Day 8 : Painting tips inside and out

I think that I have searched my whole computer to find this one picture that was taken of my old house. The picture was of the side of our house and there were 15, yes 15, different paint colors on the house. I'm sad to say that I couldn't find it, but it might be for the best because it was truly embarrassing. I was having a meltdown and couldn't decide on what color to paint the house - that's 15 samples of paint bought. I think my husband was about to turn me in.

I have come a long way since then, I would like to believe, and in my one very small defense I will say it is a lot harder to pick exterior color then it is for interior. I would rather pick out colors for a whole house filled with rooms then an exterior. One tip that I have learned when painting the exterior of your home, for the main body of the house it is usually better to go with a lighter shade and then bring in darker colors for accents, doors, shutters,and trim.  I also have learned with the main color for the  house, keep in mind when working with lighter colors remember that they are going to appear lighter outside then inside because you have to compensate for all the outdoor light. So if you are ever in doubt, you may want to go just a shade darker then you think.

With interior paints lighting can also be tricky because of the artificial interior light and lack of natural light into your rooms. At night they can look one shade and during the day like something completely different. What I like to tell my clients is that it is always a good idea to get some white poster board and paint your samples onto that and tape it to the wall. That way you can move it around, see what it look likes in different lighting, night vs. day. And another advantage to painting it on the the white board is that it won't compete with the color that is already painted on the wall.  You would be amazed when you go to paint a sample of a color over the existing color to get an idea, think it's good and then when you paint the whole room see how different it looks.

It's all about color theory.  A color can appear to look one shade next to one color, but put it against another shade and it looks like another whole color.  So by painting the color on a white background it will give you a better sense of what the color will look like and how it will work with the lighting in your space. 

 Well to make a long story short I did finally pick out a paint color for my house from my trusty old Williamsburg Collection from Martin Senour, they have the best, most timeless colors from the 18th century that still work today in a more modern or traditional setting.  If I remember correctly, the one color that had been my first sample I tried, was the color I ended up choosing,  most of the time it seems it's best to go with your first instinct, if I had I would have saved myself a lot of grief!
The Williamsburg interior colors are great too. Their colors are very vibrant which you don't typically think of the paint colors from the 1900's but you would be surprised how colorful they would paint rooms. To find out more and see their paint colors and check them out here, Martin Senour Paints

House painted with Williamsburg Collection