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Maybe you are less about the romance of interior
design and prefer to analytically plan a space
based on functionality. For those of us at each
end of the spectrum and everywhere in between,
the paint store is an essential element in the
planning of a new design.
Most of us go to the paint store with a
very obvious reason, to buy paint. A paint
store is so much more though. Pack your design
inspirations into a bag and let us take a trip
to the paint store. When selecting a local paint
store, choose the one with the largest selection
of colors to visit for design ideas. When it
comes time to actually choose your paint brand,
most people have a favorite, and a paint store
will be happy to help match a color, that you
have found somewhere else, in their own base.
The purpose of our trip is to explore the design
possibilities of color!
Are you unsure about where to begin? Let me
give you some advice as a starting point. If you
are experienced with color, then just pass us by
and begin looking at the paint chips. I would
suggest that you choose a simple color palette
in the beginning. Our mission is to select 3
colors, a neutral and 2 accents. This an
excellent starting point with any new design. If
we are working off of an inspiration piece,
let’s hold it up and scan the wall of chips to
determine where its color is located. That match
is an easy one. You saw it right away didn’t
you? Now, have you thought about a complementary
color? I will leave this one up to your personal
taste. Sometimes, however, your inspiration
piece will suggest the perfect complementary
color, and other times you will just have to
choose colors that you like together. Finally,
let’s select a neutral, which will act as a
canvas to showcase and highlight our other two
selections. Most people will fall into 3
categories of neutrals, those who like shades of
white, warm beiges, and cool grays. For the
purpose of our trip, I have oversimplified this,
but it is a good question to ask yourself. Would
you prefer warm tones with your color selections
or cool tones? You have to be the one to answer
this, but once you have decided, let us talk
about which color on a chip to select.
Sometimes you gravitate right to the exact
color on a paint chip and there is no further
thought involved. You might have matched your
accessory to the exact color on the paint chip
wall, but when there is no point of reference
you must make a decision. This is where we get
into color value, or the lightness and darkness
of a color. Did you notice how the color chip
will begin with the lightest value on the top
and end with the darkest value on the bottom?
This will allow you room for adjustment once you
get home and see the color chips in the space in
which they are intended. Once you have narrowed
it down to 3 colors and you have your chips in
hand, let’s go to the next step.
Let me suggest going home with your chips
to hold them up to the wall in the space they
are intended. Sometimes you may want to tape
them up on the wall and look at them for a few
days. Decide which colors will go on the walls
and which will be accent colors. Remember, you
don’t have to use the neutral as the wall color.
Be bold with your designs. A neutral will still
ground other colors whether it is in the
driver’s seat or merely a passenger in the back.
After you have lived with the colors for
awhile and have made a decision, return to the
paint store to see if the color you have
selected comes in a sample size. If it does,
purchase that sample and a brush and return home
to paint a larger area on the wall than what you
were able to see with only the chip. This will
bring new perspective. You will be able to
determine if you have to make a shift in color
value by moving up or down the card. Test
painting will save much time and money. If the
store does not have testers in your color, then
they will also be able to make quarts. This is
more expensive, but I still would recommend it.
As we discussed earlier, matching is also a
great way to find the perfect color. Paint
stores can match more than other color chips.
They can also match objects that you have.
Fabrics do not provide for the best match,
however, because they are woven and not a flat
surface with a solid color.
While color is much more complex than our
trip to the paint store has been. I hope that I
have been able to get you started on what can be
an intimidating task. As you gain experience, I
just know you will be experimenting and moving
colors from their cool to their warm sides. Have
fun with color and make your first stop the
paint store. There is a world of design on their
walls. |
