Five Easy Steps to Choosing a Paint Color

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We get it. Choosing a paint color can be hard. Shuffling through hundreds of paint swatches that all end up looking the same after staring at them for too long can be exhausting. Here are some factors to consider that will hopefully make your next painting project a little bit easier!

 1. The Look and the Feel

Think about the look and feel you are hoping to achieve. Considering the overall mood that you want your space to have is essential when choosing the right paint color. Think about how you want guests to feel when they enter the room. Do you want a warm and cozy feel or something fresh and airy? Once you have this established, you can start to narrow down which hue family to work with. Warm colors often execute the cozy, welcoming feel, while cooler colors can give a fresh, calming feel. It all depends on the mood you are looking to have.

deep-hue-walls-ladder-with-bag-bench-with-pillow-and-blanket-rug-on-wood-floor-how to choose paint colors and materials simultaneously

2. The Style

Consider the home’s style. Looking at which colors are present in other rooms in your home is important for several reasons. First of all, a well-decorated home is one that has harmony and flow. So, to maintain that flow you need to consider what the current color scheme is in your home. What is the style of your home’s interior? And from there you can choose something that correlates with the rest of the home. Also, it is important to look at the surrounding rooms because you don’t want to end up with a paint color that looks so similar to a neighboring room that it looks like you tried to match the color and missed. There needs to be a noticeable difference between the color you choose and the colors already present, otherwise it would be more convenient to just paint a room one of your preexisting colors.

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3. The Color

Pull a color from your decor. Taking note of the colors of the pieces that will be in the room you are painting and using it to help make your paint color decision will help tie everything together. If there is a rug or a throw pillow you know will be in the space you are painting, look at that next to your paint swatches. This will help you choose a color that will complement and accentuate your furniture and accessories, as well as create that harmony and flow you want your room to have.

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4. The Light

Consider how much light the space gets. This is a very important factor to consider as the amount of lighting can make or break your space, depending on the color you choose. When a room doesn’t get much light, it can make it harder for lower-contrast colors to be seen. A very light blue or green can end up just looking white if there isn’t enough natural light present. If your space falls into this, try opting for a more saturated color or even a dark color to create contrast. Also, paint colors look different in different lighting. Just because a color looks good in the store or in one of your existing rooms, doesn’t mean that it will look the same in your space. Lighting can change everything, so it is important to consider this when picking out your paint colors.

light-neutral-bedroom-with-textured-details-large-light-fixture-table-lamps-how-color-inspires-emotion-at-home.

5. Trendy or Timeless

Decide if you want to follow a trend or choose something timeless and classic. When choosing your color, it is important to note whether the color will be out of style in a few years. Will someone look at your space and know exactly what trend you were following? Will you want to paint this space again in the near future? Is the color something that you will be tired of in the coming years? Considering these can help you stray away from making a decision based on today’s styles and avoid ending up with a color that will eventually be outdated.

Hopefully these steps can make your decision-making a little bit easier when choosing your paint colors! If you are still struggling despite these tips, consider looking into scheduling a color consultation. At Color Confident Home, we consider all these factors and more in order to help you choose the right paint color the first time!

 Color Confidently Yours,

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Essential Décor Accessories You Can’t Miss Out On: A Quick Guide

Essential Décor Accessories You Can’t Miss Out On: A Quick Guide

When it comes to creating an inviting and aesthetic space, choosing paint alone just won’t cut it. Here are the essential décor accessories you can’t miss out on. Rugs, pillows, artwork, lighting, plants, and window treatments are essential to transform your home. Accessories elevate your home from a mere living space into a beautifully curated haven. The following décor items add style and personality, while connecting your home’s color scheme and creating cohesiveness.

A living room showing Essential Décor Accessories You Can't Miss Out On(Photo by Skitterphoto from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-wooden-center-table-584399/)

Rugs, Throw Pillows, and Blankets: Anchoring Furniture, Defining Spaces, and Adding Accents

To begin with, rugs play a crucial role in home accessorizing by effortlessly tying a room together. Area rugs can inspire your color scheme. Also, the right size rug anchors your furniture and serves as a boundary to define “zones” within your floor plan. Beyond their practical purpose, rugs provide coziness, texture, color, and pattern to strengthen the visual appeal of any space. Similarly, pillows and blankets offer both style and comfort. They allow you to enhance your living space with pops of color, interesting textures, and versatile decorative accents that bring warmth and charm.

Living room blue sofa with orange throw pillow and black & white striped pillow. A framed photograph of orange mountain landscape with pale blue sky mounted above sofa beautifully ties together the other blue and orange furnishings in the room.(Photo by Rachel Claire from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sofa-and-lamp-near-pictures-on-wall-in-apartment-4846446/)

Artwork: Colorful Harmony as a Unifying Force

Artwork bolsters beauty, adds personality, and acts as a bridge that unites the color scheme in your home. The right artwork creates a cohesive and harmonious atmosphere. By carefully selecting artwork that incorporates colors present in your interior design (or vice versa), you can achieve flow and balance. As a result, your décor looks polished and intentional. Whether it’s a large statement piece, a photo gallery wall, or captivating sculptures, incorporating artwork in your home adds a touch of refinement to any living space.

A room with color harmony creates a cohesive space(Photo by Los Muertos Crew from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-using-her-laptop-7617028/)

Lighting, Houseplants, and Window Treatments: The (Not-So) Little Details That Count

We usually recommend five lighting sources per room to provide task, ambient, and accent purposes. Lamps and statement lighting serve as essential design pieces that not only illuminate a room, but can create a mood, stand out as art or a centerpiece, or function as reading and task lighting. Lighting can help a space feel warm and cozy or bright and vibrant. Additionally, houseplants and flowers (real or faux) bring life and freshness indoors. Plants promote a calming, rejuvenating atmosphere and improve mood and air quality. Also, decorative pots and vases add to the design of a space. Furthermore, window treatments, such as curtains, blinds, or shades provide both practicality and aesthetics. Window treatments offer privacy, light control, insulation and possess the ability to frame architectural features and alter the proportions of a space.

A seating area that is a prime example of tying together all of the accessories including an area rug with artwork and a green sofa with a floor lamp for lighting and plants and curtains(Photo by Ksenia Chernaya from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/modern-interior-style-with-wooden-floor-and-cozy-sofa-3952034/)

Unlocking Beauty: Embrace Accessories for a Transformed Home

Thus, unlocking the true beauty of your home means embracing essential décor accessories. The right items reflect your unique taste and create a welcoming environment for you and your guests to enjoy. We recognize that discovering the significance of home accessorizing for a finished and intentionally-designed look can be easier said than done. To help you navigate this process, we provide completely personalized eDesign services. We would love to help you create a look and a feel by curating the perfect furnishings and accessories to incorporate into your home. If you need help with your paint colors and color scheme, contact us today!

If this blog post was helpful, then we know you’ll love our newsletters for more inspiration. If you’d like to know more about how we work, sign up for our client guide.

Color Confidently Yours,

How We Craft Interiors to Suit Different Partner Preferences

How We Craft Interiors to Suit Different Partner Preferences

One question we get often is how we craft interiors to suit partners with different style preferences. Many times our clients look to us to referee or simply to choose the colors for them. We’re happy to report a solution with a win-win outcome! It’s important for both partners to have a say, since color affects our moods, outlook, and feeling of well-being.

Couple intently staring at computer screen and various countertop samples.

(Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/coworkers-pointing-at-a-laptop-and-tile-samples-4977411/)

 

1. We Support A Culture of Candidness

Sometimes one partner will defer or express a fear of stating a preference, either out of uncertainty or to avoid conflict. When each person is open and honest about what they want, like, and dislike, we can help guide the couple to choosing the right colors they will love to come home to. We encourage each person to let us know what they like, even if they’re not sure if “it will work.” We ask our clients to show us inspiration photos of what they each like, and we’ll let them know if and how we can incorporate their dream looks.

A room showing a style to suit different tastes of a couple(Photo by VAZHNIK from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-wooden-tables-and-chairs-7563521/)

2. We Have the Knowledge to Integrate Different Styles Harmoniously

We excel at blending styles and creating harmony and flow from room to room. If a husband likes rich dark hues, while the wife likes light neutrals, we sometimes suggest a color for the husband’s office that ties in with a darker color, for example, found in other parts of the house. Balancing neutrals and darks in the right combination can create spaces both parties will adore.

A couple talking about How We Craft Interiors to Suit Different Partner Preferences(Photo by Diva Plavalaguna: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-man-giving-cooked-meal-at-home-5711141/)

3. We Advise Couples to Embrace Flexibility and Encourage Compromise

Additionally, couples will need to compromise to come to a win-win solution. Using the overall color scheme in different combinations and percentages, we aim to meet the needs of both. Keep in mind the less critical components of the design lend themselves to the give-and-take necessary to help couples come to agreement.

Couple happily dancing in their new home.(Photo by cottonbro studio from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-white-long-sleeve-shirt-and-gray-pants-standing-beside-brown-wooden-table-4554422/)

Over the years, we’ve put our “couples counseling” hat on many times to help couples find solutions that work for both of them. We make the process easy and fun by listening to both people, looking for colors that make them smile, and leaving them feeling relieved and happy.

Need help designing a home that you and your spouse will both love? That’s what we do. Reach out and let’s chat. Get our client guide too.

Color Confidently Yours,

How Colors In Your Home Can Influence Your Mood

How Colors In Your Home Can Influence Your Mood

Does a red room make you feel agitated, while a soft blue or green feels calming? Today, we’ll show you how to use color based on what you want to feel in your home. Science proves certain colors can affect our moods and emotions. Psychology Today has an article suggesting a possible effect on our cognitive skills, as well. So if colors affect our mental health, emotions, and even how well we perform certain tasks, choosing the right paint colors is crucial.

Room with blues and greens with plants for a calming space(Photo by Charlotte May from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/cozy-interior-of-living-room-with-wooden-chairs-and-table-5824890/)

Infuse Your Home With Comfort Through Color

The current trend toward earth hues like blues, greens, wood elements, and warm colors suggests that homeowners are looking for the comfort nature provides. Different hues, lightness/darkness, and how much chroma/saturation a color has can affect our perception and response to colors. Infusing more saturated colors with the hues of nature can add life to your entertainment and social spaces.

A kitchen with orange cabinets shows How Colors In Your Home Can Influence Your Mood(Photo by Houzlook.com: https://www.pexels.com/photo/orange-wooden-kitchen-cabinets-3418998/)

Saturated oranges and reds stimulate hunger and excitement, which would be good for a dining room or kitchen, but not for a bedroom.

Dining room with muted relaxing colors(Photo by Max Rahubovskiy: https://www.pexels.com/photo/simple-interior-of-comfortable-dining-room-with-table-and-chairs-6180676/)

Bedroom with softer hues to create a calming atmosphere(Photo by Max Rahubovskiy: https://www.pexels.com/photo/cozy-bedroom-with-walls-decorated-with-lamps-and-pictures-6180671/)

On the other hand, lighter shades of the same hues, such as pinks and corals, paired with soft lavenders and lighter blues, could simulate the colors of a soothing morning dawn.

Mixing Neutrals With Pops of Color

Are you ready for more color?  We understand it feels safer to keep main rooms more neutral. If you’re looking to bring in more “pizzazz,” kitchens, powder rooms, laundry rooms, and home offices are fun places to add color. Especially when separate from the main rooms, these spaces act as islands that can support a unique color. We have helped many homeowners work through their fears of adding color by incorporating warm neutrals, textures, plants, and earth hues to balance the amount of sensitivity for each client.

Kitchen with colorful cabinets(Photo by Keegan Checks: https://www.pexels.com/photo/contemporary-kitchen-design-with-blue-cabinets-10117737/)

Sometimes painting a color on the walls of your kitchen feels intimidating. Consider adding a pop of color on your cabinets instead!

Bathroom with dark green walls to simulate naturePhoto by Andrew Neel: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-ceramic-sink-with-stainless-steel-faucet-5860600/)

The options to bring color into a bathroom are nearly limitless. These are fun spaces to experiment with a bold paint color or even use wallpaper. Use a colored or patterned tile on the walls and/or floors. Try out different bath mats, rugs, curtains, or towels. Even the vanity cabinets could be a fun color.

Dining room with muted blue green walls and saturated yellow chairs(Photo by Max Rahubovskiy: https://www.pexels.com/photo/table-with-flowers-in-kitchen-6492386/)

Intimidated By Bold? Aim For Less Saturated and Subtle Colors

Knowing what you like and dislike is key to choosing the right “feel” for each room. When working with a Certified Color Expert and Strategist, you will be guided to colors that work in your home. We consider your needs and how the colors in your home can influence your mood. For example, in bedrooms where the goals are sleep and relaxation, we show you which colors provide a calming feel. For bathrooms, we have the perfect colors for a spa effect. Soothing blues, greens, and softer hues are perfect for these rooms.

Spa-like bathroom with blue walls and soft white wainscoting(Photo by Max Rahubovskiy: https://www.pexels.com/photo/interior-of-a-comfort-room-with-wood-panels-8143713/)

Before we come out to your home for the in-person consultation, we conduct a pre-appointment phone interview to determine your color sensitivity, likes and dislikes, color and style preferences preferences, and dreams and inspirations. With this information in hand, we’ll help you take the fear out of choosing the right colors the first time. Together, we’ll create a color scheme you love (read how you can prepare for your consultation here).

If you’re ready to create a color-filled space perfectly suited to your desired emotions, reach out to us. We can’t wait to hear about your project.

Color Confidently Yours,

How To Coordinate Paint Colors With Materials: Our 4-Step Method

How To Coordinate Paint Colors With Materials: Our 4-Step Method

Color, whether neutrals or the earth hues trending today, plays an important role in creating hierarchy, harmony, and flow in your home. So many of my clients call me once they have installed new countertops, carpeting, flooring, tile, or other hard finishes. They’re ready to choose a paint color. No problem, right? Wrong! It’s important to coordinate paint colors with materials. Our 4-step method will guide you on how to  align them perfectly.

Fitting the last piece of the “puzzle” into your rooms is the hard way to choose paint colors and results in a very limited palette. You may not be happy with the choices that work! Whether you plan to plan to update & replace all of these elements now or farther down the road, it is still in your best interest to select them at the same time before installation. By doing so, we ensure your future final design is perfectly the way you dreamed without limiting your choices.

 

A room with a warm feel(Photo by Max Rahubovskiy: https://www.pexels.com/photo/hotel-room-with-bed-near-table-under-lamps-6899434/)

Step #1: Determine How You Want The Space To Feel

The most successful remodeling projects begin with an assessment of the space. The psychology of color plays a big role in personal preferences. Consider how you want your space to feel. What mood or vibe are you looking to achieve? Soft and cozy? Dark and moody? Nature-inspired comfort? Clean, elegant, and neutral? Or colorful and vibrant? The purpose of each room will also give you hints. Energetic colors like reds, yellows, and oranges work well in offices, dining rooms and other spaces. Greens, blues, pinks are calming and good for places of relaxation and bedrooms. Browns, grays, blacks, and neutrals can be warm and comforting or elegant and sophisticated.

 

Research How To Coordinate Paint Colors With Materials(Photo by Ivan Samkov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-looking-at-an-interior-design-magazine-4238479/)

Step #2: Research Styles and Homes That Inspire Your Vision

For help visualizing your space, search for inspiration photos on Pinterest, Houzz, Instagram, or in magazines. Hone in on what you like about each space and how it makes you feel. Gather photos with whole rooms that you like the feel of, as well as rooms containing certain elements, furnishings and accessories you like.

Select Paint Fixed Finishes and Dictating Elements Together(Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-different-objects-on-the-table-6583373/)

Step #3: Plan To Select Paint, Fixed Finishes, & Dictating Elements Together

Before you install the fixed finishes you are considering, gather multiple samples of each material you are considering. This includes carpeting, backsplash, countertop, tile, stone, and wood flooring. For granite and other large stone with pattern, be sure to request to see the actual large sample you will be having installed. Many clients have come home to the unpleasant surprise of countertops with orange veining because the small sample they originally viewed had none. View the samples IN YOUR HOME with the natural and artificial lighting you plan to use.

 

homeowners testing paint samples(Photo by Blue Bird: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-opening-a-can-of-paint-7217978/)

Step #4: Evaluate, Refine, Repeat… And Action!

Before you order and have materials installed, call an experienced color expert who can measure the hue families of the materials you’re considering. They will help you narrow down the right paint colors to coordinate with each new material, as well as any materials, furnishings, and artwork staying in each room. Choosing the paint color at the same time as the rest of the materials is the only way to ensure that your selection will align with your vision and create harmony and flow in your home. Looking for more guidance in choosing the right paint colors? Call us!

We want you to love the colors you come home to!

If you’re ready for a pro to help you choose your paint colors and design finishes all at once, I would be honored to help. Reach out and let’s chat!

Color Confidently Yours,

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All There Is To Know About Our e-Design Services

All There Is To Know About Our e-Design Services

The time for a design refresh is here. You’re tired of the old, outdated look of your bedroom or your living room. Tired of all the advice from HGTV and well-meaning friends, the overwhelming choices, time-draining searches on Pinterest. Weary from multiple trips to stores looking for the perfect furnishings and accessories for your room redesign. Its’a all stressing you out! We’re here to let you know that we get it. We’ve been there. And we have a solution to help you. Here’s everything you need to know about our e-Design services!

What Are e-Design Services?

Whether you’re struggling to create a certain look or you just don’t have time or energy to get started, we have the answer. We can help with the indecision of choosing from thousands of options and alleviate your fear of making the wrong choices. Let us curate beautifully designed rooms with furnishings and accessories just for you. If you need customized help to choose a specific look and furnishings you’ll love, you’ll love our design boards. Do you need a confident color scheme and a purposefully designed look?  Well, look no further. Color Confident home is now offering a service you’ll love. You’ll get peace of mind, time to check off your to-do list, and more rest and relaxation (we hope!). Not to mention admiration from friends and family for your intentionally-designed look.

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How The Process Works

In our easy eDesign process, all you need to do is first answer a style questionnaire, provide some photos, and room measurements. We’ll then set up a customized design board and curate items from various vendors for you based on your answers. Finally, you’ll choose your favorite furnishings and accessories from the look we’ve created for you. Then you will simply click on the items to purchase directly from the vendors. Your dream furnishings and accessories will be delivered straight to your home!

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What You Receive From Your Final Custom eDesign

A recent busy client needed help with her living room eDesign. My team and I curated her furnishings and accessories. We also created a look for her room that aligned with her style preferences and the rest of her home. She didn’t have to take time out of her busy schedule to search online or go to stores. Neither did she fret about making the right decisions.

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A Professional Design You’ll Love

So, give yourself a gift! Avoid the indecision, sleepless nights, conflicting advice from family and friends, and trips to every home furnishing store in town. We’re here to give you peace of mind, more time with family, and also, a look you will love! Openings for our eDesign service are available now. We provide busy professionals, couples, and families a professionally-styled room design for the new year.

Have a question about this service? Ready to begin? Contact us here so we can get the party started!

Color Confidently Yours,
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