How To Create Color Flow in Your Home Now

Knowing how to create color continuity throughout your home will help you coordinate your overall design for a beautiful harmonious look.

Concepts In Color helps you visualize how color can flow throughout your home.

Simple Tips on Achieving Color Flow

Selecting the right colors to connect your rooms starts with inspiration. Do you have a work of art that speaks to you? …a favorite vacation spot, home accessories? Anything can inspire your new palette of coordinating interior paint colors.

Harmonizing color seamlessly is based on continuity. To achieve this, we keep in mind that room and color coordination relies heavily on choosing hues with similar undertones. So if you love reds with blue undertones, look for other colors with blue undertones.

To help you achieve color flow, here are a few tips that can make coordinating your room colors easy:

• Choose one or two common colors for all of your rooms to share (the trim color, for example)
• Alternate primary wall colors with accent colors between rooms (crown molding, French doors, shelves, a fireplace mantel)
• Let each room’s color scheme be a slight variation of the adjoining room’s color palette
• Use the colors of your design accessories, artwork, draperies, area rugs, throw pillows, upholstery-to help colors  flow room to room.
• And remember, Matt Kimble and Concepts in Color can help you for all your Interior Painting needs and ideas!

 

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Contemporary Exterior Paint Colors for 2013

Painting the exterior of your house is a big job—and a big decision. A new color can change the whole look and feel of your home. Going from a dark shade to white can make the house seem to breathe new life, while switching to a shocking pink or purple can announce to the neighborhood that there are new neighbors in town. Paint suppliers offer dozens of contemporary exterior paint colors to choose from, so take your time and investigate your options. Does this Spark an idea?

Find out more about Exterior painting in Los Angeles
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Exterior Paint Color Ideas

Inspired by the stunningly varied regions of the United States, Benjamin Moore & Co have some home paint color ideas are sure to spark your imagination—and as you already know, Concepts In Color use Benjamin Moore among others. Regardless of its setting or style, we can give your home a very different look just by changing its exterior colors.

Benjamin Moore & Co have created several beautiful ideas for exterior paint color combinations to help guide your personal selection process. Some may be steeped in tradition, while others are more modern and elaborate in color scheme—yet all of these house paint color ideas are equally exquisite and tasteful.

View Exterior Paint Color Ideas & Palettes.

Visit Concepts In Color Exterior Painting for more ideas.

How to Divide a Room for Painting, Concepts In Color Style

Decide where the boundaries for different paint colors will be before beginning painting.

Large rooms can be overwhelming, especially if the entire space is painted with the same color. Divide the room with different colors of paint on the walls. Breaking up the space is not done in just one way. Divisions between painted areas need to be clear-cut to properly delineate the areas of the room you need. First decide how the room is to be divided, then concentrate on the aesthetics of the boundaries.

Multipurpose Room

For homes with a great room that serves as both the dining and living room, use paint to delineate the boundaries of each section of the room. For instance, paint the dining room area one color and the living room another color. To hide the paint line, place a tall silk plant or indoor tree on the wall where the two colors meet. A faux half column, or other flat trim, installed on top of the paint junction hides the paint border with a more permanent solution.

For more info Contact Matt at Concepts In Color

Architectural Elements

Look at the room and use the natural architectural elements to divide the paint colors. For instance, if you have an alcove or a nook, paint the walls inside that space a different color from the rest of the room. The difference between an alcove and creating your own separate seating area with paint is the added third dimension the alcove has. It is physically set apart from the main room. Use a lighter color of paint for the walls of the alcove to brighten it and make it seem larger, or paint it with darker colors for a more intimate feel. End the alcove paint color at the corner of the wall where it meets the main room. To add a border, you might decorate the paint border with a piece of wood trim from the floor to the ceiling or create a painted stencil border incorporating the paint colors from both the walls of the main room and the alcove.

Corners

Corners of a room are used as the boundaries for different paint colors in rooms with an accent wall. The accent wall is a wall with a contrasting color used to bring attention to a piece of furniture or part of the room. In a bedroom, the accent wall would be behind the bed, and in a living room, it would be behind a fireplace or around a picture window with an especially memorable view. The accent wall color ends at the corners of the wall, where the base room color takes over. Ending a color at the corner makes a neat border. Install a strip of thin molding along the wall corner if you want to hide the color junction.

For more info Contact Matt at Concepts In Color

Thanks Athena Hessong at eHow

Today’s Tips: How to Choose Exterior Trim Paint Color

Ask Matt Kimble at Concepts In Color

Is it easy to choose an exterior trim paint color that looks attractive? Dark brown with a beige house, white trim on a sage green house–easy, right? Instead of choosing exterior trim paint colors that simply look okay, choose colors that will make the most of your home’s architecture–whether it’s a 1940s bungalow or a contemporary two-story home. You have almost limitless choices with modern exterior colors to make your home distinctive and add curb appeal without being either ho-hum or garish with fresh trim and accent colors. Let Concepts In Color help find the perfect Exterior Trim Paint Color for you.

1 Take fixed elements on your home into account when choosing paint colors. Avoid colors that will clash with your roof, brick or stonework.

2 Consider the big picture. Don’t paint your house in the same color scheme as your neighbor’s house. If your house is surrounded by trees or located at the rear of your lot, use crisply contrasting trim colors to make it stand out, or try a more subtle color combination to make it recede into the surroundings.

3 Use complementary colors to make your trim and architectural details stand out. Complementary colors are those opposite each other on the color wheel (Ask Matt at Concepts In Color), like blue and red. This doesn’t mean you need to paint your trim red on a blue house. But instead of cool, stark white trim, use a warm, creamy white or light tan for your cool blue or gray house.

4 Choose more subtle trim colors for an understated, conservative look. Pick colors from the same paint swatch, and use two or three shades of the same color for the main color, trim and accents.

5 Use a vibrant, welcoming accent color for your front door. Choose a color that hints at your interior decor or personality, one that matches the car in your driveway or even a color that matches flowers in your front yard.

6 Accent attractive architectural details and minimize unattractive ones with trim color. Unless you think your downspouts and garage door are worthy of accentuating, paint them the same color as the body of the house.

For help with Exterior House Painting in West Los Angeles – Contact Matt at Concepts in Color

4 Tips: How to Find a Painting Contractor

Painting can increase the visual appeal and market value of your home. Although smaller painting projects are easy to do by yourself, hiring a professional makes sense for more complicated, large-scale projects. Painting contractors perform a variety of tasks, such as paint removal, sandblasting, application of a wide variety of paints and wallpapers, paint mixing and surface waterproofing. They can apply paint to either the interior or exterior of a home, or both. As noted by the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America, hiring a painting contractor will protect you from any health hazards that might come with the job, particularly in homes built prior to 1978, which may have been painted with lead-based paint. Painting contractors will also provide a high-quality, professional paint job, and discard any hazardous materials when the project is complete.

Step 1

Ask any professional contacts you might have, such as general contractors or real estate agents, for referrals to a painting contractor.

Step 2

Visit your local paint store and ask for referrals. Record the contact information of the painting contractor for future reference.

Step 3

Verify that all of your referred contractors are licensed. In the state of California, you can do this by visiting the California Contractors State License Board’s online “Find a License” page. Eliminate any unlicensed contractors from the list.

Step 4

Contact the previous customers and ask them about their experiences. Ask about the quality of the work, the professionalism of the work crew, payment methods and whether the work was done in a timely manner. If possible, set up a time to view the paint job in person.

Contact Matt at Concepts In Color, Exterior Paining in Los Angeles, For more info about painting your house.

Preparing and Priming Different Exterior Surfaces for Painting

Concepts In Color knows that exterior walls come in many different styles and materials. Preparing and priming each exterior surface properly will help achieve long-term protection for your home and drastically increase the life of any paint job. Here are a few ideas and tips. (For more about Exterior Painting for your home, visit Matt at Concepts In Color about Exterior Painting in West Los Angeles and surrounding areas)

Stucco Surfaces
On stucco areas you want to thoroughly scrape off any loose paint and repair all cracks and holes. To fill gaps around windows and door casings use a caulk to fill the cracks. If you are working with previously painted exterior stucco you want to use a good exterior primer or surface conditioner.
A reaction may occur if the new stucco is not allowed to properly cure. Make sure the curing time is past before applying primer. 30 days is a standard cure time for new stucco before it can be primed and painted.

Wood Siding and Trim
When it comes to priming wood surfaces, you want to scrape off all of the loose and cracking paint. After scraping off the loose paint, sand the exterior area to remove any additional loose paint and create a smoother surface.
If scraping and sanding do not work and more than 25% of the coating is cracked and peeling, you may want to consider stripping.
When you strip, you’ll use chemicals or heat to remove all of the existing coatings down to the substrate. The stripping process can be a very laborious process so you may want to weigh the pros and cons of costs vs. benefits.
An alternative to stripping is to use a penetrating sealer  to glue down the edges of the loose paint then prime that with a thick high building bonder/sealer to fill and bridge the cracks and rough surfaces.

Metal Surfaces
When you are painting iron or steel, the most important thing is good contact between the surface and the coating. Metals rust when air and moisture get under the protective coating.
Rust can be like a cancer. Once rust is in the metal, it is almost impossible to get rid of. Surface preparation is so important on iron or steel. You want to use a good rust inhibitive primer. Rusting metal must be sanded to remove loose rust, and then cleaned. Using a phosphoric acid rust conversion product can ensure that all remaining traces of oxidized iron have been eliminated. Sand to smooth out any roughness and clean then dry thoroughly. Then prime with a rust inhibitive primer.

Masonite Siding
Most Masonite siding is delivered with its face primed with some sort of paint. However, if the paint has peeled or the Masonite has swelled due to water then special preparation is needed.
Pay special attention to the edges of this siding as this is its most vulnerable spot. Remove loose paint on embossed Masonite siding by carefully scraping or using a wire brush. The overlapping edge can be hand sanded with a medium/course sanding sponge. Smooth siding can be carefully sanded with a palm sander or rotating paint sander. The face of embossed, wood grained, siding cannot be sanded. Using oil base primers seem to work the best. Apply two coats of primer to avoid any future problems. (Talk to Matt at Concepts In Color about priming and painting services.)

Cement Board
Cement boards, also known as Hardie boards, are a type of fiber cement siding. Cement board is highly durable, resistant to fire, mold and mildew, and it does not rot.
Cement board does not need to be primed unless it will be exposed routinely to harsh weather conditions. If you do choose to prime your cement board, use an exterior acrylic latex bonding primer. Also, do not paint a cement board unless it has been thoroughly cleaned first, or you will have problems with adhesion.

Before preparing and priming any substrate on older homes, before 1978, check for existence of lead. Homes with lead based primers and/or paints must follow the EPA RRP rules for containment and removal.

Contact Matt at Concepts In Color about Exterior Painting in Los Angeles.

What People Are Saying About Concepts In Color

Matt Kimble and Concepts In Color are fortunate to have worked for numerous customers in West Los Angeles, Hollywood, Pacific Palisades, and Brentwood. Here are a few of the many comments and compliments we have received:

“I was referred to Matt Kimble, and Concepts In Color, by two friends. I gave Matt a call and I was very happy that I did. Matt and his crew do a fantastic work. Matt painted my home perfectly. Matt suggested the right types of paints and my home still looks like it was just painted. In my opinion, Concepts In Color is the best painting contractor in Los Angeles. ”

Accommodating people’s busy schedules is very important to everyone. Our painters are always respectful of our customer’s time and property…

“Matt and Concepts In Color was professional in every way. Our house painting was done to exacting standards, the preparation and clean up were impeccable and most importantly, the job was done to look great and last a long time. We wouldn’t consider another contractor for our next project. I feel as though Matt painted our house with the same care he would use if painting his own home.”

“Concepts In Color gave us great service and were courteous and extremely competent painters. Matt Kimble has great taste and offered fantastic color ideas for our home in West Los Angeles. We were very happy to have found Concepts in Color. We can’t say enough great things about Matt and his employees.”

“I was worried that our building would be too large for a reasonable priced painting company. Not so! Concepts In Color did a great job at our agreed upon price and schedule. Our building looks amazing. You guys are the best! ”

Our interior and exterior painting customers can rely upon Matt Kimble to go the extra step – to make every effort to meet and exceed expectations. It is rewarding to receive a letter like this:

“Matt and Concepts In Color made our home’s renovation easy. The last thing we wanted to think about was painting the interior and exterior. Based on what we wanted, Matt suggested our interior and exterior colors, which turned out terrific. He was always reachable and supervised the job every day. We highly recommend Matt and Concepts In Color. ”

Read more great comments and reviews here.

Matt Kimble services the interior painting and exterior painting needs of fine homes and businesses in West Los Angeles, CA, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Bel Air,  Hollywood and surrounding areas. Let us exceed your painting expectations. For further information or to discuss your next residential painting, commercial painting you can reach Matt at (310) 948-3371 or visit us on the web at www.conceptsincolor.com .

Work In Progress: Hudson Oaks – Pasadena

Concepts In Color, Work In Progress
Hudson Oaks – Pasadena

At Concepts In Color we are dedicated to make your project successful.

All our painters are skilled professionals who understand the finer points of proper preparation and repair. We use superior products and you will be very happy with the results when our painters are finished with your project.

www.conceptsincolor.com

New Project: Villas at Gower in Hollywood, CA

New Project: Villas at Gower in Hollywood, CA

Check out one of Concepts In Color’s Latest Projects: The Villas at Gower in Hollywood, CA

Check out more projects from Concepts In Color, Exterior Painting in Hollywood and Los Angeles, CA