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 the new 'Color Sense Game' from Pittsburgh Paints (try it at voiceofcolor.com). The game poses a series of questions - based on your style, interests and sensory perception - and recommends a group of colour palettes designed to be used together.
If playing games just isn't your thing, Josette Buisson, artistic director at Pittsburgh Paints, offers these tips on selecting colours:
1. COLLECT THINGS that you love and inspire you - art, carpet, wallpaper and/or fabric. Identify the colours that are common to these items, then select the colours that appeal to you most.
2. CREATE HARMONY in a room by using a 60/30/10 proportion of colour. For example, walls and/or floors would make up 60 per cent of the colour used; 30 per cent would be made up of intermediate colour such as the sofa or curtains. An additional 10 per cent would consist of accent colours. You can use as many as three colours to make up the 10 per cent.
3. REPEAT an accent colour 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 colour is to TEST IT in the room. Do a test patch and observe the colour in different light at various times of day.
UNDERCOLOUR AGENTS
In the world of paint colours, 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 colours 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.
Colour Smart
The adage "if you don't like the colour, you can always repaint," isn't quite so easily applied to home exteriors. If you're not happy with the colours, 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 neighbourhood - ideally your home will look distinctive but still harmonize with other homes in the community. 2. Select three complementary colours: use the palest paint on the body of the house and the two other colours on the trim and moveable parts (doors, windows, etc.). 3. Always select colours outside - examine them in morning, noon and dusk light. 4. Do a test patch on your house to be sure the colour works for you - many paint manufacturers, including Pittsburgh Paints, offer smaller trial size containers. 5. Use a semigloss to highlight trim and accents, and a flat or eggshell on the body of the house.
