When people come to me for painting services, I always start by asking a series of questions to get a sense of what my clients are after. For example, what are your favorite colors? (Think clothing.) Is there a feature — an artwork, for instance — you want to help stand out? How do you want to feel in the room? This kind of questions help me to understand what my customers love and want when they are planning on painting a room.
Here are 10 rules that I use to help my clients selecting the perfect color for their painting projects.
1. Spend some time researching. Before you start any home modification project — even something seemingly small, like a single feature wall — spend some time researching and getting a sense of what you’re trying to achieve.
2. Save images that inspire you. Use those images to find some colors that you like and choose your favorite color from a color fan deck.
3. Think of balance and harmony. Remember that the color you like for your walls is going to be surrounded with the ceiling, floor tiles, molding doors and furniture. I highly recommend to my clients to have a 360 degrees vision and think of balance “Similar to clothing”. Imagine that you are dressing up your house and compare your new color with everything that is around it.
4. Go with your gut. When it comes to love at first sight, especially when talking color, it’s real. I am a firm believer in trusting gut feelings. If you have always loved a certain color, you will probably always love it.
Hardware stores and paint stores, with their vast range of sample paint swatches, are great sources of inspiration. Don’t be shy about taking a bunch of samples home with you. That’s what they are there for.
5. Always test first. I always suggest trying out a test batch before taking the plunge and painting an entire wall. Before slapping paint on the wall read my article Five tips to Test Paint Colors here you will find the best tips on how to get the best paint color for your project.
6. Seek help if you lack confidence. If you’re not confident in making color decisions by yourself, consider contacting us for a free color consultation. Don’t wait until it’s too late. It is our job to help you visualize your space, as well as to offer a different perspective and ideas that you might not have thought about.
Julio Catano.
Masterpiece Painting Contractors, Inc.