Tips for choosing the RIGHT paint color!

With the hundred's of thousands of paint colors out there, you may wonder where to begin. And, if you are like many of my clients, picking a paint color may stop you in your tracks! How does one choose?

Instead of looking at as choosing just one color, I like to have a vision for the whole room and sometimes for the whole floor, depending on the layout of the home! Think of yourself as an artist, choosing your palette.

1. Don't pick your paint color first: I know that may seem counter intuitive, but trust me, it'll be easier to choose the right paint color to match your furniture than to find furniture to match your wall color!

Surely you have an idea of colors you like. What was your favorite color as a child? Do you still love that same color? What colors do you wear most often? Are they colors you could see yourself decorating your home with? 

Still not sure? Try creating a Pinterest board or Ideabook on Houzz, with images of rooms or paint color swatches that you like. What are the colors that are most prevalent? Click here to see my "No Fail Color Choices" board on Pinterest.

2. Find something that inspires you: It's always a good idea to start designing your room around one piece that you already love. It could be a pillow, a rug or maybe a favorite piece of artwork. I designed a whole room around this Octopus fabric! I just fell in love when I saw it! Whatever your inspiration piece may be, use that as springboard in choosing your room colors!

I loved this piece of artwork and decided to use it in one of the Maine cottages I was designing at the time. We stepped away from the traditional seaside color choices and decided to give this cottage a bit of a spunky feel incorporating unexpected pops of orange with beautiful blues.


Room designed by Mandeville Canyon Designs

Here's another great example of how this designer used the colors in this hallway rug to add a fun paint color to the door.

Found on www.houseofturquoise.com

3. Try before you buy: Thank goodness you can buy test size paint colors these days! I always recommend that you purchase one of these so you can paint a small area of your wall and really see how it looks against your décor and as the light changes throughout the day. You will be happy you only bought a small amount if your paint happens to be the wrong shade!

4. Consider a color theme throughout your home: This is especially true if you have rooms that open up to each other or if you have an open-concept type home. I'm not saying everything has to be the same color, but there should be some sort of cohesiveness from room to room.
 5. If you're still stumped, hire a designer: Sometimes it just takes another set of eyes to look at something and tell you "yes" you are headed in the right direction, or "maybe there's an even better color out there". Either way, interior designers have the education and expertise to help you make the best choice.

Just for fun click here and take Better Homes and Garden's color personality quiz. You just might surprise yourself and learn that your favorite color to decorate with is quite different than how you'd answer the question, "What's your favorite color?"

Best,

Renee Carman

Dare to go there....

This March has proved to be one the coldest springs I can remember. Really? A possible snowstorm this week? What have we done to Mother Nature to deserve this kind of weather? While I can commiserate with neighbors and pretty much everyone I come in contact with, the fact is, there's nothing we can do about the weather. What we can do though, is force a little sunshine and spring into our everyday lives.

One of my all time favorite sayings is, "Change your attitude, change your life." Isn't it so true? The power we have over the course of our own lives is remarkable, yet often ignored. Being aware of how you feel and how you present yourself to the world each day is critical in your success.

So how does that pertain to interior design you ask? Well, let's take your bedroom for example. It's the place where you begin and end your every day. So shouldn't your room color and décor represent the feeling you want to embrace?  So many clients choose paint colors haphazardly, without thinking about the mood or feeling they want for each room. I love this article on Fresh Home. It gives such great insight on the effects of color and mood. So while you're stuck inside for a few more weeks, give your bedroom a make-over. Try a color you never dared to before. And, for an added touch of spring, always add flowers!

Here are some of my favorite bedrooms that I've designed. You can find more of my designs on my website, Mandeville Canyon Designs or on Houzz where I am a featured Design Pro. So you see, instead of the standard neutral colors, I went with something a little more vibrant, but that you can still settle your brain and get a good nights rest in.

This room proved to me and to my client that small spaces do not need to be small on color!

These two rooms embrace a soothing and coastal feeling. They are fresh and airy and definitely somewhere I'd want to lay my head to rest.

And for the more lively bunch, here's some real color! It can be invigorating and fun in the morning and warm and cozy in the evenings. It's the magic light and color. 

So go ahead, dare to be different. Dare to explore the possibilities. I think you'll love what you discover.

Colorfully yours,

Renee