THE TROUBLE WITH PAINT COLORS....

THE ART OF CHOOSING COLOR

Southern Chateau

Today, I'm addressing a challenge a lot of us have. 

Whether we are using a fabric swatch, a photograph, or standing in front of hundreds of little colored squares

there is one thing we all face when decorating, or redecorating our homes.... 

TROUBLE PICKING PAINT

Hi!

I'm having trouble picking a paint. we just remodeled our place with black cabinets and white


countertop. what color is best to paint the kitchen. i also wanted to paint the livingroom, should it be thesame color as the kitchen? thanks

What colors do you like?   I could tell you what colors I like, but then, it wouldn't be YOUR colors.  If you are not sure where to start - because with black and white as your base you have the world of color to choose from - take a peek into your closet.  What colors do you wear?  Blues? Greens? Neutrals? Hot Spicy colors?   We generally wear the colors we love and are comfortable with.  Start there, find a color you like and take it to a more grayed down version because those tones are easier to live with on a daily basis.  If you like bright colors, try a neutral tone for your walls and use the bright colors as your accents and accessories.  You can enjoy the bright colors longer if they don't smack you in the face when you walk into the room.

If your living room has shared walls with the kitchen, you can paint it the same color.  If it is a separate room you can paint it a different color, but one that picks up your color palette.  I try to choose 3-4 colors that look beautiful together to use throughout the whole house.  This will give your home a more pulled together look.  Once you have determined what colors you like to live with, I can give you specific paint colors to try.

REDOING BATH

I want to redo my half bath and since it is so small do not want to close it up. The vanity is in an oak finish but I would really like to paint over it as well. We have tile floors in a sand color - suggestions?

Sand is a nice neutral place to start. We can narrow your choices down a little because of the size of the room.  We should stay in the lighter color range, and I would stay in the cool range of colors because your room is small - blue tones, green tones or grays. 



Ashwood Gray - Benjamin Moore



Cliffside Gray - Benjamin Moore



Fresh Dew - Benjamin Moore

Aloof Gray - Sherwin Williams



Comfort Gray - Sherwin Williams



 I would definitely paint the oak vanity in white or a light gray.  Cooler colors recede, warmer come toward you.  So for smaller rooms, definitely lower contrast and cooler colors will help it seem larger - as long as the colors are not too dark.

COLOR CHALLENGED

I'm having trouble picking a grey color for my open floor plan (a small entry, sitting and dining room). I originally liked Manhattan Mist by Behr, but it turned out to have purple undertones.

Manhattan Mist - Behr

I'm trying to find a shade of grey that will match any type of furniture and accents. I really like grey with pops of yellow, orange and green. I think yellow in the entry way leading to a grey sitting and dining room would look nice. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks!

The beauty of gray is that it is a friend to every other color.  There is a gray that will make a lovely companion to any color you can imagine.  Warm or cool.   If you choose gray tones, they can vary slightly throughout the open floor plan, and you can accent the rooms with accessories, fabric or furnishings in the pops of color you desire.  

So, a gray that will go well with yellow, orange and green should be easy to find - right?  Ah, but there is that little pesky undertone thing we have to consider.  The best way to figure out the undertone in a gray is to go to the darkest color on the paint strip.  At the darkest tone it should be obvious if it is a green, a brown, a blue, purple or truer gray.

 For example, in the sample above, it is clear that there is a brown undertone when you look at the two darkest colors.   Here are some examples of grays with your accent colors - always easier to visualize, right?

Gray Hardware/Sherwin Williams

North Star/Sherwin Williams

Chelsea Gray/Benjamin Moore

Copley Gray/Benjamin Moore

Manchester Tan/Benjamin Moore

Hope that helps!

HALLOWEEN

its coming.

so excited.

take a quick trip to my creative blog....

I'm cooking up some fun Halloween projects and tutorials there....

www.handmaiden-theblog.blogspot.com