Above: Green painted floors at Mikkeller Bar in Copenhagen.

Above: A stripe of mint green tile in the shower of a Victorian house in East London from A Botanically Inclined Interior in London.

Above: A mint green kitchen island and storage cupboards in a converted 200-year-old barn in Fahndorf, Austria from Architect Visit: Propeller Z Architektur in Austria.

Above: Kitchen cupboards are painted in a pale mint green at Riad Charai in Morocco.

Above: An almost fluorescent mint green door opens into the bath in Lorna Lloyd and Bryan Dyke's home from Read All About It.

Above: A washed-out version of green countertops from Guard Tillman Pollock in Ireland.

Above: A living room designed by Chris Dyson from Architect Visit: Chris Dyson in Spitalfields.

Above: A green dining room in a small castle, via KML Design.

Above: Two velvet chairs at Häringe Slott from An Enchanted Castle in Sweden.

Above: The main living quarters at Häringe Slott from An Enchanted Castle in Sweden.

Looking for more green, maybe in a darker, forest shade or jade? Get inspired with a gallery of 630 images of Green Rooms.

Remodelista: Where do you begin when you paint?
Philip Reno: It may sound silly but I always tell my clients three things:

• Don't be hungry—hunger will lead to sloppy work, so always have snacks and things to nosh on while working.
• Don't be in a hurry. Plan to paint. If you rush, accidents will happen.
• Play music you love, and you will fool yourself into having a good time. It changes the whole approach.

Above Paint essentials. Photograph by Sarah Lonsdale

RM: So once we've lined up snacks and music, what should we think of next?
PR: Don't start to paint before you've made a definitive color choice. People think they should walk into a paint store and pick a color, then paint straightaway. It's a process. You have to sample paint and live with it first.

RM: So how do you choose a color?
PR: This is difficult for just about everyone. It's a huge discussion, and people come to it from every direction. Colors will look different depending on the light in a room. Sampling is a process that should be done before a room is torn apart. A color can look completely different in two different rooms, so live with a sample color for a while.

Above: Paint sample: Benjamin Moore's low- and no-VOC paints in Super White and Decorators White.

RM: Prep?
PR: The more time up front you spend doing prep the easier the paint job will be. Move the furniture to the middle of the room and cover everything completely. Then, the most important thing is to make sure the surface to be painted is clean. Take a duster cloth to the walls is enough unless there is obvious grime. Oil from hand prints around door knobs might be invisible so use household detergent to remove grease as this may be the one spot where the paint won't stick. Wash all walls in the kitchen and bathroom, the environments that get the most dirty. You may not see it, but steam from a shower is carrying soap to a wall.

RM: Nail holes and the like?
PR: Spackle nail holes. There is a great new product I am in love with called 3M Patch Plus Primer, which is basically a spackle with primer. Use sandpaper for sanding spackled patches or chipped areas on wood trim. And get a piece of 220 Grit Sandpaper for general purpose sanding.

RM: Essential tools?
PR: Quality tools will make this job better for amateurs. People can wrap their mind around buying good quality paint, but then want to use the cheapest applicators. The amateur in particular needs a better tool to make the job go better.

Above: Corona Paintbrush, photograph via Jack Pauhl.

RM: So what are the best tools to use?
PR: The most useful brush that covers most things is a 2- or 2 1/2-inch angle sash brush. It cuts into corners and covers 90 percent of what needs to be done. Corona makes the best brush on the market, no question. For roller covers, I recommend a 3/8-inch nap. It covers most things. Wooster is my favorite and our number one seller. Use a good quality blue painter's tape with edge lock technology. There's nothing better than the 3M Painter's Tape with Edge Lock.

RM: What's next?
PR: I think we're ready to paint! Work from top to bottom. Paint the ceiling first. You don't need to use a ladder; save your back and neck and buy an extension pole for the roller. You can go from side to side with your roller, and being on the ground means you can stand back and see what you are doing. After the ceiling, paint the walls, then the trim.

RM: What primer do you recommend.?
PR:: A good all-purpose primer will suffice for most things. Every brand will make an all-purpose acrylic primer. C2 makes a good one, and if you had nothing else this will get you there most of time. There is a lot of marketing of all-in-one paint with primers, but these can be misleading.

Above: Philip Reno. Visit Philips Perfect Colors to see his range of colors. Photo via Daly's Paint & Decorating Wood Finishes.

RM: Suggested paint finishes?
PR: For most walls and living spaces, like a hallway, bedroom, or a ceiling, flat paint is the way to go as it shows the fewest imperfections; it's especially good for an older house. Matte finish has a slight angular sheen and is more washable, so it's good for houses that get a lot of wear and tear. Reserve satin semigloss for trim, kitchens, and bathrooms. High gloss is more rarefied. Use it for places like trim or cabinets where you want to make a high impact statement—it's an aesthetic voice.

RM: How do you handle brushes and roller between coats?
PR: Wrap the roller in Saran wrap or an old plastic bag in between coats. You don't want to wash it out. At the end of the job, leave the roller cover to dry and throw it away when done. If you've bought a good brush, then you can clean it and it will last for years and years. I recommend getting a Paint Brush Comb; they're cheap and will help you clean the brush and get paint out of the heel of the brush.

RM: Final bit of advice?
PR: This is obvious, but it gets overlooked. Read the directions on the back of the can.  It will let you know how many square feet is covered per gallon and if it specifies letting the paint dry for four hours then wait four hours!

Need to find the perfect white?  Check out our Architect's White Paint Picks.

The series of V&A chairs are meant to accompany the V&A Table and Benches that Alonso designed for Somerset House's One Part Chef/Four Parts Design event. As Alonso says, "the chairs' slightly unbalanced appearance comes from the strong contrast of materials as well as the asymmetry and the oddness of the connections." Below, the warped metal tube is seen in teal, blue, white, pastel pink, yellow, and red and fit as stools or full dining chairs.

Above: The V&A Chairs are available at Victor Hunt Design and Art Dealer in Brussels or NextLevel Galerie in Paris (contact each for more information.

Above: A pink powder-coated metal tube meets a Victorian board to form a short stool.

Above: A teal chair features two legs in metal and two in solid ash.

Above: All four legs of the blue chair are designed using one piece of metal tubing.

For more colorful chairs, see Fashionable Chairs for a Cause from Marni, Macrame Chairs from Pacific Wonderland, and 10 Easy Pieces: Colorful Outdoor Dining Chairs.

Above: A Three-Piece Set includes a spoon, fork, and spatula and is €49 from Leis.

Above: The tools include an integrated magnet so they can be stored on any metallic surface.

Above: The tools come packaged as a trio.

Above: The island is painted in "Dripping Tap."

Above: "Draughty Passage" is used as a background color on the cabinets and on the walls.

Above: "Pretty Pickle" is used on the trim to contrast with "Scullery Latch."

Above: The palette of 12 colors on display in the Marylebone showroom.

Above: Brightly colored aprons hang against a background of "Scullery Latch."

N.B. if you enjoyed these colors, see House Call: London's Accidental Decorator to see how Adam Bray uses color in his own home.

Selecting colors is never easy, but doing research is part of the fun. See Palette & Paints for many more options.

Above: When they first purchased it, Sarah and Rupert's cabin sported an exterior (below) of brick red with brown shingles, which competed with the surrounding woodland environs. The first thing they did was to add fiber cement siding to the exterior, which echoed classic mid-century designs with horizontal lines that hug the landscape. They then opted for a bold paint pairing of charcoal gray and moss green. Now the cabin appears as one with the landscape, just another moss-covered rock by the lake.

Above:  The cabin "before"—even in fall, the jarring red/brown exterior clashes with the landscape.

Above: For the exterior colors, Sarah and Rupert paired Behr's cracked pepper with an vivid accent of mossy green.

Above: Unlike her LA home, which is quite colorful, Sarah wanted her lakeside retreat to have a clean, zen feel. Thus her green door is the only vibrant hue. It shows Sarah's playful side. (As does the vintage fox door knob.)

Above: Once inside, Sarah transformed the interior into a tranquil oasis of soft grays and warm woods, with an application of Dutch Boy's Whisper Gray (walls) and Gargoyle Shadow (door).

Above: Here you can see that the interior palette also takes its cue from the setting. The warm timbers evoke the surrounding woodlands, while the white creates an airy open feeling. 

In the interior, the only thing that Sarah and Rupert kept from the previous owners were the couches and pendant over the dining room table. Everything else was gutted down to the studs. From there, the couple, with lots of help from Sarah's parents, put in a new ceiling, laid a new wood floor, replaced the red kitchen with a pristine white one from Ikea, gutted the bathroom, and painted, wallpapered, and painted some more. By doing the work themselves, Sarah estimates they cut the cost of the project in half. 

Above: Inside, the minimal palette allows the landscape to take center stage.

Above: Cole & Son's Woods wallpaper in the new bedroom also has a woodsy feel.

Above: Opposite the master bed, a pair of bunks with moss-like evergreen velvet curtains. 

You can see more of Sarah and Rupert's complete gut renovation on Smitten Studio. 

N.B. Get in the mood for summer relaxation and fun with more inspired cabins.

Above: Made to support a shelf above a counter, desk, or bed to illuminate the space below. The Lightbracket, available in AlexAllen's shop for $150, comes in a selection of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, and black.

Above: The light is made from powder-coated steel, an LED strip light, a plexiglass lens, a 9-foot braided, a nylon cord, and an inline cord switch.

Above: The same design is available as a standalone Sconce for $150.

Looking for more LED lighting solutions? Take a look at our Design Sleuth of Norm Architect's LED light strip in the kitchen and one of our other favorite LED lights made from two planks of wood in A Low Tech/High Tech Light.

Working within the constraints of a 15 1/2-foot-wide house, Indelman responded to her clients' brief for an open loft-like kitchen, dining room, and living room by making two strategic structural openings; one at the stair hall and the other between the kitchen and dining room. A random sprinkling of bright colors and newly installed reclaimed flooring throughout weave the new with the old in an unexpected but cohesive way.

Photography by Elizabeth Felicella.

Above: Indelman achieved her color accents by using different color cabinet faces, which she sourced from Abet Laminati.

Above: The subway tiled backsplash and white marble island countertop provide a classic backdrop to the color accents.

Above: "We conducted many color studies to the get the 'random' brights just right," Indelman says.

Above: A full-sized washer and dryer were accommodated under a kitchen counter.

Above: Indelman created two strategic structural openings to enhance the loft-like feel on this level. The first is between the kitchen and the dining room and the second is between the dining room and the stair hall.

 Above: A painted blue wall continues the color theme that began in the kitchen.

Above: Reclaimed wood flooring throughout this level unifies the spaces.

Above: A "before" image of the kitchen.

Above: Indelman was able to fit a kitchen island into the the space.

"Before" and "After" images are compelling to say the least; see Rehab Diaries for more.

And thanks to all of you who have already sent in your submissions; we're loving them, and the fact that they range from simple rooms to more involved professional projects.

Here's the entry link: Remodelista Considered Design Awards.

Photography by John Merkl.

Above: The Casamidy Symi Lantern from San Miguel de Allende-based Casamidy with a Santa Maria Novella candle and Libeco linen napkins from SummerHouse in Mill Valley.

Above: Casamidy made us a custom version of their hand-wrought lantern in a black matte finish with a hand-stitched leather handle.

Above: A detail of the hand-forged hinged door. Owners Jorge Alamada and Anne-Marie Midy were not always fans of wrought iron, but after moving to Mexico they reconsidered. "By approaching artisan techniques from a different vantage point, we found iron work to be incredibly expressive and adaptable; working with this material is how we started Casamidy," Jorge says.

Our Considered Design Awards are open to everyone: If you love your space, snap some photos and enter here. 

Check out Casamidy in Belgium: Shopper's Diary: Casamidy Opens in Brussels.

Take a simple kitchen: maybe it's an awkward space, lacking natural light, or just requires a little something extra. With a few bold stripes of color painted across kitchen walls and cabinets, that simple kitchen is instantly transformed.

Lately, we've been focused on color zoning with paint seen in the bedroom, on fabric, in the children's room, and now, in the kitchen. But a high functioning, high-traffic kitchen requires a durable paint resource. Canadian-based DIYers are in luck with Sico's latest innovation: Sico Evolution® Interior Paint with an unprecedented DurabiliT™ technology providing a protective shield that is ulta-washable and ultra-scrubbable (no matter what the finish). The paint and primer is VOC-free and is available directly from Sico.

 Above: An unexpected pairing of red and gray in a kitchen by French designer Marianne Evennou. For another example of how Evennou incorporates unexpected colors in her interiors, see Steal This Look: Offbeat Colors in a Bathroom in France.

Above: An orange, blue, and white kitchen in a Neutra house photographed by Nikolas Koenig, via Desire to Inspire.

Above: Paris-based architect and designer Philippe Harden has a highly refined color sense, as shown in this pale blue and olive kitchen with dashes of orange.

Above: Tara Mangini and Percy Bright of Jersey Ice Cream Company renovated an Upstate New York kitchen in graphic black and white.

Above: A visually arresting kitchen by British Standard with a bright blue and taupe gray palette.