I Can See a Rainbow

Woe Is Me - I Must Decide

You already know that the trouble with deciding to paint a room or two in your house is that you ultimately are faced with the daunting decision of choosing a color. One side of you says there are enough colors out there that you are bound to choose the right one, and the other side says that there are so many colors out there, it's impossible to choose. Which side of you is right?

Choosing color is important. It's important to you, to the flow of décor and color in your house and of course, to the tone it will set for your room. Color is a very powerful thing and you mustn't just choose according to the color trends 2010. Instead, choose your colors with the idea of bringing your personal sense of purpose into your home.

Don't Put the Cart Before the Horse

So, you've gone to all of the paint stores in town and have collected a bazillion paint chips - that's great. But, don't paint the walls and then try to match everything else to them. Paint is the least expensive of all your décor investments, and the easiest to change. Don't jump into painting the walls until you've found the carpet, furniture and accessories that you'll love to live with.

Everything Has to Flow

If you're looking for paint for a new home, or after renovations, you'll constantly need to refer to your fabric, tiles, carpet, wallpaper, trim, and any other samples you should be lugging around with you. Since pleasant surprises appear at unexpected times, carry a bag of samples around with you - leave it in the trunk of the car - and when you are where an unexpected "something wonderful" comes up, you're ready with your necessary samples to make the right decision. There's nothing worse than buying something you think is totally correct only to find out you're one or two shades off.

Don't rush into choosing a color too fast. And, don't rely on your linear thinking to pick out a color. There are clues everywhere revealing underlying tones and shades of a color. Colors come in families (kind of like people), and it's important to investigate the entire scope of color in a family before you make a decision.

Choosing Balancing and Complementing Colors

If you have a particular fabric you are using for your room, you'll likely be more satisfied with the outcome if you choose a wall paint color from the background of the print. Choose your trim and accent colors in a brighter or darker shade of the background color in order to accent without overpowering your pattern.

Trim can make or break a room. Most frequently, we see either white or off-white (or a variation thereof) for moldings, doors and windows. If you've finally decided to step out of the mold, try using a lighter shade for the wall colors with darker trim in the same color - or you can go totally the other way and use a darker shade for the wall color with light trim. The contrast is striking.

Finish Well