Floor Talk!

Changing the color of your walls is the least expensive, yet most powerful way to change the look of a room. However, the process can be daunting! If you have ever transformed a white room by painting it a rich color, the end result is worth the often lengthy emotional process.

Here’s how it’s likely to go:

You are flipping through your favorite magazine or you attend a home sales party and see a beautiful room that remotely resembles something in your home. AND YOU WANT IT.

You decide to paint. So, off to the paint store you go……..Being the prepared consumer that you are, you go straight over to the 1000 sample chip chart and hold up your magazine to match the color. Funny though, nothing quite looks the same. Hint: The problem is, the glossy paper from the magazine is showing a photograph of a color which is ink on paper, much the same as the traditional paint chip you are looking at in the store on the massive display rack. If you are the person that comes in knowing for sure that you can remember in your mind exactly what color you saw and exactly what color you want, you find out quickly after looking at the big bad display rack that you have completely lost the mental image.

Never fear, you can do this! So, you grab a couple of samples and start narrowing them down. At this point, some people are so sure and so excited that they order a gallon and wait patiently, (tapping their foot the whole time) while the paint is being custom made. Others are still not sure, so they order a quart in case the color doesn’t work. (more…)

Color Trends - Color trends in fashion and home styles often cross paths. The thing to remember is that trends are always changing, changing with the seasons. Don’t feel pressure to change your home’s color palette every time fashion trends change! The natutral time to change your home colors will happen when you are ready. These changes over time will help create your own personal style. Over time you will have an eclectic look that you can be proud to call your own.

The ultimate source for color forecasting in fashion is Pantone. Click here for Pantone Fashion Color Report Fall 2008 and Pantone Fashion Color Report Spring 2008. My favorite color from the spring report is Cantaloupe!

Hot Colors

• Purple - in fashion and home, purple is the front runner of color.
• Yellow - Yellow is the new orange! Orange will still remain with a presence, but not quite as hot as yellow.
• Blues - varying shades from soft spa blues to robin’s egg blues to deep sea blues. Many nature inspired blues.
• Greens - with all of the buzz about the environment, natural greens are making their way into the home
• Browns -look great with other hot colors, especially the softer colors where black would be too harsh.

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Another Green Build Expo find: YOLO Colorhouse is a Portland, Oregon based paint company developed by 2 female artists (Virginia Young and Janie Lowe self titled Co-Founders/Head Color Nerds) that has stood for premium, environmentally responsible paint products with a user friendly color pallete since 2000. Their paint is Green Seal Certified. Green Seal is an independent, non-profit organization that sets standards for environmentally responsible products that is based on VOC content, (Volatile Organic Compound) the absence of chemicals, durability, performance and manufacturing processes. Green Seal Certification automatically qualifies YOLO Colorhouse for LEED certified projects. (more…)