At Home
Painting your Walls - It's Important to Have Fun With Color!
If you are tired of your existing white, off-white or beige walls then do something about it. Even if your walls are painted a color, it may be time for a change.
In one day, with one to three gallons of paint, you can transform your living-room. If there is a particular color that you've been fantasizing about, head out to your local paint store and pick up every color chip in that range. Do not buy paint during this first visit. Head home with your color chips and spend a little time thinking about which shade to choose.
Use latex or water-based paint on your living-room walls. Once you have made your color choice, ask yourself what type of finish you want. Stay away from high-gloss. You will want either flat or eggshell (sometimes called satin). The advantage to the latter is that it will be a washable surface. In my opinion, eggshell is never a mistake. In fact, I prefer it to flat. It has an elegant, non-shiny lustre.
Before you buy your paint however, you MUST use a latex primer. Many painters will skip this step but trust me, the finished result will be much nicer if you roll a fast coat of primer over all the surfaces before you paint your color on. Buy the primer at the same time you are choosing color chips (during your first visit to the paint store). That way, you can prime the walls and think about color choices at the same time. And nothing will motivate you to get out the next day and buy the actual paint than having your walls already primed!
Do not be nervous about choosing a
dark or dramatic color "if" you like it.
.....
Project: Painting of Loft Hallways - NYC by Audrey Regan
NOTE: The paint used in the project is:
by Benjamin Moore. The color number/name is:
Radicchio
CC-32
Here are "before" (left) and "after" (right) pictures of a hallway that went from drab white to spectacular eggplant. There is often no natural light in a hallway anyway. So don't worry about "making the hall too dark". I was so pleased with the eggplant hallway, that I extended the color into the main vestibule and down the central corridor leading to the living-room and kitchen. I am sure that my client, who was visiting Russia while we redecorated his loft, must have had a near stroke when he keyed in and saw what we had done to his loft. The next day, I called him and he had one word to describe the transformation: SEXY.
Many many people still believe that white is the safest color and, as a result, they will be too nervous about using colors they really love. I say, "Get over it!" White can often be the best choice of all. I just painted my living-room and hallways white because I felt it would best complement my collection of black and white lithographs. White, for me, is a choice based on preference, not on playing it safe.
Red is another color that many people are unsure about and yet, if asked, they will tell you they love red. There is nothing more spectacular than a red room but it is important to balance it with white, either in mouldings and door frames or with white furniture or accessories.
Please don't take the painting of a room too seriously. I think this is such a mistake. Have fun with it. It's just color. And it can be changed if you are not happy with it.
