A “post inspiration” look at picking the right colour.

So much has been written about the inspiration part of choosing colour.
Articles, television shows, magazines, they all do plenty to inspire.
Add to that, colour forecasting and all trends, decor magazines, the “colour of the year” campaigns and you have almost unlimited sources of ideas.

Inspiration accomplished. Now what?

It is time now to get to work and put all these ideas into action. Take that piece of fabric, the magazine, or even hold on to that mental image of what your wall should look like and…step away from the monitor!
The colour on your monitor will not look the same when you leave the paint store and it will definitely not look the same on your walls. This is even the case for colour visualizer type software from paint manufacturers. To be fair, they all have a disclaimer such as: “colours on monitor and printed colours differ from actual paint colours”. In fact, that disclaimer line should read: “the colour you are looking at is not even close to the one you are going to buy”

Visit a Paint Store

There are two distinct choices here, the Big Box retailer and The Paint Store.
As a painting contractor with many years of experience, we had an opportunity to use both and our number one choice is always the paint store. The level of service and the knowledge you get in a paint store is superior to the one you get from Big Box stores. If the scope of the job is bigger than you can handle, they are also a good source of reputable painting contractors.
Look at the thousands of swatch colours displayed there!
With all these colours literally at your finger tips, finding that special colour you have in mind should be a breeze, right? Not exactly, but you are on the right path. Find some swatches that are close, even ask the store for some help in doing that. You will find that the moment the swatches leave their well lit space, they don’t look the same any more.
Keep looking and narrow your choice to 5-10 swatches that look close to the colours you have in mind.

Take the colours home

Ask the paint store if you can take these samples home with you. In fact you may want to borrow or buy a complete colour fan deck, that includes these colours. If you are able to narrow your choice at this point, ask the store if they have larger samples of these colours in some other collection. Take the colour samples to the area or room you want to paint and see what they look like during different times of the day and under different lighting situations. Hold them against drapes, bed coverings, the floor, artwork and narrow your choice to 3-4 colours.
Quite often this is where the search ends. It is sometimes, but not always a good idea, to ask the opinion of a family member or friend (assuming you like their sense of style).

The fun of picking colour does not have to end here. Next time we will cover the idea and techniques of painting colour “test patches” on the walls.
For more help in choosing colour and paints, call Ecopainting at (416)733-7767
or request an online consultation.

Colour consultants work with clients to improve the look and feel of their homes and even their place of business. Colour can play different roles in our lives. Colour consultants will work with you to enhance moods and set the tone. They may tell you that warm tones are best for family rooms, where big windows let in the sunset, or that bright cheery colours may be best for a breakfast area. They help pick out colours for paint, accessories, even artwork for the walls, and help create a home that reflects the inhabitants’ taste and level of comfort.

If you need colour consulting services, please call 416 733-7767 or click here and a qualified colour consultant will help you with your colours.

We had the opportunity to talk with Sylvia O’Brien, colour consultant and creative director of Colour Theory.

ECOPAINTING: Sylvia, how do you help clients in choosing home colours?

SYLVIA O’BRIEN: Picking the right colour depends on many things…the architecture, furnishings, lighting, and most important… the inhabitants’ colour preferences and personal style. All these things are considered before starting the colour selections. We determine the best mix through questions and “clues”. The ideal results come from on-site consultation.

ECOPAINTING: Does the homeowner have a say in the colour choices?

SYLVIA O’BRIEN: Absolutely. We never go into a home and dictate paint colour! We don’t have enough information until we have talked (and listened) to the homeowner. We need to know how they want the space to feel… what works for them and what doesn’t. Above all, we have to know their colour preferences to find a palette that works for them. As I always tell my clients: ” You live here, I don’t. The paint colours must work for you…”

ECOPAINTING: What happens if you have a couple that don’t agree on colour?

SYLVIA O’BRIEN: Colour isn’t just visual, it’s emotional. Preferences come from many influences… positive or negative associations, exposure to trends, cultural influences. These differences can cause some conflict. We work with both clients to determine their individual preferences within about five minutes. This gives each “voice” a chance to be heard. We focus on colours that they both like that they have in common and build a palette around those colours. It’s a democratic process and it increases the comfort level with the paint colour choices. By the way, sometimes we have more than two clients in a home… the same process applies.

ECOPAINTING: How would someone contact you to book a colour consultation?

SYLVIA O’BRIEN: Anyone in the Toronto area can learn more by visiting our website http://www.colourtheory.net/

Colour is a powerful tool for designing a productive work environment. Planned right, the correct choices can maximize productivity, enhance employee creativity and even reduce stress and fatigue. Certain physiological changes occur in humans, when exposed to certain colours.

Choosing the right colour was very important for this Concord Ontario client. By creating big samples in this office, the staff was able to pick the right colours.

When RSA Insurance was rebranding their image, they decided to create a brand room to incorporate some of their new colours.

White can be used to give an open, spacious feeling to a smaller work area. Soft whites or “ff whites” are the best choice for the main wall colours in offices. Pure, stark white, used as the main colour, can create fatigue for the eyes and should be avoided. Pure white can be used for ceilings for light reflectivity or for doors, woodwork and trim for a crisp clean look.

Neutrals are soothing, safe and secure, and are a good choice for most office environments. Because they work well with other colours, they are a great choice for open space environment or offices spaces with glass partitions. In addition, neutrals are distant and will not interfere with the thought process. That makes them ideal for office areas used for clear thinking and concentration.

Green is one of the best colours to use in areas where the main goals are thinking and creativity, like classrooms. There is an ambundance of green shades, many found in nature, that can be used to stimulate thinking and promote states of balance and harmony

Bright colours like reds or oranges should only be used (sparingly) in areas where energy and motivation are needed. Their use should be limited to a highlight wall or accessories, pictures etc. as they can be very distracting.

There are other reasons, not limited to perception, that colour choice in an office environment is important. For instance: the colour of a room affects our perception of the temperature. There are tests that claim that people estimate the temperature of a room with cool colors, such as blues and greens, to be 6-10 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the actual temperature. Warm colors, such as reds and oranges, will result in a 6-10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer estimate.

Beyond the perception of the temperature, there are energy savings to be realized by using the right colours. Dark colours absorb more light and reflect less. Light colours absorb less and reflect more. As a result it is energy-wise to use light colours on the main walls with the ceilings to be white or “off white”.

In addition, branding, company culture and projecting a company image can have an effect on the colours used.

In any commercial situation, hiring a professional colour consultant can help with visual ergonomics and aesthetics and create a more positive and productive interior environment.

Ecopainting has been serving the needs of our Toronto commercial customers. Our experience makes us the GTA painters of choice for many businesses.

We also have access to professional colour consultants to help with assessing your work environment.

For colour help call 416 733-7767 or click here

After spending hours, driving from paint store to paint store, sorting through hundreds of colour chips, you have finally made your choice. The paint is mixed and you are ready to paint. You apply the colour, only to find out it is not the same as it was on that colour swatch in the paint store. Before you go back to the store and complain to the clerk, the culprit may be the light that your room is receiving.
It’s a proven fact that natural or artificial light will affect the final look of painted walls.

• South facing rooms receive the most natural light. Walls across the windows can be painted with darker colours as a dark colour will absorb more light and can be used to dull the effect of a very bright room. For the same reason, a light colour can look almost white. It may be a good idea to use a shade darker than the intended colour.
• North facing rooms receive considerably less light. Using lighter and warmer colours will compensate for that. White can look grey, especially on the window walls. Using a creamier white can help “warm it up”. If a darker colour has to be used, it will have less of an effect when used on a window wall.
• A room facing east will look brighter during the day when it gets a lot of sunlight. A west facing room will look dull in the morning but warm and bright in the afternoon.
• The architecture of a home, will affect the influence natural light has on colour. A bright, open space home can take advantage of the effect that natural lighting has on a colour scheme. At the same time, smaller homes with small windows will rely more on artificial lighting. Different types of artificial lighting have a different colours and their interaction with the painted walls have to be carefully considered.
• Incandescent lights have a warmer yellow effect.
• Fluorescent light produces a slightly blue colour.
• Halogen lighting is the closest to natural and it looks white.

After narrowing your choice to two or three colours, it’s a good idea to buy a litre of each colour and paint some “test patches” in the areas that they will be used in. Test areas should be on two or three walls in each room for a more real representation of the final result. Your painting contractor should be able to provide that service for a nominal charge. Your colour consultant can help with colour and how lighting would affect it.

To engage the services of a Colour Consultant in the Greater Toronto Area, call 416 733-7767 or click here to book a consultation

For painting services in the Toronto area call 416 733-7767 or click here to request a quote.