Color Your Ways...
I love Color. Its that simple. I get a kick out of changing the
paint colors in a room, often. Or even my outfit colors get changed
often, too. Its just me! In realizing early on how color can set or
change a mood, I have made it one of my life's goals to help as many
people with color choices as is possible.
One thing I have learned is that color can be very personal. One
person's favorite is another's person's dislike. And that can
mean two people in a household not agreeing on a single color and can
lead to a battle! I see this quite often when I'm doing a color
consulting job. Does this sound familiar? It can be remedied, truly!
So, where does one start when deciding what color to use in a space? Its
not as difficult as you might think. You can use a color in a
piece of artwork you love, or your cultural influences. Or there just
may be a color that seems to speak to you saying, " I need to be on the
walls of a room in this house"! Did you know that a mood can be set with
colors…like do you want the room to be romantic and cozy, sunny and
bright, breezy and fun? Considering the activity in a room, if you want
to create a space with loads of energy like a kitchen or family room or
a more relaxing atmosphere like a bedroom, those moods can be set with
color.
Visualizing the color on a wall can be very
challenging. Actually as I am told by many customers, that simply
selecting a paint color is one of the scariest things to try to do. It
is unfortunate because adding paint color to a room is still the
cheapest and quickest way to hide a multitude of mistakes or challenges.
Here are a few things that the right paint color in a room can do:
**If you don't have a budget to furnish a room, color on the walls can
help the room not to look so empty. It can add warmth and a sense of
coziness.
**If your budget does not allow you to replace an old worn piece of
furniture such as a sofa, a paint color that is similar to it can help
blend it into the wall and not make it so noticeable.
**If you are thinking about remodeling a bathroom and your budget does
not allow for replacing all the tile, a paint color that coordinates
with the tile color will treat it as less important in the room.
So, now that you have the basic idea, go out and get some good
size swatches of the paint colors you select and put it on the walls you
want to paint. Live with that color(s) for a few days. Let the light of
the morning change into the afternoon light and into evening. This is a
very important step because natural and non natural light can change
your perspective on that color. If you paint an area on the wall in that
color, once it is actually painted it will still look somewhat different
because you haven't used the proper primer yet. All of these steps can
be taken in consideration.
For those do-it-yourselfers out there, you can save both time and
money by asking at the paint store what is the right primer to use. This
is especially important when you are using deep, dark or bright colors.
A good professional painter will know how these colors will apply to the
wall. They have worked with them time and time again. Using higher
quality paints takes fewer coats and cover to hide flaws better then
less expensive paints. Did you know that? Most aren't aware of it.
Some of the paints I use during my consultations are Benjamin
Moore Aura paints, Sherwin Williams Duration Series or C2 Paints. These
paints are high quality, have wonderful color offerings and are easily
available to any consumer.
Well, I hope I have helped a little. Take your time, this is a
big decision. For more information, check out the
Design 'n Style
website for helpful hints and a new section (coming soon!) on Tips and
Tricks in the Design Marketplace! Or you can always call us at
215-913-5214 for color consulting! We're happy to assist in your
project!
Enjoy! And happy Coloring!!
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Hanging Mirrors
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you decide where to hang them?
