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Home Decorating
Looking for the most impact from a small decorating budget? Or are you tired of the builders white that is still on your walls since the house was built? Painting walls a color other than white can be both exciting and daunting, heres how to do it and get the job done without having an anxiety attack! Painting Walls with Color is Addictive! Its true. Just as many women find that cutting off their long hair releases some hidden desire to cut it shorter and shorter, painting with color can become addictive and you will crave color bolder and more distinctive. You can take advantage of this common phenomenon by choosing a softer, more muted color for one room and building your confidence. Soon you will be making trips back to the paint store with more confidence and know-how. The truth is, color does not have to be dark or jump out at you to have an effect. Selecting tinted whites (not necessarily pastel) can be a great start. For a bit more drama, choose a tinted beige or gray. These colors, while neutral (beige or tan for warm looks and gray for cool) have hundreds of slight variations in the undertones which can mean more yellow, red, blue or green depending on the light and surroundings. Some paint stores can provide you a true gray color swatch which will be composed of only black and white. Ask for this swatch as it may not be discernable in a sea of color swatches. Compare the swatch to other grays and you will notice that some have hints of lavender, blue or green that may become even more pronounced when you get home. You do want some undertone as this is what gives the room a vibrancy that straight gray could never do, but just be sure its the tone you want. Trust Your Instinct Do not worry that you arent coming home with the perfect color. There is no single wall color that is or isnt right for the look of your home. Keeping in mind the look you want either cool and airy, or warm and cozy is quite enough to get started. You now have about a thousand colors to choose from. What Ive found personally, and friends have confirmed, is that going with your instinct tends to be the best deciding factor. If you are not going to take the time to paint large test areas in your home and view them in different lights (a technique employed by interior decorators) than choose the color that draws you the most. Our experiences confirmed that we were most happy when using the color we originally chose from the swatch or from an object we liked, rather than trying to apply too many design rules to our decision. Many people assume that they should go one or two shades lighter than the color swatch theyve chosen assuming the color will intensify on the walls. Ive heard decorators both confirm and deny this rule. If you really are torn between two or three, then consider buying test cans of each and trying them out. Otherwise, when choosing color for your own home, you probably wont go wrong choosing the color you like the most. If you still cant decide, than try a program like the one at swatchit: http://www.affprog.com/swatchit/a-12. Using a photo of your room you can view different wall colors before making your choice. Lighting and Color References The only design trick you should likely consider is the lighting coming into your home. Eastern light can wash out colors, so intense colors work well in this light. Western light intensifies color, so toned down wall colors may work best unless you want the full drama. Southern light warms a room while northern light cools. If you dont want your rooms to look like an icebox, then youll wan to be careful using blues and grays in a northern lighted room. However, using blues and grays with lavender or green undertones may reduce the effect if that is your chosen color scheme. The same with Southern light yellow and red based colors will intensify and cause the room to sizzle with heat. You may choose green or even use beige with cool undertones, to reduce the effect and still
personality to the room, giving visitors an instant impression about you. What do your walls say about you? Shannon Emmanuel is a freelance writer avid home decorating enthusiast. You can find great sources for your home or office decor projects at http://www.simpledetailsdecor.com
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