By Stylicious Living

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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

How to select that perfect interior colour?

It's often hard selecting that perfect colour since there are thousands if not, 10's of thousands of colours out there.  Follow these simple rules when selecting that perfect colour for any interior space in your home:

1) Don't start with the paint colour.  I start by selecting or getting inspiration from a fabric, bedding, throw cushion, etc.  Since there are thousands of colours out there, it's easier to select the colour once you have a starting point.  It's a lot more difficult to select fabric, bedding, etc. to match a specific colour. 

2) Select a colour that is in your fabric or in the same family as one colour in that fabric.  This ensures the room will come together in the end.

3) For interior colours, stick with a base 1 or 2 colour on your colour swatches.  Generally, bases 3 and up are for exterior colours.  The darker the colour, the smaller the room will appear and vise versa.  Often accent walls are selected and it is okay to use base 3 or up for accent walls but only use those colours sparingly.

4) Interior walls should be in satin, eggshell, or matte finish.  Higher gloss finishes should be applied on trim, high traffic areas, and/or exterior applications.  Flat finishes should be left for ceilings and is not a good option for wall applications since it has low washability properties.

5) Once a colour is selected, buy a sample paint container of that colour and put a large (at least 2' x 2') block on a wall.  I even put it on a couple walls since the light will affect how the colour is seen.  You can also buy sample boards of colours and pin up onto your walls.

6) Now that you are ready to paint, fill and sand down any holes.  Fill holes with spackle, let dry and spot prime.  If you don't prime the areas that you spackled, you will be able to notice those spots after the paint application since the spackle assorbes paint differently than drywall.  Also, prime any bare drywall areas. 

7) Apply 2 coats of paint and ensure 1st coat is dry before applying 2nd coat (follow directions on the paint can). 

If you are still struggling on selecting that perfect colour, please inquire about our in-home colour consultations at (416)262-0609 

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