Image by jollyville via Flickr

Turquoise and Brown.  Pink.  Rose.   What could be next? Every year new designs and colors hit the fashion world.  And they hit the home design world as well.  Pink was the color for 2011.  Did you use it in your home?

It’s not always a good way to go.  Jumping on the “what’s hot” paint train. Problem there is if its fashionable NOW it may not be fashionable next month.  Color styles and fashions change often.  The best way to go is with your own personal taste.  What YOU like and what feels good in your own home.

Pick colors that will complement your home…your furnishing.  Colors that revel your per­sonality.  Another thing to consider is what the room used for?  Sleeping?  Studying?  Relaxing?  Working?  Colors can affect your mood, too, so you’ll want to consider that when picking colors for a room.  Here’s a link to an article we wrote about on that called “How to Choose Colors For Your Home”.

If you’re still interested in the “next best thing” you can check out the “Colormix 2012″ at Sherwin-Williams.   It’s an entire spectrum of colors that are neutralized and supposed to be “THE” colors for 2012.   They have the “neutrals” and the “reds” and the “blues” all wrapped up with the “greens”.

Now…I LOVE some of these colors.  And…since I have to repaint the entry area by my garage I may use something like their  Bosc Pear or Relic Bronze.  Both look like something that would work perfectly with my home and the space.

But…I wouldn’t use them…either one…if they didn’t fit well with my home and the space I need to paint.  If it doesn’t feel good in your home doesn’t matter how popular it is.  Avoid it like the plaque! 

Remember you want to “complement” or “complete” your home.  Not throw a monkey-wrench in the works. 

Want more on color?  Check out this book I found:

If you struggle with color schemes this book will come in REALLY handy.  If you’ve thought about changing things up in your home this could be just the inspiration you need.  Be brave and go bold!

Just remember to “go bold” with colors that “feel good” to you and actually complement – or complete – your home and furnishings.  Don’t “go bold” with some way out color that goes with absolutely nothing you own … or your personality.    You’ll be painting it out in less than a month if you do that.

Need something more?  How about the MEGA version: 

“The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors” is the book you want if you want MORE than enough information and ideas for creating new color schemes for your rooms.  Its a wonderful book for anyone who may feel “color challenged”. 

Here’s an excerpt from one of the reviews:  “Design expert Starmer claims to have sifted through 16 million color possibilities to produce 200 combinations fit for a king and queen and their royal family.”

This book separates the palette choices into nine hues. Then each of those palettes features more hues: one main hue with three variations.

After that are the room applications (like your bedroom, living room, kitchen, etc.) and some great ideas for accents.  “The only issue? Too many selections!!”

So…have fun with your color schemes…and get out there and splash some paint around!

To really learning how to use color, you must first learn how to DESCRIBE it.

Imagine that you are talking to a friend on the phone, and you are trying to describe the color of a set of curtains that you purchased.  How would you go about describing the color?  Don’t be embarrassed if you find it impossible to do.

To help you be able to better describe color, I am going to start by teaching youthe basics.  Lets start by discussing hue, value, and intensity.

1. Hue

Hue is a quality which sets a color apart from other colors, such as: red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, purple, magenta. You will see that it is easy to set the different colors in neat order, on the basis of hue.

2. Value

Value refers to the lightness or dark­ness of a color.  When red is very light (mixed with white) we call it pink.  The same red may be very dark (mixed with black) and the shade would be called maroon.   Every hue therefore includes a variety of values ranging from light to dark. Light values are also called high values”to impress this fact on your memory, simply imagine the lightness of a balloon which carries it high in the air. Dark values are low values.

3. Intensity

The intensity refers to the purity”or lack of grayness”in a color. An emerald green has great intensity”it has no gray­ness in it. An olive, on the other hand, is grayish-green. Some hues are most brilliant in light values”others in dark values. For ex­ample, a certain light yellow is the most brilliant (possesses the greatest intensity) of the yellows. Maximum intensity of blue or green is obtained in certain dark values of these hues.

Now, look at your carpet. Can you identify its hue fairly closely? Is it a light version”or dark? Is it pure”or grayed? When you can tell someone these things about a color, you can put a pretty clear picture in their mind.

Now you can talk about color, with some understanding of what it’s all about. You can apply these simple rules to help you use color successfully in your home. All you need is a good imagination, a feeling for a pleas­ing appearance in the combination of colors, design motifs, and layout.  The fullest enjoyment of color depends upon your ability to see colors accu­rately and to combine them agreeably.

Click Here to purchase your own color wheel chart - Artists Color Wheel Mixing Guide

You may also want to pick this book up – The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors

Do you have piles of paint chips or swatch cards floating around in the bottom of your purse – or lost somewhere in “that” junk drawer?  Maybe you have your paint swatches organized by room in your “dream notebook”.

Anyway you look at it… we love to pick up paint chip cards from the local paint stores. We dream of making choices and choosing just the right color for our rooms.

Below… is a very helpful article that just might help you make “better” paint color choices.  With so many to choose from… we can all use a little help.
photo credit: memekode

Paint Swatches – The Secret To Successful Decorating!

By Michael Holland

Paint swatches are your best friend when it comes to choosing paint colors to decorate the walls, furniture and other items within your home.  A paint swatch has been designed to show you the many shade possibilities you have if your focus is on one particular color.

For instance, if you wish to paint your room blue possible shades that await you include: azure, cerulean, periwinkle, denim, navy blue, cobalt blue, sapphire, ultramarine, light blue, indigo and hundreds of other hues.

Something else you will notice when looking at blue paint swatches, for example, is that you can choose blue hues that feature tones of green, purple and gray. Therefore, you have plenty to consider when you go color hunting.

The only problem is, with so much to choose from, finding the right shade can be both a difficult and tedious task.

To help you narrow down your decision making when it comes time to stare at the wall of paint swatches at your local paint or home improvement store, the following are some helpful interior painting tips you can keep in mind:

Warm or Cool “ Think of the room you will be painting. Is it an area where you do most of your relaxing, entertaining or eating? For instance, if you are painting your bedroom i a good idea to choose a cool color such as blue or green that encourages relaxation.

On the other hand, if you are painting a kitchen or dining room you may want to use a warm red or orange to help increase appetite and conversation. Warm colored paint swatches include red, yellow and orange, while cool colors are blue, green and purple.

Light – Medium -Dark “ Once you select the main color, you need to decide if you would rather a light, medium or dark shade.

Light shades are a good choice for rooms that are small such as bathrooms, or for rooms that have few or no windows. Light colors also create a more subdued look.

Medium tones provide a more dramatic look and are a better choice for kitchens and large open spaces such as the family room.

Dark tones are not typically used for walls and are more commonly used for painting room accents such as furniture, trim or cabinets. However, dark walls may be desirable in bedrooms or to compliment a theme.

When looking at paint swatches you will notice that the colors featured on each swatch move from dark to light. Notice how different the darkest shade is to the lightest. Depending on if you use the dark or light shade will create an entirely different affect on the room you are painting.

Theme “ Do you have a theme that requires certain colors? For instance, if you are doing a country theme, light yellow and blue are ideal choices. On the other hand, a Mexican theme would require spicier colors such as cinnamon and terracotta. This is something else you need to keep in mind when looking at paint swatches.

Neutrals “ One of the biggest problems with adding color to walls is the color you choose may limit your ability to keep a space versatile. In other words, it is more likely for you to grow tired of a room that has a defined color on the walls than one with a neutral shade. There are plenty of neutral swatches you can consider.

The more specific you are with your color preference the easier time you will have selecting helpful paint swatches.

Click here to Awaken Your Interior Designer

If you feel that you just don’t have the eye for matching colors or don’t have the time, then you may want to check out the eBook, Awaken Your Interior Designer It gives you 135 ready-to-go paint color schemes along with the paint brands/manufacturers. You also get ideas for which interior paint color combinations are most suited to your decorating style.

About the Author: Micheal is the creator of home-decorating-made-easy.com. Visit his site for more great information about interior paint colors.

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=146790&ca=Home+Management

Teenagers love… love… love… to be given full creative license to decorate their own rooms. Of course – I’m all for allowing creativity in my home, I am THAT Painter Lady after all. :)

But… It’s still my home and I have to put my foot down on some decorating ideas. Why is it that almost every teenager I ever painted a room for… wanted black. Gack!

Oh… don’t get me wrong. I have painted some very cool teen bedrooms using black – and other colors. I’m talking about the teen that wants all black walls, ceiling, bedding and flooring. This just feels wrong… and maybe pushing the envelope a bit.

The idea is to “cave” on a teenage decorating request… to a point. Give them some acceptable options... and they will be usually be thrilled that they get to choose. And… it’s all about choosing your battles with teenagers anyway. LOL

I just ran across this article today… and had to share. It’s a perfect idea for a teen girls bedroom – And it’s all black and white!

Teenage Girl Bedroom Black and White:

When we found out we were having twins, our teenage daughter volunteered to move into a smaller bedroom so that the twins could have the bigger one. It was definitely time to come up with a new bedroom theme! We also didnt have much space to work with or a lot of money to spend. So when we moved her into the smaller bedroom, she decided to decorate with a black and white theme.

The walls were already white, so that part was easy. Having the walls white also makes the room look as large as possible.

As a school project, our daughter repainted an old cabinet that was mine when I was growing up.

She sanded it, painted it white, and then decoupaged onto the cabinet black and white photos (mostly scenery she liked) from magazines and photos that she had printed from the Internet.

She then printed some of her favorite Bible verses in different sizes and in different fonts and decoupaged them on the cabinet. She was happy with how it turned out, and she got a good grade on the project!

She found some black and white posters for the walls that she liked.

Because of the limited space we decided to put up shelves on the walls to replace her bookcase. My husband spray painted the metal runners that the shelves hang on black, and the shelves are white.

It looks really nice and frees up a lot of room. We also found an inexpensive black TV stand at Walmart to put her stereo on since she had to give up the dresser it had been on before.

We had an old bulletin board that needed a facelift. We taped around the inside of the board and then spray painted the frame of the board black. We then used a paintbrush to paint the cork white.

My daughter likes candles, so she accented her room with white candles and black candle holders.

Acolyte Submersible Floralyte White

So tha how, on a very small budget, we decorated our teenage daughters bedroom in black and white, and we were all very happy with the result!

Article by:

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For easy home decorating ideas for busy moms, visit Frugal Home Decor at www.Frugal-Home-Decor.com.

I am overwhelmed by color choices!!! I want to have a fun Mexican theme. I want a yellowish- gold wall (primary walls) with green and blue accent walls. There are soooo many yellow-golds out there, not to mention the blues and greens! Please help! Before I don’t have any hair left…. Cheri

photo credit: tim eschaton

Hi Cheri, Mexican colors are so inspiring. What a great way to bring life to a room! A good idea, in your case, would be to print out a few pictures of mexican blankets and get your colors from there. I have been looking through my Benjamin Moore color charts and I have picked a few colors.

Yellow-Gold: American Cheese 2019-40 and Sunflower 2019-30

Blue: Electric Blue 2061-40 and Bermuda Blue 2061-30

Green: Prairie Green 2038-30 and Irish Clover 2038-20

Red: Rosy Apple 2006-30 and Sangria 2006-20

These are just a few suggestions. They are on the bright side. But you can also go a little more subtle if you like. You can grab a few color chips and make your choice from there, but at least you have a good starting point.

You may be able to have these colors mixed in other brand paints besides Benjamin Moore. Check with your local paint store. Send pictures when you are finished painting!! Here are a couple of books I use for inspiration:

Adobe Details

Mexicolor: The Spirit of Mexican Design