The Rural Voice, 2004-03, Page 41Home Decorating
Choosing a colour that suits boo
Patti
Robertson
operates
Classic
Interiors in
Wingham.
By Patti Robertson
Colour — and the selection of such
— has the power to drive most people a
little bonkers!
I get more requests for assistance
with selecting colours for the home
than any other element. Walls,
flooring, drapery, furnishings, lamps
and accessories all come into play
with the process and more times than
not is a very overwhelming process.
Often the caller is in quite an uproar.
More times than not they've already
painted it a chosen colour only to
discover it's not working and are in a
conundrum as to why. Next comes the
question "Is it in style? I'd really like
to make a statement and be in style!"
1 always counter with: "being in
style can be a real money trap. Let's
see what's the best for your room and
entire home and purposely select
what's best in colouration. What is
going to be the most stylish selection
that will work with what you already
have?"
The process for getting your home's
"best colour hue" is not difficult and
can easily be adopted by you for an
almost fail -proof solution. Always
assess what you have, what you must
work with. Make a list if necessary
and a sample collection of the colours,
textures and patterns involved to assist
with the final selection.
Carefully analyze your furniture,
flooring, artwork, etc. and then look
out in to the other rooms within view
and see what predominant colours
they are sporting. All this comes into
play. Often 1 walk from room to room
to get the full effect of the home and
whether there needs to be more or Tess
colour involved.
We always need to be steadfastly
aware that "just because a colour is
new ... does not mean it's the best
choice for you." This is a big one
Especially if one is trying to keep
abreast of the latest fashion trends.
Often selecting the newest hue can
throw the entire flow of a home out of
whack, effectively causing the
homeowner a lot of grief in expended
cash to balance out the effect. If you
are budgeting and just want an update,
very rarely is "what's in style" the
perfect choice.
Another fascinating fact is the
power that colour can play on our
psyche. Colour has been proven to
affect our health, moods and
motivation. Purposely choosing a
colour that perks us up and empowers
us can be the perfect solution to
turning any house into the home of
our dreams, enveloping us in warmth
and security.
So choosing colour can be a chore.
Once you have reckoned with what
you have and what you must work
with, start the colour selection process
by analyzing all your possibilities and
then consciously from this process
choose what appeals to you the most.
The clue here is often that you'll catch
yourself smiling at the thought of that
colour being present. In effect you
will be visualizing it on the walls.
Now proceed to the paint store and
pick up all the chips with the colours'
tonal values that appeal to you. Make
sure you have a rounded selection of
both lighter and darker values to
choose from. Back home tape each
individual colour onto your wall and
let the process begin. Stand back and
look at the selection. Look at all your
bits and pieces in conjunction to the
colour. Look at the colour in all
lighting situations, morning, noon and
night. Open the draperies. close the
draperies. Narrow your choice down
as a colour falls short and no longer
appeals to you. Take your time.
Once you've narrowed your choice
down to what appears to be the
favourite, have this colour made up
into a litre of paint. Paint a three foot
by three foot sample board in your
colour choice. Now use your large
board to effectively "test drive" the
colour and discover if it's perfect for
your home's decor. This process can
take a week but is ultimately cost
effective and fool proof. This is a
great technique for choosing
colourations both on the interior and
exterior of our homes.
So, what's in style? Let me tell you
that realty is enough to drive us right
around the bend. There is a boy of
lime green and tangerine tints and
tones. Hot pink and passion purples
are available. We're still being offered
hot salsa oranges and Moroccan reds
and all tints and tones of taupe. and it,
ever so natural nature spinoffs. Blue i•
working its way onto the scene and
don't overlook grey which is punm_
in an appearance. It's all out there.
Just browse through the old v all
covering book or fabric sample howl.
and you'll get a pretty good s_y m ps s
of the mind-boggling range.
Personally my preference has
always been to purposefully .elect tr,,
colouration that trill update my thorn,
with the most tailored and Jas.',
appeal. Blending and hai inoninng
with all the other demi:its at play
within the home. not o‘er.hadowm,_
anything of importance In this case I
effectively add a dash (II class IN ithout
a considerable amountof cash .. and
that makes nye smile!O
PATTI ROBERTSON'S
o?
eiassic
nferiurs
Unique Residential and
Commercial Interiors
135 Victoria St., WINGHAM
357-2872
• Custom-made Window
Fashions, Bedspreads
& Accessories
• Fine Domestic &
Imported Fabrics
• Select Wallcouerings
• Furnishings, Lighting
& Artwork to suit
any interior...
MARCH 2004 37