, "Mykonos Blue" right)

(Above: "Carnelian" & "Amethyst")

(Above L to R: "Carnelian", "Giverny Blue", "Amethyst" & "Mykonos Blue")

(Above L to R: "Carnelian", "Giverny Blue", "Del Sol" & "Giverny Blue")

(Above L to R: "Mykonos Blue", "Del Sol", "Giverny Blue", "Del Sol" & "Sapphire" far right inset)

(Above L to R: "Del Sol", "Mykonos Blue", "Monteverde" & "Del Sol")

The above exhibit was featured on CBS Sunday Morning:

"I had previously painted my kitchen in Benjamin Moore's Creme Yellow (above chair rail) and Soft Fern (below chair rail). I wanted to weigh in on the fuss about full spectrum paints, so I picked the most similar Ellen Kennon colors to repaint, choosing Buttercream and Lichen in velvet sheen finish, which is a matte washable. I also selected White Opal in semigloss for trim. Here is my rambling, unscientific opinion:

I realize why people say the color seems alive. There is a depth to the colors that makes BM paints seem like a coating, while EK paints "become" part of the wall. You know how faux leather never looks quite like real leather? Or how true Asian lacquer (I have only seen it in museums, mind you) is miles apart from modern lacquer? In the same way, EK paints seem to have a 3D quality. I have heard some people call it a "glow". I see it as a 3D softness, the way you can tell a sweater is precious cashmere without ever touching. The color does indeed shift with the angle and the lighting. Lichen looks bluer, greener, grayer, depending on the time of day and where I am standing. In one moment, Buttercream looks pale yellow, then beige, then almost gold where a streak of morning sunlight is shining. I find this delightful. BM paints do this to an extent (as all paints) but EK paints change more dramatically. For this reason, it is my strong recommendation that anyone selecting EK paints BUY the paint pots and do the posterboard test. The color changes will be amazing, and you want to make sure you like all of them! That everyone's environment is different has never been so true as with EK paints. I compare it to the way the same perfume can smell completely different on two people.

When the ICI sales clerk saw me, he told me he had to call the main office, as he had never heard of all these pigments and could not believe it was legit, and was told that the office gets a call at least once a week wondering about it. He said 'do you realize with all these pigments that the color will change with the light?' As for the W hite Opal, he said that he could not even compare it to anything they had in the store, that he had never seen a white like it. I felt so. . . sophisticated. Speaking of sophistication, I feel that EK paints took my previous color selections and cleaned 'em up Pretty Woman style (80's movie reference). The BM Creme Yellow that I had thought was so soft and pretty, now looks banana yellow. And hard. Weird, I know, but so true. I guess a true test would be to have Ellen take Creme Yellow and Soft Fern and make them full spectrum, and compare apples to apples. . . but like I said, this is my unscientific opinion and I am just another ecstatic EK customer. As a parting thought, you know how realtors are always chanting 'Paint White for Resale?' I had always rolled my eyes at the idea. . . I guess because I got sick of all the white and beige houses that I looked at during my house shopping stint. But I think with full spectrum paints, that painting everything with the offwhites would look splendid, as EK colors lack flatness. There is a warmth and richness to her paints that makes an ordinary wall suddenly more special. A halo sensation that feels like home. A gallon of her paint costs less than a steak dinner for two, and the effect is lasting."

Also, Chasing Matisse, by James Morgan is finally out! It's getting rave reviews and is a wonderful escape following Jim & Beth's travels through France visiting the places where Matisse lived and painted. Who does the author quote on color therapy? Ellen Kennon!