Customer Reviews

Color: Natural Palettes for Painted Rooms

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Are you tired of shuffling and comparing paint sample cards and agonizing over coordinating a palette, finally selecting what looks like the closest match only to find the colors you selected look positively DEAD on your walls?

This book will explain why. The concepts behind Kaufman's color palettes really open up a whole new world of color. If you never took an art class (or even if you did), you'll treasure this book because it explains very simply the basic problem with off-the-shelf paint colors and why, no matter what you choose, they have no life to them. There is even a chapter at the end of the book that shows how to mix and select your OWN palettes.

Anyone wanting a refreshing outlook on using color in home decorating will find this book essential reading.

As an artist, I believe this book is, by far, the very best book on color for home/office interiors on the market. I have gotten so frustrated at paint stores as the language usually spoken there is very different than that of visual artists. Alas, Donald Kaufman has filled the gap! An intelligent, stunning book that reaches a place in my spirit that Martha Stewart couldn't reach........right up there with the recent book by Suzanne Butterfield, using Kaufman's color system.

that there wasn't more info on what pigments the author used to create the colors for each of his beautiful palettes .

I later found on the web that he sells his paints (called, surprisingly enough, the Donald Kaufman Color Collection) for $40 to $75 per gallon. They are available only through the Color Factory (Englewood, NJ) or Painter's Supply (Santa Monica, CA).

Other than that, a beautiful book with plenty of pictures and in-depth discussion of each house.

This book was recommended to me by an Interior Designer. I have literally spent pleasurable hours studying this book in preparation for decorating and ten years later redecorating our home. It is absolutely THE BEST source I have found and I have shared it lovingly with others.
Frances Gearhard

We are finishing a renovation and I am faced with the daunting task of selecting paint colors for an entire house. After re-reading Mariette Himes Gomez book on beautiful (neutral) rooms and reading her praise of Donald Koffman paints, I was excited to read a book by him. Disappointingly the book was not helpful for me. The book is outdated. Unless you like interiors from the 80s you're probably not going to find a room that you want to recreate. I could get past that if there was enough information to apply to today. I found the author assumed a deeper understanding of the color continuum than I possess. Rather than providing information about color and how it works, he presents case studies of his work. It's just too abstract for most. Here's what I took away from this $40 book: use colors from nature (already knew that and really not interested in lavender walls with terra cotta trim to mimic an african violet in a pot), Adjust hues based on the amount of light a room receives- the darker the room the darker the hue, the brighter the room, the lighter the paint. Use lighter hues to draw attention to something and darker to recede. That's it. That's what I got. There is a section on mixing your own paint, but really. This book didn't leave me with an understanding of the basics, how am I going to know what to do to make the adjustments? And what a mess! I think this book is best checked out at the library. That's what I wish I had done.

I purchased this book when I wanted to add some color to my home. I am not a designer and I didn't feel very confident trying bolder colors within my home although I liked the feel color brought to rooms in homes I had visited.

This book contains large page photographs of living space color usage that you can actually use to imagine the color combination within your own home. The color palate shown in each photo is easily laid out and labeled enabling you to replicate the colors for your own use.

I highly recommend this book to not only get your creative energies flowing but also follow through to get the proper colors when you do it yourself.

I have several books on color use in interior design. This one has proven the most useful. In addition to other useful chapters there are ones that address specific needs. Do you want to know how to handle dark rooms or what colors to choose as a background for painting? There's a chapter for you. While the authors sell there own paint line, they discuss how to mix your own. I've painted several rooms based on this book.

In 2006 this book looks quite dated. The photos don't seem quite... modern. I can tell that this was published more than a decade ago just by looking at the super-annuated home fashions. Pretty but not of today!!!!!