Design  Secrets

Step No. 1

Use Large Paint Boards to select your colour!

Now truth be told, I am over 40 so my eyesight isn’t quite what it used to be.  However, even if you are young enough to see without help or have to pull out your bifocals….one small little inch of a colour is not going to help you pick the best option.  The sliver off the ‘five-colour paint chip strip” is not giving you a clear vision of the undertone or colour saturation for your room. My recommendation is to paint an 11X14 board with your possible colour choices.  For your pocketbooks sakes, you likely want to keep these samples to 2 or 3. Most paint stores have small sample paint cans for under $10 and you can pick up the 11X14 boards at any art supply store. Here is an example of some large paint board samples. (see pic below) These ones are colourful, but don’t think this isn’t a necessary step for neutrals.  It’s even more important if you are picking a neutral colour. Neutrals have NINE different undertones……you need to get it right.

Step No. 2

Don’t tape your paint sample halfway up your wall

Yes, yes I know this is the easiest spot for you to walk by and look at, BUT this does not give you a clear view of how the paint will compliment (or not) your floor.  You don’t need to make sure your paint matches your current paint! It’s important to make sure your paint enhances or works well with all the fixed elements in your space. i.e- flooring, cabinets etc. Ideally your paint chip is up against your floor.  Tape one to your baseboard so that it’s touching the floor and one above your baseboard to ensure it works with the trim colour. If you took my advice from Step 1….put your sample board right on the floor leaned against your wall and beside your trim.  If you have fabric samples of your furniture lay those in front of the paint sample boards as well. If you are painting a bathroom or kitchen, you will need to consider your countertops, flooring and backsplash tile. How in the world do you do that? …. well you may need a several of paint chip samples.  If you have the sample boards (thumbs up) move them around. Put them on your countertop under your upper-cabinets, and on your flooring against your cabinets. Wherever you can fit them but make sure that you check the paint against all the items that will be in the room. WHY? Well just remember the above mention of the NINE different undertones.  Your sofa, floor and other elements in your room can have undertones of their own and you don’t want your paint to clash.

Step No. 3

Be careful with trim colour

I see this often on interiors and exteriors of homes. People painstakingly pick the right paint colour to match their fixed elements.Paint goes up on the wall and something doesn’t look right. Some clients know right away what’s not working but don’t know what trim colour WILL work.  Other folks struggle with not being able to understand what’s wrong but still knowing something isn’t quite right. Assuming you are painting your trim some shade of white, this is where things can get complicated. Choosing the right white for your trim and cabinets is different than choosing the right white for your walls and ceilings.  For these three steps- we will focus on trim. The easiest way to ensure you are picking up the right undertone of the white, put your sample boards or paint chips against a white piece of paper. Paper towel will do in a pinch. 🙂  This will help you see the undertones in the whites you are considering for your trim.  Once you can see the undertone in your white you will know if it’s true-white, blue-white, off-white or cream.  From here you consider the paint colour of your walls (assuming you have picked the right colour to fit with your fixed elements and furnishings), if you are in the earth tone family- you want creams and off-whites.  If you have grays, blacks or clean colours (not muted) you want to use true-whites and off-whites. If you notice in the above picture, the door trim is a different colour than the baseboard. The gray on the wall looks much better with the baseboard colour than the door trim. The door trim is too creamy and doesn’t make the gray pop!  Notice how the gray looks much better against the white.

See the below picture, navy and white are the perfect combo. Does navy work with off-white? Yes, but it looks wayyyy better with white. This is a beautiful elegant bedroom, but it would not have the same impact if the navy was paired with off white. Picking paint can be tricky! Take your time and compare all your selections with the elements in the room. Don’t be one of those people who picks their paint colour standing in the paint store staring at the swatch stand. Hope this helps and happy painting!

StepNo. 1

Use large colour boards to select your colour

Now truth be told, I am over 40 so my eyesight isn’t quite what it used to be.  However, even if you are young enough to see without help or have to pull out your bifocals….one small little inch of a colour is not going to help you pick the best option.  The sliver off the ‘five-colour paint chip strip” is not giving you a clear vision of the undertone or colour saturation for your room. My recommendation is to paint an 11X14 board with your possible colour choices.  For your pocketbooks sakes, you likely want to keep these samples to 2 or 3. Most paint stores have small sample paint cans for under $10 and you can pick up the 11X14 boards at any art supply store. Here is an example of some large paint board samples. (see pic below) These ones are colourful, but don’t think this isn’t a necessary step for neutrals.  It’s even more important if you are picking a neutral colour. Neutrals have NINE different undertones……you need to get it right.

Step No. 2

Don’t tape your paint chips at eye level on the wall!

Yes, yes I know this is the easiest spot for you to walk by and look at, BUT this does not give you a clear view of how the paint will compliment (or not) your floor.  You don’t need to make sure your paint matches your current paint! It’s important to make sure your paint enhances or works well with all the fixed elements in your space. i.e- flooring, cabinets etc. Ideally your paint chip is up against your floor.  Tape one to your baseboard so that it’s touching the floor and one above your baseboard to ensure it works with the trim colour. If you took my advice from Step #1….put your large sample board right on the floor leaned against your wall and beside your trim.  If you have fabric samples of your furniture lay those in front of the paint sample boards as well. If you are painting a bathroom or kitchen, you will need to consider your countertops, flooring and backsplash tile. How in the world do you do that? …. well you may need a several of paint chip samples.  If you have the sample boards (thumbs up) move them around. Put them on your countertop under your upper-cabinets, and on your flooring against your cabinets. Wherever you can fit them but make sure that you check the paint against all the items that will be in the room. WHY? Well just remember the above mention of the NINE different undertones.  Your sofa, floor and other elements in your room can have undertones of their own and you don’t want your paint to clash.

StepNo. 3

Make sure you have the right trim colour

I see this often on interiors and exteriors of homes. People painstakingly pick the right paint colour to match their fixed elements.Paint goes up on the wall and something doesn’t look right. Some clients know right away what’s not working but don’t know what trim colour WILL work.  Other folks struggle with not being able to understand what’s wrong but still knowing something isn’t quite right. Assuming you are painting your trim some shade of white, this is where things can get complicated. Choosing the right white for your trim and cabinets is different than choosing the right white for your walls and ceilings.  For Step #3 we will focus on trim. The easiest way to ensure you are picking up the right undertone of the white, put your sample boards or paint chips against a white piece of paper. Paper towel will do in a pinch .  This will help you see the undertones in the whites you are considering for your trim.  Once you can see the undertone in your white you will know if it’s true-white, blue-white, off-white or cream.  From here you consider the paint colour of your walls (assuming you have picked the right colour to fit with your fixed elements and furnishings), if you are in the earth tone family- you want creams and off-whites.  If you have grays, blacks or clean colours (not muted) you want to use true-whites and off-whites.

If notice in the above picture the door trim is a different colour than the baseboard. The gray on the wall looks much better with the baseboard colour than the door trim.  The door trim is too creamy and doesn’t make the gray pop! Notice how the gray looks much better up against the off white. 

Below: is an example of a beautiful elegant bedroom.  Notice when you pair navy with white it makes the navy pop.  Imagine if it was paired with cream….it wouldn’t have the same effect.  Picking paint can be tricky, take your time and compare your selections with all the elements in the room.  Don’t be one of those people that pick their paint standing in the paint store at the paint swatch stand. Hope this makes your paint selection a little easier.

Happy painting