Color Confidence Choosing Wall Paint? Look To Nature And Your Favorite Things For New Hue Ideas

When it comes to choosing colors for decorating, I have always been inspired by nature and my favorite things. Flowers, plants, water, pottery, food, fabrics and even my pets have influenced my choices. When I paint the rooms of my house in these hues, it is like being surrounded by old friends.

Beautiful color is a luxury we all deserve to live with. Don’t let the subject intimidate you. Here are some suggestions to help you select colors with confidence - and tips for prepping a room for paint once you’ve made your choice:

Ideas can come from anywhere. When you find a color you’d like to live with, have it computer-matched to a paint color. If possible, bring the object that inspired you, such as a leaf, flower or teacup, to the paint store.

The room itself can help you decide on the color. A small room, such as a library, becomes cozy when painted in a darker shade. Bold, bright colors will work well in a small space where you don’t spend too much time, such as an entrance hall or powder room. Lighter colors make a big room feel even more spacious and open.

Lighting and reflections can have a dramatic effect on the way a color looks. The natural light in a room is very different in the morning, afternoon and evening. Northern exposures make colors appear cooler and bluer than southern exposures. Lamp shades, light bulbs, floors and furniture each have their influence.

All of this means that a color won’t look exactly the same on your walls as it does in the store. If you take paint chips home and look at them where they’ll be used, you’ll get a better idea of the result. But the best way to judge a color is by trying it out.

Buy a quart of each color you’re considering and paint 2-foot-square swatches on the walls. Apply them in several places, such as near a window and in a corner. Look at them at different times of day before you make your decision.

Use a range of colors in your house, but make sure they look good together. When you’re in one room, you can usually look directly into another. From a hallway, you may be able to see several rooms. No single color should be jarring, and a room shouldn’t clash with any other.

Instead of choosing one color at a time, work on developing a palette of colors for the whole house.

White can be the perfect color for a room, but it’s not an all-purpose neutral. Against white, other colors stand out. The best neutral color for a room is the one that ties all the elements together.

Furniture, carpet, a collection of pottery or other objects in a room can provide you with a starting point when you paint. However, don’t go for an exact match; variations in color make a room more interesting and attractive.

Once you’ve decided on a color, you’re ready to choose the paint and prep the room. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Latex paint, which is water-based, dries quickly and can be cleaned up with soap and water, making it easier to work with than oil-based paint. Oil-based paint is more water-resistant and very durable, so it is good for hard-wearing surfaces such as floors.

Both kinds of paint come in a variety of finishes. As a general rule, flat paint is best for walls and ceilings. Use satin for bathrooms and kitchens, semigloss on trim and high gloss on surfaces that are exposed to wear and tear.

Prepare the room properly before you apply any paint. Protect the floors with overlapping strips of brown building paper (tape it down with easy-to-remove tape). Wall-to-wall carpeting requires a heavier cover, such as sheets of plastic.

Move the furniture to the center of the room and cover it with plastic too. Remove electrical plates and other hardware. (Tape the screws to their plates and label them to avoid confusion later.)

Set up a table for supplies, such as a utility knife, tape, brushes and rollers in various sizes, coarse and fine sandpaper, cotton painter’s gloves, plastic buckets and anything else you may need. Always keep the table well organized.

Scrape away loose paint and plaster, spackle imperfections in plaster, and caulk joints, such as between a wall and baseboard. Sand the entire area to be painted, then clean up all the dust with damp cotton rags.

Next, apply primer, which provides a better base for the paint.

Taking these steps to prep the room will help the paint look beautiful year after year.

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The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Martha Stewart New York Times Syndicate