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!

 

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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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.

What If Your Exterior Paint Job Could Last Longer

From a professional painter‘s point of view, exterior painting is the most important home maintenance project that can be done. Often the paint and caulking is all that is stopping damage from the weather and water.

Damage to your siding alone can cost thousands to fix. This is just one surface that is vulnerable to the effects of the weather and an inadequate paint job

If you plan on doing the painting yourself be prepared, typically exterior painting will be the most difficult and physically demanding home maintenance project you will do. Exterior painting will involve considerable time and physical effort. Why not do it right and receive the best value for your money plus gain the most time before needing to re-paint.

What If Your Exterior Paint Job Could Last Longer

It’s amazing that this thin film of primer and paint lasts as long as it does! Exterior house paint must stand up to the most extreme conditions that man and nature can dish out. Plus all buildings, including your home, are constantly moving around and breathing.

This happens as the temperatures rise (expansion) and fall (contraction). To top it off wood is constantly moving, splitting and warping. Now add the weather with wind, dust, rain, hail and snow. The best results will need a good method encompassing all aspects of exterior painting.

Following the best exterior house painting tips and using the best quality materials can add years to the life of the house paint before the need to repaint. Plus using top quality painting products, knowledge and practical experience will result in lower maintenance and less repairs in the future.

To top this off, there will be an increase in the value of your home, a win — win situation.

To find out more about how exterior painting can increase the value of your home contact Matt Kimble at Concepts In Color, Los Angeles CA

Choosing an Accent Paint Color: Tips and Tricks

Are you eager to choose an accent paint color for a wall or ceiling but feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities? With some simple tips, the right color choice can be easily found.

In recent years, accent walls have become a hot trend. Painting just one wall (or the ceiling!) a contrasting color is a great way to make a bland room come alive. Moldings, trims, and stenciled designs can also accentuate your main color and bring life into a space. Color can have a powerful effect on your mood; be sure to choose a paint color you and your house mates will be comfortable with.

Creating a Cohesive Look

Choosing an accent paint color that goes well with the rest of the room is critical. Take a close look at the room. Pay attention to the current wall color, flooring, and furnishings. If your decor includes art, take that into consideration as well. Eventually, a pattern should emerge, with some colors emerging as more dominant than others.

If you’re having trouble, ask a friend or neighbor to take an objective look. It’s easy to become blind to the things we see every day; a fresh perspective might be all you need to choose the right hue. Feel free to contact Matt at Concepts In Color, Interior Painting in West Los Angeles

Create a natural flow from room to room by using similar accent paint colors in each room; try using one color in your main living space, and lighter or darker shades of the same color in other rooms.

Another way to transition seamlessly from room to room is to use the same paint colors throughout the house; just vary the amounts. For example, imagine you love brown, beige, and blue. In the living room, beige walls, chocolate trim, and blue furnishings provide a calming atmosphere. In the bathroom, blue and beige striped walls are complemented by rich brown towels and accessories. And in the bedroom, chocolate walls, a beige ceiling, and a soft blue comforter provide a welcome respite at the end of the day. Too complicated? Try making it easier by painting one room white with gray accents, and the next gray with white accents.

What You Need to Know About Lighting

Lighting is another important factor to consider. A shade that looks fabulous in full sunlight might look terrible under incandescent or fluorescent bulbs. Think about how your accent color will look from different angles, or at different times of day. If you can, try painting a sample square and checking it out in the morning, afternoon, and at night. If you can live with it in any lighting, you’ve found a winner!

If you have a room that is naturally too dark or too light for your tastes, color can provide a refreshing illusion. Choose a buttery yellow or a bright white to make a dimly lit room feel airier; subdue a sun-filled space with a muted gray or deep burgundy. Find answers to your paint color questions.

Accent Doesn’t Always Mean Contrast

The decorating magazines may have trained you to think of accent walls as “contrasting” walls, but that doesn’t need to be the case. An effective way to liven up a space is to use an accent in the same color family as your base color. Wouldn’t your bedroom look great with misty blue walls and a navy accent behind your headboard? And wouldn’t your moss green living room look more exciting with an olive-colored rectangle to group your photos in? Find answers to your paint color questions.

Don’t Neglect Neutrals

Many people think of accents as a “pop” of color in an otherwise bland room. In fact, neutrals can be very effective accents. Silver, pewter, and gold, for example, go well with most colors and can lend a very contemporary look to your space.

Gray or brown can “bring down” a high ceiling and make a room seem cozier and more intimate, while white, cream, and yellow can “open up” a small space.

Using neutrals with high contrast will create a timeless look with visual interest; avoiding super-trendy colors can lend longevity to your paint job, because today’s hot shades will look dated tomorrow. Try adding polish to an otherwise white room by adding black baseboards, moldings, and door trim. Alternatively, you can punch up a dark, navy blue space with gloss white trim for a nautical feel. Find answers to your paint color questions.

For more info on Accent Paint Color contact Matt at Concepts In Color, Interior Painting in West Los Angeles

Thanks to House Painting Info at http://www.house-painting-info.com

Tips on Hiring a Painting Contractor

Hiring a Contractor

Ask for references. This is very important as it shows if their past clients were happy with the work performed, and the overall customer experience. Any professional painting contractor should be able to provide references.

Get a bid in writing and go over it thoroughly with the contractor. Not all bids are created equal. Some contractors exclude some costs and later charge these to you as extras. Find out exactly what the bid includes, a thorough bid with everything covered is what you are looking for. The more information provided here the better for both parties.

What prep work is included? Caulking, wall repairs, and filling nail holes, are the general steps you should see. Prep work is what makes a finish look great, and last many years. It is also very labor intensive and therefore time consuming.

How much will you be charged if the contractor encounters unforeseen problems? For example, removing wallpaper not installed correctly can cause damage to sheet rock. What might those charges run? Ask if they charge an hourly rate for extra work. Every successful painting contractor knows what their hourly costs are, and what they need to charge to make a profit. This should be given without hesitation when asked for. If they don’t know the answer to this simple question, chances are they haven’t been in business long, and most likely won’t be if you have a warranty claim to make.

Warranties. Does the contractor offer one?
Are they a licensed, bonded, fully insured company?
For example, Concepts In Color in Los Angeles is a licensed, bonded, fully insured company – offering free estimates for all house and commercial painting projects and stand by the work with a written guarantee.

In closing I would like to add, you must feel comfortable hiring a house painter. You are inviting them into your home or property so for peace of mind ensure there is a trust first. Knowing you can depend on a qualified professional helps ensure a successful project.

For More Info on hiring a painting contractor in Los Angeles, feel free to contact Matt at Concepts In Color

The Best Shades of White to Paint a Room

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

Concepts In Color knows that here are as many variations of white as there are colors in the painter’s fan-deck. The best white to paint a room is one that’s derived from one of the room’s other colors. Choosing which white to paint is a simple process if you understand a bit about color schemes and where they start. Shades of colors are made by adding black to the base color; tints are made by adding pure white to a color. This knowledge will help you make the right color choice for your interior painting and avoid the costly mistake of having to re-paint.

Color Scheme

The room’s color scheme is the key. Color schemes commonly start with two colors that are complimentary (those opposite each other on the color wheel). Green and red, brown and orange, blue and peach are common starting places for color schemes. Variations of these main colors produce the schemes used in fabric, and from an inspirational fabric a room’s color scheme emerges. A room’s color scheme may also come from an inspirational painting, a painted plate, or the view outside the picture window. Some professional painting websites, such as ConceptsInColor.com, provide free consultations to help you with your custom color schemes.

Color Value

Base colors can be overpowering in their intensity, so they’re adjusted, often by adding other colors (orange-red for example) to change the value of the base color. Additionally, the base color can be shaded or tinted. The blue and peach starting colors can become sun-glow orange and peacock blue, a very modern color combination.

The Right White

Wall color is chosen from the color scheme. If you’re using a fabric for inspiration, the background color of the fabric is usually a good choice for the wall color. The intensity of the fabric color may be too high, so the wall color may be tinted to produce a softer, “lighter” version of the fabric’s color. As more white is added, the color will appear to be closer to white than to the starting color; but it is, in fact, the starting color — just tinted to a very light value.

Where To Start

At Concepts In Color we can help you with your color choices. Contact Matt for a free consult and help getting started.

More Info: ConceptsInColor.com

Tips on Painting Colored Borders in a Room

Concepts In Color knows that a border will add visual interest to any wall it graces. Whether you choose to break up a large wall with a contrasting band of color or add a patterned border, the choices are plenty. Before you begin, consider the space the border will adorn and look for details like accents and accessories to come up with an ideal color scheme.

Painted Border

To paint a perfect border, use professional painter’s tape for clean lines. Whether you choose to paint one solid band or a collection of thin, pinstriped bands, painted borders add a focal point to tie the room together. The placement of the border depends on your personal taste. Ideas for placement include eye-level, 1/3 of the way up the wall and 2/3 of the way up the wall. The colored border can also act as a chair rail to separate two contrasting paint colors — one above the border and one below.

Stamped Border

For an organically shaped border decide the general area you wish to stamp and stamp the length of the wall in your chosen pattern. Ideas for stamps include large-format rubber stamps, stamps cut from potatoes, sponge stamps and any other stamp you wish to use. Ideas include trucks and cars for a child’s room, peony blooms for a bathroom border, and polka dots or other geometrics to liven up a dull office space. Don’t let the stamped border become overly busy, and use one image to stamp throughout the length of the border.

Stenciled Border

Choose modern or contemporary stencils to create a jaw-dropping stencil in your home. Modern stencils are akin to the patterns available with contemporary wallpaper. Patterns you can expect to find include damask, retro geometrics, Moroccan designs, cottage designs, Swedish and vintage florals and Old World European patterns. The colored border should add to the overall decor and never detract. Choose patterns to complement the existing design of the room. Look for inspiration in your favorite pieces. For instance, extract a pattern or color from a throw rug or colorful pillow.

Tips and Ideas

Buy quality tape and stencils for best results in your border painting. Don’t limit yourself to painting borders according to the materials available for purchase. Rummage through your home for objects like old coffee cans. Use the coffee can to paint a scalloped border around the perimeter of the room. Or, make your own stencils or stamps using vellum, a see-through type of paper. Other ideas include a border of colorful steps, piano keys, book spines and a chalkboard border for leaving notes in the kitchen or foyer.

For more information on interior and exterior house painting visit Concepts In Color.

What Are The Best Contemporary Interior Paint Colors?

Toss out the old paint chips, and mix up some contemporary color for your walls.

At Concepts In Color we know that designers and homeowners with a sense of style are experimenting with new shades of some old favorite paint colors with striking results. White walls are disappearing under coats of inky charcoal. Theatrical shades of rich purple, like aubergine and currant, are covering up the linen and pale blue. A green like antique glazed pottery is gleaming off entire walls. The paint in contemporary interiors is a carefully considered element of the artistry of the design.

Purples
Purple, the color of royalty, is asserting itself in contemporary décor in far more powerful hues than lilac and lavender. Real deep purple, with strong tones of red or blue or even black, is a choice for high-style reception areas like foyers and social spaces like studies, libraries and media rooms.

As reported in “Veranda” magazine, internationally renowned designer Nina Campbell mixed a black-currant lacquer for the library walls of her Chelsea flat in London. The vibrant berry tone is offset by white trim and ceiling and polished hardwood floors. A strong purple is a fabulous backdrop for art, dramatic in a dining room and fair warning in an entryway that the home you are about to enter is anything but boring and predictable. (What color is right for you? Ask Matt Kimble at Concepts in Color: Interior Painting in Los Angeles and surrounding areas.)

Grays
Slate, pewter, charcoal—gray is a new neutral and showing up everywhere from the pool house to the bedroom. A softer medium gray is rich when painted on walls in faux suede. But the sophisticate is a darker shade of gray, sometimes tempered with brown, sometimes verging on black. Dark taupe or charcoal is dramatic in a dining room or living room and is often bordered with white trim to accommodate contemporary furnishings. The darker grays are cozy in a den with a fireplace and crisp and neat in a kitchen with stainless steel appliances. (Ask Matt at Concepts In Color, Interior Painting in Los Angeles , for more great ideas.) Grays look terrific with wood floors, ceramic tile and terracotta floors, slate floors and hand-loomed Persian or geometric modern carpets. The darker end of the spectrum tends to feel claustrophobic when used with a lot of traditional furniture, heavy drapes and patterns. But it is stunning in a high-ceiling salon with elaborate period furnishings like Louis XV chairs and tall windows that let in plenty of light.

Greens
With Contemporary Interior Painting in Los Angeles, Celadon and sage are greens that invite more color. The shades hold the watery mystique of Venice and the appeal of the Arts & Crafts style. Naturally, they look gorgeous with Italian gilt furniture and Arts & Crafts pieces. But celadon also calls up Chinese court artistry and blends well with Asian styles. And sage is right at home with everything Western as well as earth-toned natural materials and country décor. Green is versatile enough to use as a glass tile backsplash in a kitchen, a penny tile bathroom floor, the wall color for the public rooms in the house—the living room, dining room, or den–the dusty blackboard paint wall in a children’s room, the single color wall in an otherwise all-white master bedroom. Celadon and sage green are calming paint colors but by no means unremarkable ones.

Read more: Concepts In Color
Contact Matt at Concepts In Color for help with Interior Painting in Los Angeles 

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Special thanks; Benna Crawford Journalist and New York-based freelance writer since 1997.

Contemporary Architectural Exterior Painting in Los Angeles, CA

At Concepts In Color we know that contemporary architectural exterior painting colors are not just for modern houses. Architects and designers develop contemporary color schemes for different architectures, whether the homes are original or are built today in that style. The smooth lines of contemporary houses call for a restrained color scheme while the decorative details of Victorian houses lend themselves to contrasting colors.

Considerations

Start your exterior painting color scheme by considering the architectural style of your house. Contemporary color schemes extend the traditional colors of that period with modern hues and often add a punch of a modern color for contrast. Your exterior color selections should blend with the other houses in your neighborhood yet show your personality. Use dark colors to highlight architectural details and light colors to hide flaws. Warm colors, such as yellow and red, advance towards the viewer, while cool colors tend to recede. Every color comes in shades that have underlying warm, neutral or cool tones, so you’re not limited to just one color family.

Contemporary Homes

The eclectic designs of contemporary homes often have clean lines and minimal ornamentation. Natural paint colors, such as shades of white and cream, gray and brown highlight the shape of the home. For a monochromatic look, use a light squirrel gray for the siding or stucco, an off-white for the door surround and pure white for the window trim. Mix neutrals such as ashwood, a light gray and mid-toned bison brown, and add a punch of color with a licorice red door. For ultimate contrast, use black and white, but choose a cool, blue-toned, shade of white. Check out Concepts In Color for ideas about painting Contemporary Homes.

Victorian Homes

Contemporary colors for Victorian houses reflect the original dark jewel colors of the period but with a modern twist. Choose rich but muted colors, such as a mid-blue-gray and a red mahogany with white trim for a strong contrast. Lighter, but still muted, colors offer a more gentle contrast. Try pink-beige with a warm-toned white and soft blue-gray. To highlight the modern twist, paint the exterior in a soft white with lilac tones and a pale pink-lilac. Add strong color with mid-range purple trim. Check out Concepts In Color for information about painting your home.

Bungalows and Ranch Homes

These architectural styles appeared around the 1950s and are still built today. Coordinate your exterior colors to the brickwork, often in shades of red, yellow or gray. A color palette of soft ivory and pale gray-taupe matches gray stone and complements a door of soft brown-red. Choose a monochromatic palette of a yellow-toned white, a warm taupe and a pale raffia color for sophistication. Highlight the size of your bungalow by using two different shades of white for the walls, and highlight the trim with a rich blue or brown.

Contact Matt at Concepts In Color for Ideas about painting your home.