ALL ABOUT COLOR

Adieu 13D5;

truevaluepaint.com

Chocolate

brow ns th at

are intensely

saturated add

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Rio Grande NA03;

ralphlaurenpaint.com

WHY USE IT?

By contrast Homeowners still love brown with blue, but designers are

trying new pairings. Laurie favors high-contrast combinations, such as

brown with whites and creams. “ It creates a graphic quality and allows

furniture to really strike a silhouette,” she says.

Less is more Brown on all four walls can make a room look cavernous.

Unless the room gets a lot of natural light or has high ceilings, use the

color only as an accent wall.

The new black “ Brown has an anchoring effect,” Laurie says. “ It can calm

a room that’s full of color, and it holds weight in a room. It’s also a less-

harsh alternative to black.”

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BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS

PHOTOS: (ROOM) WILLIAM HOPKINS; (PORTRAIT) ROBERT PEACOCK