Painting is hands down the fastest and easiest and cheapest way to totally transform a room!
Every single wall of my home has been painted, mostly by me, from the dining room to even the garage, and everything in between--including closets and the pantry! I love paint. I love working with it, and seeing a room transform before my eyes.
Choosing the color is a big deal. Many people s t r u g g l e with this. I mean it holds them up for months. They put a few color swatches on the wall, and then never move forward. For me it is really easy.
The best thing to do, is start with something small. It is far less daunting, can be done very quickly, so you have very quick gratification, or..it is a small mistake that you can easily fix.
So go with a powder room, the closet, a pantry..
How to pick a color? I guess I am easily inspired and sold. It is very easy for me to pick a color. I have had one room painted 3 times--2 times by myself. I did not like the color I picked. Well I did, but just not for this room and this house. So I redid it. That is the worst thing that can happen, you have to redo it..
Picking colors should be easy, but as mentioned it can really trip people up. Look for inspiration in your home--artwork, accessories, bedding, dishes, your own clothes. What colors really make you happy, and what mood are you trying to invoke?
Often people go with softer colors for bedrooms, more intense colors for dining rooms, and strong neutrals or darkers colors for more formal or well used spaces. If I have a word to the wise, always go darker than the one you like. I cannot tell you how many people have said, "I should have gone darker." I have thought that too. If you are going to go to the trouble to paint, or pay someone to do it, you want to like it, a lot. Darker/more intense almost always wins out--you just feel and see the difference that much more.
Be conscious of the lighting. Daylight and bright sun are way different than dusk or night. Rooms look totally different during the sunny day. We have had just a little sun lately, and I have been surprised to see my paint colors popping so much more than they do on all the gray dreary days!
A decorative finish is so nice. I used a sponge roller in my bedroom, so it gave the walls a terrific texture, almost like plaster. I love it. One can over do the textures I think, so don't do them on every wall or in every room. You can always play with a little section on the wall, if you don't like it, paint back over it. Sponges, rags, glazes, are just some of the decorative finishes you can play with.
Make sure you are thinking how paint colors look room to room. You do want "flow." It really is not ideal to have each room look totally separate and standing on its own. It creates a very disjointed feeling. That is what happened with the one room I repainted. My home is warm yellow and green and black and neutral, and then I painted the office marina blue. Why I loved the color, it just did not flow at all with the rest of the house, let alone go with the house--the color belonged in a warm climate, or maybe just a little bathroom--but wrong for the office. Now it is a terrific warm orange, which compliments the other colors and is so warming.
Also keep in mind that you can use the same color but a different finish--i.e. you can go with matte paint on the walls, but then semi gloss on the frame--very nice look.
So if you are ready to create some feeling and atmosphere in your home, easily and over a weekend, look no further than your paint store. You will love what you can do for very little money.
Every single wall of my home has been painted, mostly by me, from the dining room to even the garage, and everything in between--including closets and the pantry! I love paint. I love working with it, and seeing a room transform before my eyes.
Choosing the color is a big deal. Many people s t r u g g l e with this. I mean it holds them up for months. They put a few color swatches on the wall, and then never move forward. For me it is really easy.
The best thing to do, is start with something small. It is far less daunting, can be done very quickly, so you have very quick gratification, or..it is a small mistake that you can easily fix.
So go with a powder room, the closet, a pantry..
How to pick a color? I guess I am easily inspired and sold. It is very easy for me to pick a color. I have had one room painted 3 times--2 times by myself. I did not like the color I picked. Well I did, but just not for this room and this house. So I redid it. That is the worst thing that can happen, you have to redo it..
Picking colors should be easy, but as mentioned it can really trip people up. Look for inspiration in your home--artwork, accessories, bedding, dishes, your own clothes. What colors really make you happy, and what mood are you trying to invoke?
Often people go with softer colors for bedrooms, more intense colors for dining rooms, and strong neutrals or darkers colors for more formal or well used spaces. If I have a word to the wise, always go darker than the one you like. I cannot tell you how many people have said, "I should have gone darker." I have thought that too. If you are going to go to the trouble to paint, or pay someone to do it, you want to like it, a lot. Darker/more intense almost always wins out--you just feel and see the difference that much more.
Be conscious of the lighting. Daylight and bright sun are way different than dusk or night. Rooms look totally different during the sunny day. We have had just a little sun lately, and I have been surprised to see my paint colors popping so much more than they do on all the gray dreary days!
A decorative finish is so nice. I used a sponge roller in my bedroom, so it gave the walls a terrific texture, almost like plaster. I love it. One can over do the textures I think, so don't do them on every wall or in every room. You can always play with a little section on the wall, if you don't like it, paint back over it. Sponges, rags, glazes, are just some of the decorative finishes you can play with.
Make sure you are thinking how paint colors look room to room. You do want "flow." It really is not ideal to have each room look totally separate and standing on its own. It creates a very disjointed feeling. That is what happened with the one room I repainted. My home is warm yellow and green and black and neutral, and then I painted the office marina blue. Why I loved the color, it just did not flow at all with the rest of the house, let alone go with the house--the color belonged in a warm climate, or maybe just a little bathroom--but wrong for the office. Now it is a terrific warm orange, which compliments the other colors and is so warming.
Also keep in mind that you can use the same color but a different finish--i.e. you can go with matte paint on the walls, but then semi gloss on the frame--very nice look.
So if you are ready to create some feeling and atmosphere in your home, easily and over a weekend, look no further than your paint store. You will love what you can do for very little money.
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