Choosing colour wisely...

Many of us cite choosing paint as one of the most intimidating decorating tasks. Although we're always told, "It's only paint", well, I for one don't want to waste the $30 it costs for a gallon and/or repaint a room I've painted in the "wrong" colour. So where do we begin and how do we get a fool-proof colour scheme?

I've said this before, and it bears repeating. Don't automatically head for the multitudes of paint swatches at the paint store. This will only serve to confuse you and the lighting there is almost always different from the lighting in our own homes. To prove this point, select a colour you like in the store, then take it outside the store into the natural light, and it will almost always look quite different. So, the first step I take in selecting a paint colour for my home, is to browse through my decorating mags to find the right look (colour wise) that I want for the room that is to be painted. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can show this picture to your local paint clerk and they will automatically be able to reproduce it. Professional lighting and photography, coupled with the printing process always alters the appearance of the paint colour in the magazine.

Instead, cut out the picture and carry it around your home and/or department/decor stores until you find an item that is the same shade as the colour you desire. If the item is small, it can often be scanned by the computer at the paint store. You can also take the object to the paint store and compare it to the some paint samples. Bring the samples that seem to match the best home with you and see how they compare in the light of the room that is to be painted. If the paint company sells sample, pots buy a few. They really are worth the money as long as you don't go overboard and buy a ton of them. In this case it pays to do your homework before going to the store...

If you have bought a sample pot (or even a pint) of the colour you think matches best, don't paint it directly on the wall, unless you feel like covering over all the colours later. Instead, paint the colour onto a large piece of bristol board and stick it to the wall. Move it around to various spots in the room to see how it looks everywhere. Once you decide on a colour, paint some of the paint on one of those cheap stretcher frames that the Dollar Store sells. They are about 8x10" and are light and small enough to fit in your purse. You can then take it around with you when you are shopping with accessories and fabrics. Such a timesaver...!!

A couple of you asked me about selecting paint colours for children's rooms. I say, narrow down the colour choices to three and then let them make the final choice. Don't give them carte blanche unless they have really good taste or you are a really cool mum. They'll only dig their heels in and make it a miserable experience if you tell them they can make the choice and then change your mind when you don't like that choice!! I say, if you want to find a beautiful, fail-safe colour for your child's room, look no further than Pottery Barn Kids. Have a browse through their kid's catalogue and find a colour you love.

Pottery Barn itself has a great line of paints now through Benjamin Moore. Too easy!! For those of us here in Eastern Canada who don't have a store nearby, many select paint stores will have other paint companies' paint colour codes on file...so we can duplicate the colour right here in our home towns...so sneaky!!

I hope this helps those of you with an impending paint project. I will post at another time, a list of my favourite paint colours. Happy painting!!!