Picking paint colors that pop

Color comes alive in Michael and Margie Golden’s Alexandria home, where vivid reds, yellows and bluish greens adorn the walls.

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Michael and Margie Golden “were definitely not ‘neutral’ people,” says their color consultant Jean Molesworth Kee. A tour around their Alexandria home shows just how true that is.

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<a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.color-swatches.com/c2/delicata/120/swatch.html'>The color: C2 Delicata</a>. Kee is convinced this ripe squash color cannot be found in any other paint line. Kee says the hue “washes a room in warmth.” It also matches the vegetable dyes of the Goldens’ Tibetan rugs. The Goldens used the same paint color in the foyer and the living room, since Kee saidit would draw people into the house immediately, she says.

Living room

The color: C2 Delicata. Kee is convinced this ripe squash color cannot be found in any other paint line. Kee says the hue “washes a room in warmth.” It also matches the vegetable dyes of the Goldens’ Tibetan rugs. The Goldens used the same paint color in the foyer and the living room, since Kee saidit would draw people into the house immediately, she says.

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Foyer

The color: C2 Delicata is used on the foyer walls and ceiling. It shows off the Andy Warhol screen print of Annie Oakley.

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<a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.color-swatches.com/c2/hot-tamale/052/swatch.html'>The color: C2 Hot Tamale</a>. This tiny wall at the end of a narrow hall was given a shot of peppery red. The strong color draws the eye and makes the hallway appear shorter. It showcases a favorite paper collage.

Hallway accent wall

The color: C2 Hot Tamale. This tiny wall at the end of a narrow hall was given a shot of peppery red. The strong color draws the eye and makes the hallway appear shorter. It showcases a favorite paper collage.

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<a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.color-swatches.com/c2/gilded/132/swatch.html'>The color: C2 Gilded</a>. The Goldens already had a Tuscan vibe going in their kitchen. They liked having a warm yellow kitchen so Kee helped them find this Mediterranean yellow

Kitchen

The color: C2 Gilded. The Goldens already had a Tuscan vibe going in their kitchen. They liked having a warm yellow kitchen so Kee helped them find this Mediterranean yellow

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<a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.color-swatches.com/c2/inuvik-ice/232/swatch.html'>The color: C2 Inuvik Ice</a>. Blue is not usually Kee’s choice for a dining room. If you follow color psychology, many blues are often cooler colors that “suppress appetite,” says Kee. But she felt this muted blue-green shade balanced the warm tones of the cherry furniture. The blue comes to life in daylight, but adds mood and drama to candlelight dinners.

Dining room

The color: C2 Inuvik Ice. Blue is not usually Kee’s choice for a dining room. If you follow color psychology, many blues are often cooler colors that “suppress appetite,” says Kee. But she felt this muted blue-green shade balanced the warm tones of the cherry furniture. The blue comes to life in daylight, but adds mood and drama to candlelight dinners.

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

<a data-xslt='_blank' href=''>The color: C2 Bluegrass.</a> Kee settled on this deeper blue-green shade to complement the large expanse of orange-toned oak floors. It’s a cool visual relief from the warm tones around it. It also picked up the colors in the library rug.

Library

The color: C2 Bluegrass. Kee settled on this deeper blue-green shade to complement the large expanse of orange-toned oak floors. It’s a cool visual relief from the warm tones around it. It also picked up the colors in the library rug.

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

The blue walls in the library help offset the Goldens’ collecitions.

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

Jean Molesworth Kee is an architectural color consultant. She picked tones from the C2 color palette for the majority of the rooms. After narrowing down choices, the Goldens got C2 poster-size Ultimate Paint Chips (18-by-24 inches; $8.99) to help visualize the look. Because the large C2 chips are painted rather than printed, Kee says they show the true color as you look at them during various lighting conditions.

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Master bedroom

C2 Hammock, a warm khaki, was chosen for the master bedroom walls. The master bedroom ceiling is Benjamin Moore’s Quiet Moments.

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

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Picking paint colors that pop

Color comes alive in Michael and Margie Golden’s Alexandria home, where vivid reds, yellows and bluish greens adorn the walls.

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