Paint manufacturers, like PARA Paints, are always working on ways to help consumers achieve success with wall colour. Recently, I received a press release from PARA Paints about a new tool to help consumers achieve a successful tri-colour look.
The folks at PARA say achieving a tri-colour look with any décor is simple. The rule of thumb is to select a primary hue -- or main wall colour -- which should take up about 70 per cent of colour in your room. Next, choose two supporting hues to complement the primary colour. Use one of those hues as your secondary colour -- for trim or an individual wall -- covering about 25 per cent of colour in your room. The final colour should be applied on accents, window sills or doors to highlight the remaining five per cent.
To help consumers select the most suitable three colours for their décor, PARA Paints has introduced a handy colour selection tool with the launch of its new website at www.para.com. Visitors to the site can simply click on their favourite primary colour and PARA automatically suggests two supporting colours which best suit that choice.
I'm all for free advice, especially when it can save you time and money so I thought I'd pass this information along. The more you play with colour, the better at it you become.
Popular three-colour combinations for 2008 include:
* Midnight blue supported by off-white and turquoise, such as PARA Paints' Blue Suede Shoes (P1910-5), Rice Paper (P2225-4) and Barbizon Blue (P1603-3);
* Steel blue highlighted with gold and cream, such as PARA Paints' Flagstone (P2264-2), Robertson House Gold Tint 3 (P2060-2) and Almost Ivory (P1830-4);
* Rich red complemented by cream and deep orange, such as PARA Paints' Elderberry (P2038-8-5), Wild Phlox (P2047-4) and Copper Nugget (P2376-3);
* Soft gray accented by deep red and brown-red, such as PARA Paints' Greyed Pearl (P2208-4), Blaze of Red (P329-8) and Rich Russet (P392-8).
There are other paint manufacturers whose websites have handy tools to help you in your desire for a colourful décor. While the tools aren't perfect, they do give you a fair idea of how a room might look with any chosen colour from their palette. Other tools like paint calculators will help you determine how much paint you'll need for your project. There are also tips on how to prep the work area and how to paint properly -- very basic stuff but still worth noting. Check out ICI paints which manufactures paints like Glidden, CIL and Color You World, each brand having its own website and tools.
Benjamin Moore has a website tool that has several rooms to choose from which you can 'paint' on line. The Personal Colour Viewer tool is a great way to play with wall and ceiling colour. There are a variety of different rooms to choose from so you're bound to find one similar to a room in your home. You can then paint the walls, ceiling and trim to find the exact combination you desire. With any of these online programs, you want to choose a room that is closest to the room you'll be painting and make note of the furniture in the virtual rooms. Often, the furniture will be white, which will make most any wall colour pop. If your furniture is dark, however, the outcome might not be as positive. Just keep these things in mind when you're playing with colour.
Designer paints
I'm not one who is hung up on designer labels but I did recently use Debbie Travis paint for a small project and found it to be of great quality. Her paint is available at Canadian Tire and the colour choices are very up-to-date and fresh. I found the prices to be quite reasonable considering it's a designer paint. Her website debbietravis.canadiantire.ca has one of the best design tools I've found so far. Simply click on a room and your choice of wall colour and it will paint the room and give you a great visual of your colour choices. This program had the most realistic looking colour of any that I tried. I also love the fact that she is a Canadian talent. Her bathroom accessory line (also at Canadian Tire) is a big hit with consumers as well. I like the fact that you can buy small pots of Debbie Travis paint to do a test area before you make your final colour decision.
Designer Ralph Lauren has his own paint brand that, while pricey, can be used to create some wonderful finishes. With lines of colour with names like Urban Loft and thoroughbred you get a sense of the high end tastes of this designer. The Create Your Own tool on the website www.ralphlaurenhome.com allows you to play with his wall colours in several different preset rooms. It also gives you a great visual of choices of wall colour. This is a good place to play with colour before you actually take the plunge. You can order small test samples of paint online to try the colour out before you take the plunge with the final paint choice. Ralph Lauren paints are available at Home Depot.
I spent a lot of time on the Internet looking into these sites and at how helpful they can be. It's worth an afternoon if you're having trouble choosing wall colour. You'll get inspired to try something more daring if you can see it in a virtual room. I like the fact that some sites allow you to put colour on the ceiling. This option allows you to ponder a more beautiful and exciting outcome.
coliver@3web.net
