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

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Interior Painting – Who’s got time?

The most important spaces in our lives are inside our homes. Most of these spaces can benefit from a new look.

The most cost effective and quickest home improvement project is interior painting. You can transform the look of a room or your entire house just by using paint!

Interior house painting can be as simple or as elaborate as you prefer. In order to be the one in control, you need information. That’s what this page is all about. Connecting you to the basic interior painting information you need to complete the transformation of your living space successfully.

The cost savings and decorative improvement with painting a room can be substantial when compared to other improvements such as new carpet or furniture.

With the right colors, the feel of a room can change completely and become a more enjoyable living space. The use of dark or vibrant colors can add spice to a dull room. But beware. These are difficult colors to apply.

Confining vibrant colors to one wall for an accent wall is a great way to change the overall feel without breaking the bank. Painting just one wall can be a quick and easy way to achieve a new look.

Even though a do-it-yourself interior painting project is cost-effective, you must be willing to make a considerable investment of time and patience, which is not always easy after you’ve put in a full day at the office. Consider consulting a professional who can help you get the job done easily. Matt at Concepts In Color can give you a free consult to help you get started…

Concepts In Color, Inc is a professional interior and exterior licensed painting company located in the West Los Angeles area. We paint projects ranging from large residential and commercial contracts to smaller interior jobs. We offer free estimates for all house and commercial painting projects and stand by our work with a written guarantee.

Concepts In Color, Interior and exterior painting in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel Air, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Malibu, Hollywood and more.

Some Cutting Edge Painting Ideas for Your Contemporary House

At Concepts In Color we know that one of the simplest and least expensive ways to revamp a room in a new style is through painting. Contemporary decorating is a comfortable approach to a more sterile modern aesthetic. It includes sleek, clean lines and contemporary materials such as wood and metal. Contemporary painting includes sleek and neutral walls with splashes of color.

Painting With Clean Lines

When painting walls for a contemporary room, it is important to have clean and level lines to enhance the sleek appearance of the room.  While some décor styles would encourage visible brush strokes and lines, contemporary design is about removing mess and clutter in favor of clean surfaces.

Contemporary Colors

Use contemporary wall colors such as neutral earth tones or light paint colors when painting your contemporary house. Avoid colors with too much intensity such as bright yellows, purples or greens. Instead, use washed out versions of those colors. This will make the rooms in your house look bigger. Popular contemporary colors are beige, light gray, white or light green. Need help picking a color?

Use Punches of Color

One complaint of contemporary design is that it appears too stark and uninviting for people that prefer a comfortable and warm style. If this is the case for you, think about accent colors on small walls in entryways, backsplashes, staircases and basements. Choose colors that fit with the color scheme in the room. Use very bright colors on very small walls and less bright but still vibrant colors on larger walls. This will keep your room balanced and contemporary.

Paint Boxes of Color

For a more retro and modern approach, paint boxes of color on various walls in your home rather than the whole accent wall. Choose bright but muted colors that mesh well with your home’s color palette. Paint these boxes of color around pieces of wall art to help accent the art, or to frame doorways and windows.

Matt at Concepts In Color can help you with some great ideas, not just with Contemporary Interior House painting, but with your exterior as well. Always feel free to contact Concepts In Color for a free consult about painting your home.

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.

The Online Checklist for Finding a Good Painting Contractor

Q: Who is going to paint my house?
A: The following checklist will help you sort through the process of finding a painting contractor that is right for you.

Start simple. Ask around.

If you see a house that’s been freshly painted, it’s a good opportunity to find out who did the painting. Sometimes you shall see a sign in the front yard advertising for the painting contractor. This is an indication that the customer is very happy and is willing to allow advertising in the front yard.

Successful word-of-mouth advertising doesn’t happen unless a painting contractor has satisfied customers. You can learn a lot about a painter from past clients.

Ask for references.

This step is slightly different from asking around. Now you’re speaking with a specific contractor. You want a list of references. If a painting contractor cannot give you references, it’s a good reason to check that contractor off your list. Ask for a minimum of at least three references, and follow through with contacting each person the contractor claims to have worked with.

Ask the right house painting questions.

How long ago did you hire the painter? A reference for a recent paint job isn’t as valuable as a reference for a paint job that was completed a few years ago. A customer is more likely to give you valuable information if the job has stood the test of time, and the customer is still happy.

Did the contractor do quality work? It’s important to understand what quality work looks like. Even if your friend is happy with the results, you might want to take a look at the finished paint job. Check out areas such as windows, doors and trim. Careful work in these areas is a positive indication of a good painting contractor.

Was the painter polite and pleasant to work with? This is more important than it might seem on the surface. It’s important to find a contractor you communicate well with and feel comfortable around. A courteous demeanor is a hallmark of professionalism and will save you unnecessary stress. Also, a painter who is enthusiastic about his job is more likely to do a good job than one who is burned out and just in it for the paycheck.

Did the work start (and finish) in a timely fashion? Good contractors let their customers know their planned schedule in advance. And professionals do their best to stick to it. Look for a painting contractor who arrived at a reasonable time every morning. Just remember that exterior paint jobs can be affected by the weather, so watch for customers who hold a bad rainstorm or unseasonably cold temperatures against the contractor!

Was a warranty included? A contractor that stands behind his/her work is a sign of a professional. Remember a warranty only has value if it is in writing and extends for a reasonable period. If the painting contractor only guarantees work for one year, it could be a sign that some aspect of the painting work could be low-quality.

Finding a Painting Contractor Just Got Easier – Get Free Price Quotes

Get more Info: Matt Kimble at www.ConceptsInColor Exterior Painting in West Los Angeles

Thanks: House Painting Info, Webtime Graphics and Consumer Reports.

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.

Awesome Beach House Paint Colors

At Concepts In Color we know there are lots of paint options to consider when you’re painting the interior and exterior of a beach house. Whether you opt for traditional beach house colors or a more contemporary theme, the end result can be just as effective.

Nautical Colors

Create a jaunty, traditional nautical look inside your beach house by using blue and white paint. Painting the walls with pure white paint and highlight the woodwork and skirting boards in a royal marine shade of blue.

Multicolored Pastels

Choose paint in a range of pastel colors and adorn the interior and exterior walls of your beach house with an array of pastel shades. In beach homes that have wood paneling, this works particularly well, as you can paint each panel a different color. Alternatively, use one pastel color per wall or per room. (Complement the look with matching flooring, fabrics and furniture.)

Bold and Bright

Use bold and bright colors, such as red, yellow, orange, green or cerise to create a stunning effect in your beach house. Pick a couple of favorite colors, or use a rainbow palette. Be creative and experiment with colors you may normally shy away from, as a beach house can be the ideal place to use bright colors. Paint the exterior of the beach house in colorful shades too, plus the front door, to create a cheery and welcoming look.

(Matt at Concepts In Color can talk to you about even more great ideas for your beach house)

Natural Beach

Bring the colors of the beach into your home, through the use of warm sandy shades. Choose one sandy color for the walls and a darker shade to add definition to the woodwork and skirting boards. (Email Matt for more ideas along this theme) Teamed with natural wood flooring and textured wall tiles, these colors will create the ambiance of the beach within the comfort of your own four walls.

Contemporary Colors

Experiment with using contemporary paint colors, by choosing a palette of shiny metallic silver, matte silver and gray paints. Use matte silver or gray paint on the walls, adding accents with the shiny metallic silver. These colors will help create lots of light in your beach home and work very well alongside black or silver furniture and kitchen appliances.

Contact Matt Kimble at Concepts In Color for a free consult and more great ideas!

How to Choose a Color Scheme for Your Kitchen

Kitchen by Concepts In Color

Choosing a color scheme for your kitchen can be a time consuming and thoughtful experience. With hundreds of hues to choose from, picking the right color scheme can mean the difference between a dream kitchen and a mistake. However, taking into consideration your personal preferences, your kitchen’s lighting and room size will help make this decision more manageable.

This is your kitchen – one place that you will use everyday. If you enjoy blue, for example, use that as a color off of which you want to build. Don’t be afraid to use bright colors as well. Kitchens are typically thought of as happy places, so if bright colors make you happy, find a way to incorporate them, either through accessories or focal point colors.

Look at your surroundings. How big is the kitchen? How much natural or artificial light does your kitchen have? What are the kitchen’s dimensions? Choosing dark colors for a small kitchen, for example, can make the kitchen appear even smaller. According to Sherwin-Williams, if you have a big room and want it to feel more intimate, colors such as red, gold and brown are better to use. If you do not have much light in the kitchen, lighter color schemes may make it feel brighter.

Get to know the color wheel and which colors are complementary. Painting the walls in a kitchen is just one component of a color scheme. You will have to choose colors schemes for the cabinets, appliances, countertops, backsplash and hardware, for example. These are important desicians. Matt Kimble at Concepts In Color can sit down with you and help you get started in the right direction.

Wood
Take into account wood. If you already have dark stained cabinets, for example, that you wish to keep as part of the color scheme in the kitchen, consider lighter colors on the countertops and walls to contrast those dark cabinets.

Style
Consider what your style is. Are you more country or contemporary? Country kitchens use splashes of bright colors, such as red. Think bowls of red fruit — a color that you can then incorporate into the rest of the decor in the kitchen through accessories. Contemporary kitchens, on the other hand, may use more earth tones or neutral colors.

Look at what’s in style. Just like clothing, home decor styles change all the time. If you plan to sell your house in the near future, you may want to consider color schemes that are currently in style that will appeal to a wide array of potential buyers. This goes for hardware and appliances as well.

Flow
Look at your other rooms. If you have an open flow into the kitchen from the living room, you may want to consider a color scheme that complements the color schemes in your other rooms. You do not have to pick the exact same color scheme, but instead can pick a color that is in the same family or a complementing color. This unifies the entire space.

Bring Out Your Best
Look at your best features. Do you have a picturesque window in the kitchen or beautiful cabinetry? If you have a focal point in the kitchen, choose a color scheme that accentuates that piece. Examples of potential items to feature include crown molding, fireplaces, a focal wall and windows. To accentuate one of these, use contrasting paints or try different finishes of paint that make these items stand out. For example, if you have a beautiful backsplash that is bright, choose a more muted neutral color on the wall that makes the backsplash stand out that much more.

Watch your room at various times of the day. When the sun is at its highest, the color of your room may look different at night under artificial light. To ensure you like the color scheme you pick for your kitchen at all times of the day, tape a few paint samples (or paint sample spots on the walls) and watch how they vary throughout the day in different lights. Talk to Matt at Concepts In Color and find the easiest way to bring out the best features of your kitchen.

More About Color: www.conceptsincolor.com

Wall Colors for Productivity

Whether you’re looking for a paint color for your home office or wish to cover your workplace with hues that promise to stimulate productivity, there are a number of theories that claim to know which way to go. With several studies to choose from, the color that is most productive for you may end up being the color you most enjoy.

University of British Columbia

Six hundred participants took part in a study at the University of British Columbia – Sauder School of Business, designed to learn which colors most inspire productivity. As part of the study, participants were asked to complete particular tasks on the computer. The computer screen on which they worked was blue or red. The study showed that when participants were asked to perform tasks requiring attention to detail, a background screen color of red boosted their performance by 31 percent. When participants were asked to complete tasks requiring creativity, a blue background screen produced better results.

AllBusiness.com

AllBusiness.com, a resource for small businesses, suggests covering large wall surfaces with pastel shades and accenting the room with darker, richer colors that introduce excitement into the room. The accents don’t necessarily need to be found in accessories. For example, safety warnings, exit signs and trim colors can provide vibrancy. The theory is that walls covered with intense primary colors can lead to a loss in visual acuity or visual clarity.

University of Texas at Austin

As director of the interior design program at the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Nancy Kwalleck studies the psychological effects of color. Most notably, she has examined which colors, if any, are most conducive to productivity. What Kwalleck has discovered is that people are more productive when surrounded by particular colors. The problem is that the color that stimulates a person is highly personal, and there is no one-color-fits-all palette.

The “Hawthorne Effect”

A 1920s study led by Harvard Business School professor Elton Mayo showed that employees respond to any change in their environment, as long as they feel they have a part in deciding it. Employees responded less to actual environmental changes than to the belief that their preferences were being recognized. If you’re painting a private space, only you can determine which color best inspires productivity. If you’re hoping to increase productivity in a shared space, consider using a neutral color on the walls and allowing individuals to add color to their own areas.

Find out more about color: www.conceptsincolor.com

Thanks to By Dana Sparks, eHow Contributor