My Latest Crush: Green Paint and Great Hardware

Louisiana in spring—there’s nothing like it. You see and smell flowers everywhere, whether you’re drinking tea in your neighbor’s backyard or strolling through a gardening center. Either pastime gives me a powerful craving for color. This year, though, I’ve noticed I’m just as attracted to bright green foliage as I am to blooms. (Hostas, anyone?) Maybe that’s because Pantone chose Greenery as its Color of the Year for 2017. I’m absolutely besotted with this invigorating green hue with a touch of yellow. Greenery is bright, cheerful, and relaxing—the perfect color for spring and summer and a great antidote to cold weather later on.

In fact, all sorts of greens are catching my eye—especially when the green is teamed with crisp white. That’s why I love the garden-theme bathroom that Heidi Huddleston of Delicious Kitchens & Interiors designed for the 2017 Charleston Symphony Orchestra League’s Designer Showhouse. She took a bland family bathroom and transformed it with paint, new hardware, and tile (among other enticing ideas). A repurposed vanity now wears fresh spring green and a marble countertop. A sky-high ceiling glows with sky blue paint. Chic trellis-pattern curtain panels frame the shower—a subtle way to incorporate more green into the look. Along with a white penny tile floor and pale gray walls, Heidi’s choices evoke the atmosphere of a historic home’s secret courtyard. And that’s a truly classic Southern vibe!

Best of all (from a hardware pro’s point of view), the vanity gets its gleam on with trellis-pattern hardware in a satin-nickel finish from Jeffrey Alexander’s Padua collection. I can’t help but get excited about what you can do just by switching out knobs and pulls in any room, much less a showhouse.

So here I am, thinking of that vanity, and wondering what it would look like with a more traditional choice such as our Lafayette or Bella hardware in brushed oil-rubbed bronze. Or maybe choose streamlined Leyton pulls for a more contemporary or transitional feel. Or you could add a big dose of bling with the jewelry-inspired Solana line of knobs and pulls. Therein lies my dilemma; it would definitely take me longer to pick out new hardware than it would take to install!

All my imaginings aside, what’s your take on Pantone’s Greenery? Is it a great wall color, a hue that’s better in small doses, or something else entirely? And what kind of hardware would you use with it? I can’t wait to see your ideas!

Stephanie Lowe, Product Manager, Decorative Products