Tag Archives: Paint Colors

Paint Colors and other Scary Tales

It was a dark and stormy night.  Edith was looking through paint color swatches to decide what color to paint her dining room.   The phone rings.  The man on the line says, “Don’t pick that color, it’ll feel like a cave in there!”  Then Edith realized: the call was coming from inside the house!!!  Shriek!

Okay, maybe it’s not that bad, but selecting paint colors can be a scary prospect for most people.  The most common side effect of this fear is a house with no color, or too much of the same color, or a “jewel-box” effect – where one room is painted at a time without regard to the overall flow of the house.  Or, you may have one room painted an intense color, which you now hate, but you’re too scared to change it or to paint any other rooms.  You don’t need to live this way – there is help out there!   Actually, there is help right here.

Perhaps you’ve decided “builder’s beige” is your style after all, or perhaps you are experiencing perfection paralysis.  You don’t want to make a mistake and end up with a migraine every time you step into that space.  So, what do you do?  You can call me!

Okay, how does this work?  To start, I’m a big fan of Benjamin Moore colors.  Most of them work very well with each other, and they have a livable palette suitable for any age or style of home.  I will come to your home armed with my satchel of paint samples.  We start with the fan-deck, and narrow down a few favorites (I like to start with an overall color for hallways and such, and a trim color, if needed).   Then I pull out the 3″x5″ samples of the colors we liked so we can tape them up and take a good look.  It’s amazing how often the first color we pick is the winner.  We’ll put up 5 more samples and realize that first one was the best!  Then after about 2 to 4 hours (depending on how many rooms we are working with), we have a final palette for the house.  I trim off a quarter of each paint sample for you to keep, label the backs, and write down the numbers on a 3-part form so I’ll have a copy, and presto! – you now have your house colors all settled!   I can even order larger samples and have them mailed to your home if you want a little more time to “live” with them and make sure they are right at all times of the day.

Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that.  We’ll look at your floors, counters, cabinets, furniture colors, the light in the home, etc.   We’ll focus on how the colors work together and flow throughout the house.  We’ll talk about color theory and how colors will compliment or contrast with each other.  The main thing I will do for you is make sure these colors suit you, your style and your home.  There are colors I like better than others, but my goal is to always guide you toward your ideal colors, in a way that will be stylish and tasteful.  Put your fears to rest and give me a call!  And remember: it’s only paint!

Live well & live in color,

Holly

Abundantly Clear – 303.322.5327