In a world where off-white comes in hundreds of shades, from slightly pink to slightly puce, with names like CloudWisp and FluffBiscuit – how does one decide on a color to paint the living room?
Color is light. It is the unifying theme behind all styles of interiors, from college start-up to grand Victorian. But how does one begin selecting a color for the four walls of a room? There seem to be millions of possibilities at the paint store - the stadium of paint chips mocking, jeering at indecision. How on earth is a person to decide?
In my first visit to the house, I take in everything. Starting with the walk to the home’s entry, I pause and absorb every color I see: Pathways. Plants. Mailbox. Door. All are colors the homeowner has chosen, or chosen to live with. At this time, I also get a sense of the style of the home. Grand. Bohemian. Junkpile. I cast no judgments. It's all color to me. The uglier the better. I live for Before and After.
I know that a comfortable interior palette usually contains three colors, which can be classified as shades of red, green/blue and yellow. Of course, the variations of these colors are infinite. Red can be burgundy, rust, hot pink. Green/blue can be khaki, olive, or tourquoise. Yellow can be cream, gold or dandelion.
Every room speaks its palette through its permanent fixtures: flooring, upholstery, window treatments, lighting. Upon entering a room, I immediately sense its dominant color. It is at this point that I move onto the next step: asking the room what it needs. It is a lucky fact that I am a Room Psychic. The room will communicate with me, clear as a martini.
“I’m cold!”
A cool room needs warmth. Warm colors are shades of yellow, orange, brown. Think camel. Caramel. Cappuccino. Softer versions are almond, cream. More modern: warm bright white (yes, I said white) or warm light yellow.
“I’m boring!”
A boring room might need two colors. The general rule is no more than two wall colors in a room. An example of using two colors would be to select two similar colors, say caramel and camel. Use the lighter one on all the walls, and the deeper color in the recesses: windows, alcoves, bookcase backdrops.
[A note here about “Fun” colors. Trendy colors – this year’s bright yellow, tourquoise, orange, greens - are best saved for a room with modern furnishings – the wall color taken from the jazzy upholstery, or to celebrate a particular work of art. Remember this: “Fun” can be “Horrible” when improperly applied. So unless you’re very sure – and of course that would mean you wouldn’t be calling a color consultant in the first place – you would probably do better not to venture this direction in paint. Trust me.]
“I’m insane!”
An insane room needs calming. Calm colors are usually cool, low-intensity colors that that don't make their own statement but blend smoothly with the surroundings. Perhaps a shade that harmonizes with a pleasant view out a window. Think of the palest, most restful sky - gray, blue, dawn on a rainy morning. Or the soothing color of a sandy beach.
Once the room has communicated its needs, we begin the lengthy process of selecting a specific shade of paint. The first decision has been broadly defined by the needs of the room.
A cold room may have too much blue, white, green, so I may determine that what it needs is a nice warm shade of creamy gold on its poor cold walls. I come armed with a fan deck of colors (my current favorites being Benjamin Moore, but all paint companies have fan decks, and many stores will lend theirs to you for a day.)
Next we isolate all the colors that could possibly be described as creamy and/or gold. It is a simple task to eliminate those that are too deep, too bright, too white, too green, too orange, so that finally we are left with just a few real possibilities.
Gathering these lucky finalists, we go on a little tour of the room, holding each against the flooring, the upholstery and other permanent fixtures, listening to what they say. (“I hate that GREEN pillow!” or maybe, “Why didn’t anyone tell me a pine floor is so ORANGE?”) until gradually a winner emerges.
The perfect color to bring harmony to the walls and the people inside them.
Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?
I am a color consultant. When my phone rings, it goes like this:
"I want to paint my family room, and I can't decide on a color." The voice is anxious, a little embarrassed. "What color is your room now?" I ask, knowing the answer. "Off white," they respond obediently.
"I want to paint my family room, and I can't decide on a color." The voice is anxious, a little embarrassed. "What color is your room now?" I ask, knowing the answer. "Off white," they respond obediently.
In my first visit to the house, I take in everything. Starting with the walk to the home’s entry, I pause and absorb every color I see: Pathways. Plants. Mailbox. Door. All are colors the homeowner has chosen, or chosen to live with. At this time, I also get a sense of the style of the home. Grand. Bohemian. Junkpile. I cast no judgments. It's all color to me. The uglier the better. I live for Before and After.
I know that a comfortable interior palette usually contains three colors, which can be classified as shades of red, green/blue and yellow. Of course, the variations of these colors are infinite. Red can be burgundy, rust, hot pink. Green/blue can be khaki, olive, or tourquoise. Yellow can be cream, gold or dandelion.
Every room speaks its palette through its permanent fixtures: flooring, upholstery, window treatments, lighting. Upon entering a room, I immediately sense its dominant color. It is at this point that I move onto the next step: asking the room what it needs. It is a lucky fact that I am a Room Psychic. The room will communicate with me, clear as a martini.
“I’m cold!”
A cool room needs warmth. Warm colors are shades of yellow, orange, brown. Think camel. Caramel. Cappuccino. Softer versions are almond, cream. More modern: warm bright white (yes, I said white) or warm light yellow.
“I’m boring!”
A boring room might need two colors. The general rule is no more than two wall colors in a room. An example of using two colors would be to select two similar colors, say caramel and camel. Use the lighter one on all the walls, and the deeper color in the recesses: windows, alcoves, bookcase backdrops.
[A note here about “Fun” colors. Trendy colors – this year’s bright yellow, tourquoise, orange, greens - are best saved for a room with modern furnishings – the wall color taken from the jazzy upholstery, or to celebrate a particular work of art. Remember this: “Fun” can be “Horrible” when improperly applied. So unless you’re very sure – and of course that would mean you wouldn’t be calling a color consultant in the first place – you would probably do better not to venture this direction in paint. Trust me.]
“I’m insane!”
An insane room needs calming. Calm colors are usually cool, low-intensity colors that that don't make their own statement but blend smoothly with the surroundings. Perhaps a shade that harmonizes with a pleasant view out a window. Think of the palest, most restful sky - gray, blue, dawn on a rainy morning. Or the soothing color of a sandy beach.
Once the room has communicated its needs, we begin the lengthy process of selecting a specific shade of paint. The first decision has been broadly defined by the needs of the room.
A cold room may have too much blue, white, green, so I may determine that what it needs is a nice warm shade of creamy gold on its poor cold walls. I come armed with a fan deck of colors (my current favorites being Benjamin Moore, but all paint companies have fan decks, and many stores will lend theirs to you for a day.)
Next we isolate all the colors that could possibly be described as creamy and/or gold. It is a simple task to eliminate those that are too deep, too bright, too white, too green, too orange, so that finally we are left with just a few real possibilities.
Gathering these lucky finalists, we go on a little tour of the room, holding each against the flooring, the upholstery and other permanent fixtures, listening to what they say. (“I hate that GREEN pillow!” or maybe, “Why didn’t anyone tell me a pine floor is so ORANGE?”) until gradually a winner emerges.
The perfect color to bring harmony to the walls and the people inside them.
Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?
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