Colorhouse Transforms your House into a Home.

Meet Alison and David. Alison is a devoted dancer, loves Nia, yoga, and barre, and enjoys being outside in nature and on the water that surrounds her floating home. David is an avid commuter cyclist, likes digging in the dirt during Portland’s long growing season, and loves dipping his paddle in the Willamette River with regular kayaking sessions.

Roughly ten miles northwest of downtown Portland, Oregon sits Sauvie Island, the largest island along the Columbia River. Alison and David chose this spot for their home, a houseboat with spectacular views.

Using our Color Help service, Alison and David chose the sophisticated, subtle, and soft palette METAL .03, BISQUE .06, METAL .05, and NOURISH .03.

Alison and David love a mix of vintage and rustic elements combined with modern clean lines in the interior of their home. The use of natural elements — wood, stone, flowers, and water- can be see throughout their floating home. The challenge of balancing polarities — old and new, masculine and feminine, dark and light is at the core of their design sense. METAL .03, shown here, sits back and allows this interesting mix to come forward.

The living and dining area of their home is painted in the sophisticated, neutral backdrop of METAL .03. This color was chosen to highlight contemporary furnishings and artwork. This subtle and soft hue inside does not compete with the magnificent riverfront views and wildlife outside.

Bright white BISQUE .01 is on the trim throughout and creates a gentle contrast between trim and walls.

Mix it up! Alison and David used different materials and styles for the dining area. Colorful artwork and soft grey METAL .03 on the walls complete the clean and cozy spot.

With so much natural light flooding the main living space, choosing a dark color on the wall in this space would be too intense and make the space feel confined. With our Color Nerd’s help, Alison and David chose METAL .03 to preserve the light, airy feeling.

Small personal items, as well as some heirloom furniture, are the centerpieces of their home. Neutral METAL .03 sits back and doesn’t compete with the furniture.

This inviting nook feels bigger than it is, due to the thoughtful and balanced decor, and cool grey METAL .03 on the walls.

Wood, metal, glass, and granite combine to create this light and fresh kitchen space. Light grey METAL .03 whispers on the walls.

The stairwell walls, ceiling, and trim are painted in bright white BISQUE .01. This gallery white highlights artwork and acts as a bright transitional hue, both classic and modern at the same time.

Super soft BISQUE .01 makes this laundry room a calming space, instead of a chore-focused room.

Complex neutral NOURISH .03 is on the walls of the guest room. Both grey and brown - griege -NOURISH .03 pairs well with natural fibers and dyes. Layer it with indigo, wool, and rustic woods.

BISQUE .06 was the chosen hue for the master bedroom. A gentle hue that reflects the blue from the water in the channel and grey from the cloudy PNW skies, BISQUE .06 is restful and more complex color than straight grey.

BISQUE .01 is on the ceilings and trim.

BISQUE .06 brings out the blue and teal ties in Alison’s oil paintings painted by her mother. The accent wall is a graphite grey METAL .05. It defines the area of the bedroom for Alison’s barre work and helps ground the otherwise airy space.

METAL .05 creates a sanctuary in the bathroom. Deep and dark METAL .05 pairs nicely with metallics and adds interest thru contrast, not color.

On houseboat living, Alison says, “Although we’re both very busy with work, we feel like we live in a vacation home! We love water birds and the beautiful sunrises over Sauvie Island, but also how easy it is to hop in a kayak and take a paddle. We have such beautiful views of three NW mountains- Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and flat-topped Mt. St. Helens. Houseboat living is the best kept secret in Oregon!” We agree!

Want a Color Nerd to help create a palette for YOUR home? We are here to help!

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