Choosing Paint Colors Using Feng Shui
Aelita Leto does not recommend that you google Feng Shui and paint colors. In fact, she does not recommend that her clients, or anyone, do anything just “by the book.” As a Feng Shui master with over 20 years of training, and dual degrees in mathematics and physics, as well [...]
Arana Celebrates 17 Years!
Seventeen years ago, we brought home a brand new baby, our daughter Sofia, and on the table waiting for us was our contractor’s license. It was the start of both our family unit and our Arana Craftsman Painters family, all at once. This year, we made the decision to homeschool [...]
Restoring and Maintaining Home Exteriors: Stucco, Shingles, Siding, and Brick
Got Home? We’ve Got an Exterior Paint Process For It The Bay Area sings in a chorus of varied genres of architecture. From Eichlers and Craftsman Bungalows to ornate Victorians, robust Colonials, and magical Storybook houses, each genre is unique. What makes a style remarkable is in part how it [...]
10 Things to Consider When Choosing Paint Colors for Your Interiors
By Judy Dinkle, Interior Designer and Color Consultant Interior Designer Judy Dinkle is one of Arana's go-to color consultants for our clients. As part of the service we provide, we include a free one-hour paint color consultation for whole-house interior or whole-house exterior contracts. We asked Judy to give us [...]
Think Like an Interior Designer: More Tips on Choosing Colors for Your Home
By Judy Dinkle, Interior Designer and Color ConsultantJudy Dinkle headshot (Part 2 of 2) Approaching a whole house interior painting project can easily feel overwhelming. As an interior designer and as a color consultant working with Arana’s clients, I see this all the time. It’s why I do what I [...]
What Is Pantone’s Color of the Year?
What is the color of the year and why is it relevant? Is there just one? Under the heading of nothing is as simple as it sounds, there are multiple answers to these questions. Color of the Year, as announced by the Pantone company annually in December, is a relatively [...]
Pantone’s Color(s) of the Year for 2021: Illuminating and Ultimate Gray
For 2021, for only the second time in its 20-year tradition of choosing the color of the year, Pantone selected a duo: gray and yellow. Their explanation is, as always, epic poetry: “Ultimate Gray + Illuminating, two independent colors that highlight how different elements come together to support one another, [...]
Philanthropy Spotlight: Carolyn Rebuffel Flannery and Make It Home
Faithful readers of our blog may recognize the name of interior designer Carolyn Rebuffel Flannery. We have loved working with Carolyn to help realize her beautiful, pattern-driven design projects and have featured her twice in previous articles, once for her inventive self-created textiles and again when we wanted our designer [...]
Shelter in Place, Part II: ADUs — Costs, options, and considerations
Continuing our conversation about Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), we asked Kevin Mond, head of design and sales for HDR Remodeling, as well as co-owner and vice president of the company, to describe in detail the process, costs, and range of options, to help our community make the best decisions for [...]
Shelter in Place with Accessory Dwelling Units
Now that “Sheltering in Place” has become the “new normal,” many of us are looking to our homes to support us more than ever before. Maintenance projects that we might have been putting off are suddenly in our faces 24/7 and getting long-needed attention. And with this new and constant [...]
