Paint Swatches - The Secret To Successful Decorating!

Paint swatches are your best friend when it comes to choosing paint colors to decorate the walls, furniture and other items within your home. A paint swatch has been designed to show you the many shade possibilities you have if your focus is on one particular color.

For instance, if you wish to paint your room blue possible shades that await you include: azure, cerulean, periwinkle, denim, navy blue, cobalt blue, sapphire, ultramarine, light blue, indigo and hundreds of other hues.

Something else you will notice when looking at blue paint swatches, for example, is that you can choose blue hues that feature tones of green, purple and gray. Therefore, you have plenty to consider when you go color hunting.

The only problem is, with so much to choose from, finding the right shade can be both a difficult and tedious task.

To help you narrow down your decision making when it comes time to stare at the wall of paint swatches at your local paint or home improvement store, the following are some helpful interior painting tips you can keep in mind:

Warm or Cool – Think of the room you will be painting. Is it an area where you do most of your relaxing, entertaining or eating? For instance, if you are painting your bedroom it’s a good idea to choose a cool color such as blue or green that encourages relaxation.

On the other hand, if you are painting a kitchen or dining room you may want to use a warm red or orange to help increase appetite and conversation. Warm colored paint swatches include red, yellow and orange, while cool colors are blue, green and purple.

Light - Medium -Dark – Once you select the main color, you need to decide if you would rather a light, medium or dark shade. Light shades are a good choice for rooms that are small such as bathrooms, or for rooms that have few or no windows. Light colors also create a more subdued look.

Medium tones provide a more dramatic look and are a better choice for kitchens and large open spaces such as the family room.

Dark tones are not typically used for walls and are more commonly used for painting room accents such as furniture, trim or cabinets. However, dark walls may be desirable in bedrooms or to compliment a theme.

When looking at paint swatches you will notice that the colors featured on each swatch move from dark to light. Notice how different the darkest shade is to the lightest. Depending on if you use the dark or light shade will create an entirely different affect on the room you are painting.

Theme – Do you have a theme that requires certain colors? For instance, if you are doing a country theme, light yellow and blue are ideal choices. On the other hand, a Mexican theme would require spicier colors such as cinnamon and terracotta. This is something else you need to keep in mind when looking at paint swatches.

Neutrals – One of the biggest problems with adding color to walls is the color you choose may limit your ability to keep a space versatile. In other words, it is more likely for you to grow tired of a room that has a defined color on the walls than one with a neutral shade. There are plenty of neutral swatches you can consider.

The more specific you are with your color preference the easier time you will have selecting helpful paint swatches.

About Author:
Michael Holland is the creator of home-decorating-made-easy.com. Visit his site for more great information about interior paint colors
Article Source: http://www.isnare.com/

Featured Video:
How to Choose a Color Scheme & Paint: Interior Design & Painting Tips : Pt. 2 - Making a Color Diagram: Interior Design & Painting Tips



Part 2 - Learn how to make a diagram of the color scheme for your home. Get painting tips for walls & ceilings in this free home improvement video.

(Part 1 is featured on Monday, March 24, 2008)

WallDreams Paint Ideas!
What's in a paint chip name, anyway?
You've seen them:
Sherwin Williams' Bagel, Loveable, Elation, Impetuous, Sequin, and Spun Sugar.
Benjamin Moore's King Arthur's Court, Cat's Meow, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Fun 'n Games.

What color is a Cat's Meow anyway? The name doesn't give us a clue as to what it really is but it sounds kind of cute, right?

It's all about the marketing and naming something so that it sells. Whether the name sounds tantalizingly delicious, catchy, or quirky the name doesn't matter a hoot once it's up on your wall. It will still be a form of red, blue, green, yellow, white, black, purple, pink, beige, etc. Don't let a name detract you from your color choice.

A "Lemon Chiffon" at one store will not be the same at another store.

There is no standard color naming scheme across the different paint manufacturer's nor are their sheen levels exact. If you try to match a color from one paint or home store, at another paint shop you probably will not match the color precisely.

Tips:
If you find you are running out of paint, stop at the nearest edge or corner, even if you are buying more paint from where you purchased the original color. Slight variations can and do occur.

When using more than one gallon of the same paint, box them. This means get a large bucket and pour all the same paint together, mixing well. This eliminates any color discrepancies. Keep the pail covered between paint tray pourings as it is air's job is to dry the paint wherever it finds it.

Paint Your Home With Color!

Tired of those boring white walls? Looking to give your home some character? There’s no better way to give your home a face lift then to paint your home with color!

Painting is affordable and quite easy to do. And changing the color in a room changes the atmosphere. For years white or cream paint where common wall colors throughout the house. But finally people have realized how boring that is and have turned to color for their walls.

Choosing the right paint can be a bit overwhelming if you aren’t use to working with color. Choosing the right color for a room is not as difficult as you might think.

Your paint, furniture fabric, window coverings, rug, and accessory colors will play a large role in what color you can choose. If you have your heart set on a certain color you can always change out some of the other items in your room.

One of the best clues you can have for choosing the right color is knowing what colors make you feel relaxed and happy. You’ll probably already find these colors in your home because they are the colors you’ll be drawn to.

Not sure what’s your best color? Look at the color of your pottery, your home accessories, your jewelry, and the clothing in your closet. You’ll quickly know what your color is!

Now that doesn’t mean that you have to choose that color but it does make you aware of what colors work best for you. Different colors elicit different feelings and moods. If your color isn’t appropriate for the living room it doesn’t matter. Chances are there is a room that it would look really good in. Don’t be afraid to mix colors. A yellow kitchen, a blue living room, and a red den will all look great. You do not need to use the same color throughout the house.

Feature walls always look great especially if the color you have chosen is too dark for an entire room. You can do one or two walls in your color and leave the other two white or cream. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

You should also make a trip to your local paint store. Pick up sample cards of colors you think you would like to use, or you can also pick up a color wheel. Grab as many samples as you like. That’s what they are there for. Then when you get home you can see how these colors look. Don’t forget to try them in different lighting and at night. Colors can look really different when sunlight hits them and when the lamp is their lighting. Make sure you like both affects.

Take your time choosing the color. Make sure after a week or so it’s still your favorite choice. It’s much easier to change your mind prior to painting the walls.

Here’s some color tips that will help you understand how color works. Complimentary colors are colors you will find directly across from each other on the color wheel. Harmonious colors are colors that are each side of the main color. Tint is color that is added to white and shades are colors that have had black added. Saturation is the amount of color. The more color the more vibrant the color.

Let’s say you are going to paint all four walls – two a dark blue and you want the complimentary color on the other two walls. You would take your color wheel, look straight across from your dark blue and have your complimentary color.

Let’s say you want one wall to be vibrant and bold then you would have a deeper saturation in the color. Perhaps you are going to paint the top half of a wall blue and you want to have a harmonious color for the bottom. If you looked on your color wheel you would see that purple is a harmonious color for blue.

How you use the color in your room is as important as what color you choose. Too much color or the wrong color can leave you feeling stressed and overly excited all the time. Too little color can be dreary and unmotivated.

Never be afraid to experiment. If you really hate the color you can easily change it with more paint. When it comes to painting nothing has to be permanent.
So isn’t it time to paint your home with color? Bring your home to life and give it a character all of its own!

About Author:
Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory. This means that as a publisher you may reprint the articles that are included in our site, as long as the article is unedited and the author box is included with it's live hyperlinks.

Featured Video:
How to Choose a Color Scheme & Paint: Interior Design & Painting Tips : Pt. 1 - Making a Color Diagram: Interior Design & Painting Tips



Part 1 - Learn how to make a diagram of the color scheme for your home. Get painting tips for walls & ceilings in this free home improvement video.


WallDreams Paint Ideas!

Rarely do I see a room done in a white paint on purpose that truly works. Many of our homes and apartments are quickly painted in a white or offwhite to give it a "clean" look, but for me a white wall is just waiting for the right color, it is a blank stretched canvas, unfinished or even begun. A basic white wall feels unwelcoming and cold. Outside of our door, in nature is every color imaginable - the color of sky, earth, water, stone; every growing thing; flowers, trees, animals. There are colors and combinations of colors that you love.

If you can put together an outfit that makes you look and feel great, you can pick a wall color!

For some help in understanding color better, here are some very helpful links.

http://www.writedesignonline.com/resources/design/rules/color.html

http://interiordec.about.com/cs/artic12/a/des_decordos.htm

http://www.interior-design-it-yourself.com/decorating-with-color.html

http://www.makedecor.com/

Now, get a bucket of paint and get started!

Choosing The Right Colors For Your Home - I've Made it Easy

I am an interior designer and student of personal growth. I would say that in the top ten lists of questions my clients ask me is “What colors do I use for the inside of my home?” “How can I make it fit my personality??

When I go into a home for a color consultation, I try to get to know my clients before I suggest any particular colors. For instance, are they energetic? Do they wear bold colors? Are they quiet and shy? If I went into their closet what would I find? These answers tell me a lot about their personalities and usually what they would like in their home. You should ask yourself the same questions. If you are energetic and bold, you may have an interest in colors as reds, yellows, purples, and royal blues. If you are quieter, soft greens, blues, pinks, creams are more your style.

It’s all about creating an environment that makes you want to come home to a safe haven. This is where you can plop down and be at your most relaxed and comfortable state.

So, the question is “how do I begin?” I begin with a color plan in which I start with the “givens”; the existing upholstery/furniture fabrics that you have, art work that may be on the walls, window covering fabrics, area rugs, flooring materials, cabinet and countertop colors and anything else that is staying in place that would have a contributing factor to choosing your colors.

From those existing fabrics, art work, or rugs, pick two colors that you just generally gravitate toward and enjoy seeing that will now be your base colors. Then pick your “passion or hot color” from those fabrics to be your accent color. This “hot” color is usually red, burgundy, deep rust or something similar. Your accent color is extremely important to give your home “life” or “excitement”. It will only be used in small doses as an accent, usually two to three times disbursed throughout the room. Now you have your color plan that you will use through the majority of your home. Bedrooms are the exception and can have their own entirely different color plans based upon the occupants desires.

You will use these colors in varying shades of lights and darks to give contrast. Interior design is all about creating interest. Interest is derived from contrasts. Light vs. dark, shiny vs. dull, texture vs. smooth, pattern vs. solid, just to name a few. These colors will be utilized throughout all your fabrics, art, rugs and accessories. Your accent color is the bright flower in a fabric or used in an accent like a candle or floral arrangement.

Keeping this unifying color plan will enable your home to flow freely from room to room. By using the varying shades of colors and accent color, this will give your room that wonderful feeling of warmth and interest in your home. Your wall colors are another subject entirely. Look for my next article on “Choosing the Right Wall Colors for You”.

About Author:
Sheri Falcone is a novice author, student of personal growth, interior designer and entrepreneur who enjoys helping others achieve their dreams, be it their homes or building financial freedom with her personal development business, www.setnolimits.info. Her enthusiasm is contagious and she believes laughter and appreciation are our emotional healers. If you live in San Diego and would like a color consultation, please call 858 577-0025.
Article Source: http://www.articleblotter.com/

Feature Video:
The Smartest Way to Choose Paint Colors for Your Home!



Choosing paint colors for your walls is not an easy task. With Tru-Hue Paint Test Boards, you can avoid making costly color mistakes and choose the right color every time ! Tru- Hue

WallDreams brings you information you can use - when doing it yourself is the only way to go!

Paint Swatches - The Secret To Successful Decorating!

Paint swatches are your best friend when it comes to choosing paint colors to decorate the walls, furniture and other items within your home. A paint swatch has been designed to show you the many shade possibilities you have if your focus is on one particular color.

For instance, if you wish to paint your room blue, possible shades that await you include: azure, cerulean, periwinkle, denim, navy blue, cobalt blue, sapphire, ultramarine, light blue, indigo and hundreds of other hues.

Something else you will notice when looking at blue paint swatches, for example, is that you can choose blue hues that feature tones of green, purple and gray. Therefore, you have plenty to consider when you go color hunting.

The only problem is, with so much to choose from, finding the right shade can be both a difficult and tedious task.

To help you narrow down your decision making when it comes time to stare at the wall of paint swatches at your local paint or home improvement store, the following are some helpful interior painting tips you can keep in mind:

Warm or Cool – Think of the room you will be painting. Is it an area where you do most of your relaxing, entertaining or eating? For instance, if you are painting your bedroom it’s a good idea to choose a cool color such as blue or green that encourages relaxation.

On the other hand, if you are painting a kitchen or dining room you may want to use a warm red or orange to help increase appetite and conversation. Warm colored paint swatches include red, yellow and orange, while cool colors are blue, green and purple.

Light - Medium -Dark – Once you select the main color, you need to decide if you would rather a light, medium or dark shade. Light shades are a good choice for rooms that are small such as bathrooms, or for rooms that have few or no windows. Light colors also create a more subdued look.

Medium tones provide a more dramatic look and are a better choice for kitchens and large open spaces such as the family room.

Dark tones are not typically used for walls and are more commonly used for painting room accents such as furniture, trim or cabinets. However, dark walls may be desirable in bedrooms or to compliment a theme.

When looking at paint swatches you will notice that the colors featured on each swatch move from dark to light. Notice how different the darkest shade is to the lightest. Depending on if you use the dark or light shade will create an entirely different affect on the room you are painting.

Theme – Do you have a theme that requires certain colors? For instance, if you are doing a country theme, light yellow and blue are ideal choices. On the other hand, a Mexican theme would require spicier colors such as cinnamon and terracotta. This is something else you need to keep in mind when looking at paint swatches.

Neutrals – One of the biggest problems with adding color to walls is the color you choose may limit your ability to keep a space versatile. In other words, it is more likely for you to grow tired of a room that has a defined color on the walls than one with a neutral shade. There are plenty of neutral swatches you can consider.

The more specific you are with your color preference the easier time you will have selecting helpful paint swatches.

About Author:
Micheal Holland is the creator of home-decorating-made-easy.com. Visit his site for more great information about interior paint colors

Article Source: http://www.isnare.com/

WallDreams Paint Ideas!
Keep In Mind:
Colors you see online (images), in magazines or books (photographs) do not translate to the true color that you see, though they are great for inspiration.
Keep a sample paint card of your chosen colors with you at all times. You never know when you might need to match something up when you are shopping!
Live with a sample board with your chosen color for a few days before committing to the entire wall. This helps you see how the color looks in different lighting throughout the day.
Manufacturer's Paint Fan Deck - A sample of all the paint color's by that paint distributor that is organized and indexed from lightest to darkest for easy reference.

See Also:
Benjamin Moore's Virtual Fan Deck
Christopher Lowell's Choosing Perfect Paint Color