Here are a few tips about the effect of color in your room and your lifestyle…
Dark tones will usually bring the wall in…can make the room feel smaller or cozy…depending on your perspective. Darker tones will also add more drama to your space. I must also warn you…if you live in an area as dusty as the Phoenix area…the dust will show on these walls for sure. My master bedroom that I painted burgundy needed to be dusted frequently…and to be honest, I am not a clean freak. If I noticed that the color lacked vibrancy…it was time to dust! Another FYI…the darker tones will also show mistakes and nicks…so if you have a toddler riding their tricycle in the room…you may want to reconsider using a dark color. Just saying!
Lighter tones will typically make the space look more spacious…brighter. These tones are usually more forgiving of mistakes or dings and the dust isn’t as obvious.
I suspect, because I have lived the majority of my life in the Southwest and see brown/beige all around, I want to use deep…jewel colors in my home. I am not afraid to really make a dramatic statement…again, remember…it is just paint!
So, let's say you have decided to paint the wall a sage green…a safe mid-range color. Now, I am picturing you standing in front of the paint chip displays at Home Depot or Lowe’s…who knew how many shades of sage green there are?!! Remember when I mentioned this was not for the faint of heart?! Also, do you remember what I have talked about before concerning cool and warm tones…well, this is when you will use that information. Hopefully, by now, you have decided which direction you lean…cool or warm. Again, in my case, I prefer cool tones (no yellow undertones)…which means I will only look at the cool toned sage greens. I strongly suggest you don’t confuse yourself by wavering and considering all sage greens…if you do this, I guarantee you will overwhelm yourself and will give up on the whole project! It may take awhile, but if you can narrow your preference colors to 3 or 4...that would be outstanding! If you get stumped between some colors…ask yourself, “which do I like the least?”…I have no clue why, but this question helps eliminate colors faster than “which do I like the best“.
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| Light Sage Green w/Warm Tone |
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| Sage Green w/Cool Tone |
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| Darker Sage Green w/Warm Tone |
At home…prime, then paint one or two coats of color on each board. FYI…number each paint container…then the back of each board with the corresponding number. I say this, because one time I forgot to do this…then once dried I couldn’t remember which sample went with which board!!
Boards are now dry…take them to the room you will be using the accent color, lean them on the selected wall. The object of this exercise…is to see all the colors in the room during the morning, noon and night. The lighting in your room will change all day long and the only way to know which color you can really live with, is to see it at different times of the day. When you look at all your choices…once again, ask “which do I like the least?” This process of elimination may take a few days and some patience. It will all work towards a successful end result…an accent wall that you will Love! Now…roll up your sleeves and start to paint!!!!
I hope that over the last few weeks you have been inspired to transform your home into a place ...where Design meets your LifeStyle.
Take care...Laura