Alrighty, so if you've read pt.1 Be Ruthless you'll know that the first step was clearing everything out, and getting down to brass tacks, namely only the things you truly LOVE or NEED in a room. And now there's a good chance you've got one EMPTY looking room! But fear not, we're gonna start working on that! At first I was going to write about discovering your style, but here's the thing: that can change... weekly. And most of us can't afford to be swapping out major items every time we see something new on the ol' Pinterest. Now that doesn't mean that you can't embrace those changes of heart, but be smart about it. Start with a base that you can add to or alter to suit your mood, your style, even the seasons, or the changes in the light. Basically, you want to build a base consisting of furniture, flooring, and paint that you'll like, no matter what.
So, first thing's first:
When picking a colour the first thing I would suggest doing is looking at your floor. First: is it staying? Like I mean, RIGHT NOW, not in six months or a year, is this the floor you're stuck with for RIGHT NOW? If you're replacing it in the next week, lucky you! But, if you're like the majority of kittens reading this, chances are, since it's decently expensive, time-consuming and an all-around pain in the ass, the floor's staying. All right, no big. So take a good look at it: tile? laminate? carpet? REALLY look at it. What colours are in there? Because NO, you can't just cover it up; your floor is the second largest surface in the room and you will ALWAYS be better to work with it than against it. Even a butt-ugly floor can be worked with if you're savvy. Alright, so what's going on down there? Is it beige? Ok, HOW beige? Like are there pinkish undertones? Greys? Greens? Make sure to take this into account. Same goes for tile, or wood, or laminate. Don't just assume that it's "brown". What KIND of brown? Does it have red-ey undertones, maybe orange? How about bits of grey? Alright. Cool. Write that down (or lock it in the brain bank, or note it in your iPad. Whatever.)
Next up, take a look at the furniture you've already got: mostly dark? white? black? Same deal, don't just assume "brown", but what KIND of brown? Here's the thing, anything with red or orange undertones, like cherry, mahogany, or oak will have those undertones emphasized when you put them against anything with matching warm tones. "Warm tones" is anything in the red/orange/yellow/brown/tan family. If you heart those warm tones, you're on the right track. If they make you twitchy head on over to the opposite end of the colour spectrum: "Cool tones". This would be most of your greys and blues. These tones tend to neutralize warm colours. No need to lock yourself in just yet, just try to decide whether you're more comfortable with "warm" or "cool".
Confession time: you might be thinking "What about green? I love green! I want green!" Yeah, well, green is an asshole. Sorry. Green is one of the most difficult colours to get "right". It can change from barely-there-mint to ewwwwwww-snotty-yellow just with the changing light through the day. It's not ANYWHERE as neutral as people give it credit for being. It's unflattering to skin tones and whites (it tends to lend a yellow-ish tinge to everything). I'm not saying to avoid green altogether, just as a paint colour. Include it in pretty greenery, in textiles, in paintings... just NOT ON YOUR WALLS. Still want green? Go nuts. But you've been warned *insert ominous music here*.
Confession time: you might be thinking "What about green? I love green! I want green!" Yeah, well, green is an asshole. Sorry. Green is one of the most difficult colours to get "right". It can change from barely-there-mint to ewwwwwww-snotty-yellow just with the changing light through the day. It's not ANYWHERE as neutral as people give it credit for being. It's unflattering to skin tones and whites (it tends to lend a yellow-ish tinge to everything). I'm not saying to avoid green altogether, just as a paint colour. Include it in pretty greenery, in textiles, in paintings... just NOT ON YOUR WALLS. Still want green? Go nuts. But you've been warned *insert ominous music here*.
Alright so you've picked sides, now let's narrow it down some. To make it super simple, you've got three options: light, dark, or mid. Here's the thing, a dark paint colour doesn't always make for a dark room, nor does it necessarily make a room look smaller. The key is to think about what's already in there in terms of the floor, the lighting and the furniture. If it's mostly dark, well then so will the room be, which is FINE. A darker room full of rich deep tones can be cozy and eveloping. But if bright and airy is more "you", stay away. That said, if the floor/natural light/furniture trifecta tends towards "light and bright" you can probably get away with a dark colour on your walls. For example, our walls are EXTREMELY dark navy, the last shade before full-black, but our rooms are flooded with sunlight and all of our furniture is white, so it all balances out. In fact the dark walls really emphasize all of the white, making it just gleam, and if anything, the room seems that much brighter than when the details all blended together.
The whole "blend in/stand out" thing isn't something to be ignored; it can work for or against you. Like, say, you've got mostly dark furniture, BUT you don't really like it? Well, pairing it with pale beige walls will make it stand out that much more. But set it against deep charcoal walls and it will blend into the background and you can make your statement with accessories instead of your not-so-favorite furniture finds.
Images found at: houseandhome.com and apartmenttherapy.com
So what about light-coloured walls? Or something in the middle? Basically if you don't fit in my the situations listed in the above paragraph, go light or mid-toned. Simple. Really. Don't overthink it. Just keep in mind that anything that is not already light-ish is going to stand out against that paint (which can be GREAT if you've got stuff you want to show off!)
But do me a favour: don't wuss out. LIGHT or DARK are generally always going to look more stylish, and they tend to make your stuff look better, too. Think about it like a picture frame for your stuff. I mean, what colours do picture frames come in? White, black, silver, gold, espresso... not a lot of sage or beige frames out there. You know why? Because they don't really ADD to your photo. Strong colours, whether light or dark, do. Can't make the leap? Don't worry, it'll all work out, but it might take a little more effort down the road.
Alright, so now you've picked between "warm" or "cool" and between light, dark, or mid tone. Now's the fun part: hit up your local hardware store and grab EVERYTHING that falls into those categories. Kind of like trying on jeans, it's a good idea to go a couple of shades above and below what you normally gravitate toward. Those paint chips are free, so go nuts. And hey, check out different brands, too. Almost any big box store can colour match to any brand for you, so take advantage. Now PLEASE, don't make any decisions. Go home, go to the room you're doing, pull out your paint chips. Take a look around. You want to find a bright spot, a dark spot, and one in between. Even better is if any of those spots is by a major-ish piece of furniture (couch, entertainment centre, etc.). If you don't have furniture to match up, then hell that makes this even easier. The idea is to go through each card in each spot. If it looks good in bright, dark and mid light, set it on the "maybe" pile. If it looks even SLIGHTLY "off" set it on the "nope" pile.
Once you've narrowed things down some, go back over your picks, holding them up against your furniture, against the floor, next to the window, etc. Hopefully this will help you narrow things down even further. At this point your pile should be reasonably small *fingers crossed*. This is where you want to really think about which of those you LIKE the most. This is where your taste comes into play. Pick out no more than three of the remaining cards. Grab yourself some painter's tape, or sticky tack or whatever. Put each of the cards in a VERY obvious place, right at eye level and... wait. Give it a couple of days. Don't rush. Don't panic. Just wait. Live with those colours for a bit. See how they change in the light. What looked like a taupey-grey at 9pm can go full-on violet around 3pm!! That gorgeous coffee brown at 3pm might remind you of nothing more than baby poo after two days (sorry two kids later, my filter's broken).
You've now narrowed down your choice, you're in the store, just one last little thing: finish. I've seen some GORGEOUS applications with a higher sheen or gloss paint. I mean, look at this wall! Beautiful.
In terms of a practical application, though, my go-to is matte enamel. Matte paint has come a LONG way when it comes to durability and standing up to a good scrubbing. While it's true that glossier paint tends to be easier to wipe down, it also shows EVERY flaw in your wall. Trust me. While the velvety texture of matte enamel will HIDE almost everything! It's like MAGIC for older homes! And for colour newbies, an added benefit is that it's colour will read the most true even as the light and the seasons change. I HIGHLY recommend it. Don't get bullied into "eggshell". It's not worth it. That said, I DO recommend using a satin or gloss paint on trim, or cabinets. The contrast with the matte paint on the walls is especially timeless, and glossy white trim is much easier to keep clean.
Well, two steps in and you've already purged, organized, cleaned, accepted your flooring AND picked out a new paint colour! Good job, kittens!
Let me know if you've got questions or concerns in the comments.
Images found at: melissamercier.com and delysiastyle.com
Alright, so now you've picked between "warm" or "cool" and between light, dark, or mid tone. Now's the fun part: hit up your local hardware store and grab EVERYTHING that falls into those categories. Kind of like trying on jeans, it's a good idea to go a couple of shades above and below what you normally gravitate toward. Those paint chips are free, so go nuts. And hey, check out different brands, too. Almost any big box store can colour match to any brand for you, so take advantage. Now PLEASE, don't make any decisions. Go home, go to the room you're doing, pull out your paint chips. Take a look around. You want to find a bright spot, a dark spot, and one in between. Even better is if any of those spots is by a major-ish piece of furniture (couch, entertainment centre, etc.). If you don't have furniture to match up, then hell that makes this even easier. The idea is to go through each card in each spot. If it looks good in bright, dark and mid light, set it on the "maybe" pile. If it looks even SLIGHTLY "off" set it on the "nope" pile.
Once you've narrowed things down some, go back over your picks, holding them up against your furniture, against the floor, next to the window, etc. Hopefully this will help you narrow things down even further. At this point your pile should be reasonably small *fingers crossed*. This is where you want to really think about which of those you LIKE the most. This is where your taste comes into play. Pick out no more than three of the remaining cards. Grab yourself some painter's tape, or sticky tack or whatever. Put each of the cards in a VERY obvious place, right at eye level and... wait. Give it a couple of days. Don't rush. Don't panic. Just wait. Live with those colours for a bit. See how they change in the light. What looked like a taupey-grey at 9pm can go full-on violet around 3pm!! That gorgeous coffee brown at 3pm might remind you of nothing more than baby poo after two days (sorry two kids later, my filter's broken).
You've now narrowed down your choice, you're in the store, just one last little thing: finish. I've seen some GORGEOUS applications with a higher sheen or gloss paint. I mean, look at this wall! Beautiful.
image found at bohochicbridefiles.wordpress.com
In terms of a practical application, though, my go-to is matte enamel. Matte paint has come a LONG way when it comes to durability and standing up to a good scrubbing. While it's true that glossier paint tends to be easier to wipe down, it also shows EVERY flaw in your wall. Trust me. While the velvety texture of matte enamel will HIDE almost everything! It's like MAGIC for older homes! And for colour newbies, an added benefit is that it's colour will read the most true even as the light and the seasons change. I HIGHLY recommend it. Don't get bullied into "eggshell". It's not worth it. That said, I DO recommend using a satin or gloss paint on trim, or cabinets. The contrast with the matte paint on the walls is especially timeless, and glossy white trim is much easier to keep clean.
Well, two steps in and you've already purged, organized, cleaned, accepted your flooring AND picked out a new paint colour! Good job, kittens!
Let me know if you've got questions or concerns in the comments.
No comments:
Post a Comment