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.

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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!

Exterior Paint Ideas for Contemporary Houses

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The crisp lines and modern features of contemporary homes often set them apart from more classic residences. While painters can select nearly any colors they want to cover their abodes, some hue selections are more appropriate for these modern structures. When preparing to give your mod home a fresh coat of paint, talk to an expert about some of the options more appropriate for contemporary homes.

Earthy Hues

Many modern homes are designed with the Earth in mind. If your home features an assortment of eco-friendly additions, keep this eco-conciousnes in mind when selecting your exterior paint hues. Choose colors that are as earthy as the eco-friendly features your home contains. For example, paint the majority of the exterior a mossy green, using earthy browns as accents to tie this masterpiece together and show your affinity for all things green.

Two-Tone Painting

Highlight the contemporary features of your home by following a two-tone painting plan. Select two tones that contrast significantly, like white and black, and feature them both on your home for an attention-getting option. For example, paint the majority of your home white and the modern trims in black, making them stand out from the rest of the home and, in doing so, accentuating their individuality.

Metallic Grays

Many modern home designs feature metallic trims in place of the standard wooden ones. If your deck is crafted of metal and your trims are metal beams, accentuate these features by selecting grays to paint the rest of your exterior. Choose a dominate gray a few hues off of the metal accents on the exterior of your home to create the desired contrast and make the metallic trim on your home truly stand out.

Color Pops

Contemporary decorators are often not shy about using color, and the exterior of your home should be no exception. While you likely don’t want to cover your entire home in apple red, featuring this bold-as-can-be hue somewhere on your exterior can set your home apart. For example, painting your front door and garage door with this color, using a color that contrasts well, such as steely gray, on the rest of the home. This choice is particularly appropriate if there is something special about these items you choose to paint so boldly, such as a vivid wood design on your front door.

For more information about Exterior Paint Ideas for Contemporary Houses, Contact Matt Kimble at Concepts In Color

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

Information on Exterior House Paints

Exterior house paint isn’t just about color. Choosing the right paint for your house is also about where you live, the amount of sun your home gets and the architectural style of your home. Additionally, consider cost and quality of the paint. Also, consider hiring a professional painting contractor that is right for you.
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1.    One-Coat Paint
You probably would prefer to use only one coat of paint when repainting your home. Some brands market their paint as one-coat coverage, which is possible; however, one-coat paint will work only on a home that has been previously painted.
Talk to Matt at Concepts In Color for advice on one-coat painting.

2.    Geography
When choosing the paint color, think about your location. If you live in an area close to the ocean, the color you use will appear even brighter due to the reflection off the water. Bright colors are often used in oceanside communities. While these colors might look appealing near the sea, they might not work well in a Southwestern location. Talk to Matt at Concepts In Color for advice on geography.

3.    Considerations
The exterior materials used on your home will be a decisive factor when you choose paint. Whether it’s siding, stucco or wood, this must be considered for the highest-quality paint job. For best results, be sure to prime your home first, which will help give the house a smooth professional finish.

Read more: Information on Exterior House Painting
Exterior Color Ideas

Color Combinations for Bathrooms

Colors help create the mood in your bathroom.
People often overlook the bathroom when it comes to decorating the home. These rooms may be smaller than the other rooms of the house, but this is no reason not to decorate them. In fact, because they are smaller, you can decorate them for a lower cost than other rooms. You can even talk to a professional and step outside your typical decorating styles and try something new. The key to choosing the right color scheme is knowing the mood you want to convey.

Muted
•    Muted colors generate a soothing sense in rooms and this kind of color combination may be just what you’re looking for in your bathroom. Soft colors such as dusty pink, pale green and powder blue are easy on the eyes in the early morning. Pink and blue shades are calming while green shades bring energy into rooms. Pink, green and white is a feminine palette, while blue, green and white is more masculine. Blue, white and yellow will make your bathroom feel cheery.

Neutral
•    A neutral color arrangement is another option for your bathroom. Neutral colors work well with other colors and include black, beige and cream. Look for variations of these colors to add interest to your bathroom. If you choose a light tan on the walls, an earthy brown paired with creamy beige offers a pleasing mix. Black, white and ochre is another neutral palette for the bathroom. These color trios often give you enough variety to find towels and rugs that enhance your bathroom. Add texture to your bathroom with fluffy rugs and a variety of baskets. Hang a shower curtain made of natural fibers to add character to your bathroom.

Black and White
•    This color combination is pleasing in any room. The airy nature of white offsets the solid, bold nature of black for a feeling of balance. Black towels and a black shower curtain with white pinstripes help the colors of the room feel even. Another option is white geometric shapes on window treatments with black accessories. A black and white checkered floor helps round out the room.

Nautical
•    Primary colors are bright and cheery and this look may be what you need to help you wake up in the mornings. Combinations of bold red, bright yellow and deep blue will make your bathroom feel open and spacious. Look to add spots of color with candles, floral arrangements and linens. Hang photographs of lighthouses to balance the color throughout the room.

Concepts In Color is a licensed, bonded and fully insured home and commercial painting company serving the greater Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley areas. Contact us for a free painting estimate now.

How to Design Exterior Colors of a New House

Matt Kimble of Concepts In Color

A new house is a blank canvas, and with all the paint colors available, it can be difficult to decide on a color scheme. The exterior colors of your home should be a reflection of your personality, but there are some basic rules of design to keep in mind. The ideal color combination greatly enhances your home’s appearance and increases curb appeal. Pick wisely so your home stands out in the neighborhood for all the right reasons.

Browse home design magazines and consult an expert to get inspiration for color schemes you like. Tear out the pages (or make a color copy) of ideas you like.

Consider your home’s existing fixtures – shingle color, brick or stone accents and guttering, for example. Try to incorporate these into the color scheme rather than ignore them.

Pay attention to your surroundings. No one wants a cookie-cutter home, but make an effort to choose colors that don’t clash completely with neighboring houses. Your landscaping also can give you color scheme clues. If you live on a heavily wooded lot, consider lighter colors to avoid having your house blend in with the background. Lighter colors can also make a small house seem larger.

Study the color wheel for clues. Painting your house one solid color is a design faux pas – you’ll want to use colors that go well together to accent shutters, trim, windows and porches. Successful color schemes often use monochromatic colors (different shades of one color), complementary colors (colors opposite one another on the wheel) or adjacent colors (colors next to one another on the color wheel). Concepts In Color can help you find the right colors for your home.

Pick up color swatches or paint samples of hues you like. Be sure to take your notes and design examples with you to the home improvement store so you can match swatches to your wants.

Consult a professional. If you are still on the fence about design colors, get an expert opinion before purchasing paint.  A great contractor may also be able to provide you with a consultation.

Learn more: Conceptsincolor.com

Kitchen Design Paint Colors

The paint color in your kitchen impacts the mood of the room and so influences how comfortable you and others are when working or socializing in the kitchen. Though the color scheme in your kitchen should coordinate with the rest of your home, the color should be restful and stimulating, relaxing and inspiring.

Warm Colors

• Red is a warm, almost hot color used only if there is a minimum of wall space. Too much red may cause feelings of anxiousness as the color in large doses tends to overstimulate the senses. Offset the red with a cool white or toasty brown to play against the heat of the red to create balance and provide excitement and comfort within the kitchen.

  Oranges and yellows are also considered warm colors, and are less intense than a pure red. Warm colors work well with traditional design and, in particular, country style or Tuscan style kitchens. For a more contemporary or modern design, use the brighter shades of the warm colors to match the sleek appeal of the kitchen design.

Cool Colors

• The blues and greens found in nature bring a sense of relaxation to the kitchen space. These cool colors are refreshing to look at and work well in both traditional and modern design.

  Lighter shades of cooler colors in a kitchen offset darker woods and large appliances. Dark shades of blue and green, though, may need sharper contrast to prevent a sense of lethargy. Use splashes of red in accessories to offset darker greens, and use bright whites to play off darker shades of blue.

Neutral Colors

• Neutral colors in a kitchen needn’t translate to safe or boring. Painting kitchen walls a sandy brown, a slate gray or an antique white allows for versatility in color play with artwork and accessories. A bright red ceramic tea set on a countertop pops when played against walls painted in a whisper of color.

Mixed Colors

• There may be more than one wall in a kitchen, and not all the walls must be the same color. Use a mix of contrasting colors to create a dynamic feel. Use a warm color, such as a bright red or yellow, for an accent wall, and paint the remaining walls a smooth white or creamy brown.

  Another option is to pair paint colors. Paint the bottom half of the wall a cocoa brown and the top half a cool blue or soft white. This option works well in smaller kitchens as the contrasting colors cause the eye to travel, providing visual interest.

Find out more, talk to Matt Kimble at Concepts In Color about color ideas.

Getting Your Home Ready For The Real Estate Market

Think you’re ready to put your home on the real estate market and sell it? You may think you have completed your mental checklist of getting your house ready for the real estate market and the public, but have you considered all the things you can do—and the things you should get ride of, too—to increase the value and worth of your house beforehand?

Before & After. Concepts In Color, Inc

Some of these considerations include generally “spiffing” up your home to improve its overall look; making any and all necessary repairs to fix everything that is broken or not working properly; cleaning the house from top to bottom, especially the bathroom(s) and the basement; de-cluttering and reorganizing the house; making your home look more attractive and appealing on the inside; cleaning your gutters; and increasing your “curb appeal” by tidying up and fixing your yard and increasing the overall attractiveness of your house from the outside.

Painting To Benefit Appreciation

One way to up your “curb appeal” factor is through exterior painting. Painting is also often highly recommended for the interior of your home, as well, before you put it on the real estate market and have potential buyers scrutinizing your every nook and cranny.

Painting your house—both inside and out—can greatly benefit and enhance the real estate appreciation of your home, and will increase buyer appeal and potential and your chance to sell your home at the price you want.

Exterior Painting To Increase Your Home’s Worth

When sizing up a home from the outside, one of the biggest indications of whether or not a buyer will consider seeing it is the exterior paint job. A poor color choice or color combination, a poor paint job, or old and peeling paint will more than likely turn potential buyers away, or cause interested buyers in putting a low bid on your home—lower than you know it is worth.

Take some time and invest some money into repainting the exterior of your house. Not only will it up its real estate appreciation (increase the value of your home—what it’s worth), but a good paint job will actually help to attract more potential buyers who are willing to offer a price more closely matched to what you are looking for.

Make sure to choose neutral and complementary colors when shopping for paint for the outside of your house. Neutral colors are important, because they appeal more to the masses and give you better resale. Make sure to also take the necessary time to find  a top-quality painter, someone that will make your home look good and become something of which you can be proud.

Interior Painting To Increase Your Home’s Worth

Next, think about the interior of your home. While the exterior paint job is important for the outer look and curb appeal, the interior paint job is just as if not more important for real estate appreciation as well as for increasing the appeal of your home, thus attracting more potential buyers.

If the paint job is old, if the colors are too bright or otherwise questionable, and if it has busy wallpaper, it’s time to invest in a new paint job.

An old, peeling paint job says you don’t take care of your home and looks unattractive. Too-bright colors are sometimes a turn-off. Neutral colors appeal to the masses. You don’t want to be known as the owners of “that house with the bright purple and orange bathroom,” do you? Most people don’t like busy wallpaper, or wallpaper at all. Fresh, high-quality paint in appealing, neutral (and matching) tones can make all the difference in the world.

Another way in which interior painting can help with the real estate appreciation of your home and its overall appeal is in the case of having a small room. Some homes have that one room that is so small it almost seems like a closet. If this is the case with your home, consider a new paint job in a light-colored, neutral tone. Light-colored paint will help to make any small room look substantially bigger, not to mention brighter.

Painting Benefits

If you don’t have the time or think you can do a good enough job, and you have some extra money, consider hiring a professional painting company for either the exterior painting or interior painting of your home, or both.

Painting the inside and outside of your home is definitely a worthwhile consideration and an investment of time and money if you want to increase its real estate appreciation and attract more potential buyers who are willing to pay the price you feel your home is actually worth. Contact Matt at Concepts In Color to talk about Getting Your Home Ready For The Real Estate Market