Stroke of Genius

We’ve all been there: standing in the paint store faced with a wall of paint chips, vainly hoping to find that perfect Provençal yellow or soothing spa green. Take the stress out of paint selection with these tips on selecting colors from Josette Buisson, artistic director at Pittsburgh Paints:

1. Collect things that you love and inspire you – art, carpet, wallpaper and/or fabric. Identify the colors that are common to these items, then select the colors that appeal to you most.

2. Create harmony in a room by using a 60/30/10 proportion of color. For example, walls and/or floors would make up 60 per cent of the color used; 30 per cent would be made up of intermediate color such as the sofa or curtains. An additional 10 per cent would consist of accent colors. You can use as many as three colors to make up the 10 per cent.

3. Repeat an accent color in a few places around the room. For example, on a lamp base, picture frames or throw cushion.

4. The only way to be sure about a color is to test it in the room. Do a test patch and observe the color in different light at various times of day.

Undercolor Agents

In the world of paint colors, there are two undertones: yellow and blue. For example, moss green has a yellow undertone, and teal has a blue undertone – technically they’re both green, but they look radically different. In general, two colors will work together if they have the same undertone: a green with a yellow undertone would work well with a red that has a yellow undertone.

Gender Divide

Men are naturally drawn to yellow-based reds (think fire engine) while women naturally prefer the blue undertone found in burgundy.

Color Smart

The adage “if you don’t like the color, you can always repaint,” isn’t quite so easily applied to home exteriors. If you’re not happy with the colors, the results are both difficult to hide or redo. Before you pick up a paint brush, Josette Buisson recommends the following steps:

1. Consider the style of the other houses in your neighborhood – ideally your home will look distinctive but still harmonize with other homes in the community.

2. Select three complementary colors: use the palest paint on the body of the house and the two other colors on the trim and moveable parts (doors, windows, etc.).

3. Always select colors outside – examine them in morning, noon and dusk light.

4. Do a test patch on your house to be sure the color works for you – many paint manufacturers, including Pittsburgh Paints, offer smaller trial size containers.

5. Use a semi-gloss to highlight trim and accents, and a flat or eggshell on the body of the house.

This article was provided by RENO&Decor. Try the ‘Color Sense Game’ from Pittsburgh Paints at voiceofcolor.com to find your color sense. The game poses a series of questions – based on your style, interests and sensory perception – and recommends a group of color palettes designed to be used together. Visit RENO&Decor at www.renovationanddecor.com today.