Bedroom Wall Paint Color Tips

First, whether you choose the wall colors or you let your client choose and you design around them there are really no wrong choices. Even if your customer has no sense of the color wheel or complementary colors, you can get a sense of their goals for the room. If they choose lighter colors, maybe they want the space to look bigger. If they choose reds or earth tones, maybe they want to give it a warmer feel.

In any case, try some of the following to help get that personal sense from your customers for bedroom paint colors.

1. Ask them to Check Magazines and Social Media – Knowing what they like prefer can give you a clear direction for color choices. If they don’t know what they want or aren’t sure, ask your customers to browse magazine racks and social media to find things they like. As you know, Pinterest has become the online go-to place for decorating inspiration. Even let them in on some of the sites you use for ideas.
2. How Big is the Bedroom? – If it’s a smaller room, then lighter colors, like Benjamin Moore paint’s Palladian Blue, might be the way to go. Large bedrooms have the option of being made cozier with darker colors, either throughout the room or in a reading nook.
3. How Bright is the Room? Hand-in-hand with the room size is the brightness of the room. A small room with lots of natural light can tolerate somewhat darker colors, or bright accent colors, more than a small room with less light.

If you liked this post, check out our recent article on the interior design guidleine that will help you choose paint colours for any room.

The post 3 Tips for How to Pick Bedroom Paint Colors appeared first on The Paint People.

An Overview of the Colour Trends 2019

Before we get to our favourites, the 2019 colour trend palette represents a bit of a shift from colour trends of recent years. This is especially true of the colour of the year. The 2017 (Shadow) and 2018 (Caliente) colours of the year were bold, even emotive colours and their respective palettes reflected that.

As much as we loved the recent palettes, the 2019 colour trends are a welcome transition. We find the paint colors in the new palette to be comforting, composed and effortlessly refined. In her assessment of Metropolitan AF-690, the 2019 colour of the year, Ellen O’Neill, Benjamin Moore Director of Strategic Design Intelligence, sums it up nicely.

“Metropolitan AF-690 emanates nuance, harmony, and extravagant ease. Always adaptable, it softens to matte or shimmers with sheen. It’s neutral. It’s composed. It just is. This is colour, off-duty.”

Our Favourites from Benjamin Moore’s 2019 Colour Trends

First, we feel Metropolitan is an understated yet glamorous gray, but since we’ve covered it already, we’ll leave off the list below.

1. Metropolitan – This understated, yet glamorous gray creates a soothing atmosphere that is neither arresting nor aggressive, with cool undertones.
2. Beau Green – We thought we’d jump to the other end of the palette to Metropolitan with this bold, saturated green. It’s perfect for an accent wall in the living room, home theatre or family room.
3. Head Over Heels – This color is a neutral shade and adds staying power of the pink trend that’s been with us for over a decade.
4. Pashmina – As luxurious as the fine cashmere wool for which it is named, Pashmina creates a soothing, impactful ambiance.

If you liked this post, check out our recent article on Benjamin Moore’s colour of the year for 2019 – Metropolitan.

The post The Benjamin Moore 2019 Colour Trends We’re Most Excited About appeared first on The Paint People.

Stay Ahead of the Design Trends Curve

Even if you follow your own design instincts and direction, it always helps to know what’s happening on the street. It can help you develop your own ideas, or show you what you want to avoid.

5 Interior Design Trends for 2019

Without further ado, here are the design trends we’ve identified for 2019.

1. Benjamin Moore Paint Colour of the Year – The richness of recent Benjamin Moore Colours of the Year, including 2018’s Caliente and 2017’s Shadow, made then well suited for accent walls. But the 2019 Colour of the Year, Metropolitan AF-690, will work in entire living rooms, bedrooms or even whole-house applications.
2. Floral Patterns – Whether it’s in the fabric of a piece of furniture, or on the wall in paper designs, floral patterns are so 2019. And we mean just about anything floral, from subdued tones as a backdrop to bold colour patterns as a focal point.
3. Bold Backsplashes – While the black and white kitchen is in the midst of a long run of popularity, it’s time to open up more opportunities for colour and patterns. The backsplash is it.
4. Millennial Pink & Emerald Green Are Out for Whole Rooms – Don’t get us wrong, we love millennial pink and emerald green. But they seem to have been part of ‘interior design trends’ since the start of the century. Time to change all that. They’ll make great accent colours in a Metropolitan-coloured room.
5. Get Acrylic – From furniture to kitchen countertops, acrylics are on the rise. Clear acrylic furniture is popular for smaller places, like all those downtown Toronto condos. And newer resins make acrylic countertops durable enough to be an option in the kitchen.

Curious to find out more about Metropolitan AF-690? Check out our last blog post Introducing Benjamin Moore’s Colour of the Year for 2019.

The post 2019 Interior Design Trends Your Clients Will Love appeared first on The Paint People.

Except that moment may be contributing to your day-to-day stress like anything else.

You might not realize it, but elements of your interior décor can contribute to your feelings of stress, even anxiety.

3 Ways Your Interior Décor May Cause Stress

It can happen in the nicest of homes, with lots of space and what are otherwise considered great decorating ideas. Whether it’s the decorating mix, or due to the passage of time, the following can contribute to your feelings of stress at home.

1. Unintentional Clutter – Let’s start with an example. Gallery walls are very popular. Whether you combine works of art, family photos, and mementos, or an eclectic mix of things, when you’re done, it looks great.
   But, as time goes on, things like galleries walls or curio cabinets can actually become over-stimulating. This is especially true in our always connected and communicating world.
   To avoid unintentional clutter, try to give everything in your décor a bit of breathing room and balance.
   
2. You Over-Cooked it with Popular Paint Colours – We all like to have the latest décor trends, like those in wall paints. But those colours, like Benjamin Moore’s colours of the year, aren’t always meant to be used wholesale throughout the room or house. They will look great when you first use them. But the bolder colours can get ‘in your face’ after a while. And even lighter colours, and a lighter, texture-less, minimal décor, can be sleek on the first appearance, but too much so to be comfortable in the long run.
   
3. There’s No Green – Want to break up the intensity of a bold colour? Want to add warmth to your light, minimalist look? Add some greenery. And take as much time with fitting them into your décor as you would with any other part of the décor. If you have a green thumb, great. If you don’t, choose hardier varieties that can withstand abuse while you learn how to keep everything healthy. Plants dying all around you can be stress-inducing too.

If you want to learn more about paint colours and your décor, call or visit your nearest The Paint People location.

The post Stressed Out? Your Interior Décor Could be the Culprit appeared first on The Paint People.

But to really add romance to a room, it takes more of an overall approach to the design and décor, versus just dimming the lights and putting on Barry White.

Choose muted colours and patterns

Regardless of how romantic you make a room, it’s not really so until someone’s in it. If that certain someone disappears in a sea of strong colours or busy patterns, let’s just say some of the romance will be lost.
Starting with wall paint colors, including Benjamin Moore’s Pink Bliss, or their Marilyn’s Dress, stick to neutral palettes and minimal patterns.

Have Elements of Vintage, Antiques and/or Natural Wood

It takes time for something to be imbued with romance. That doesn’t mean your entire room must look like a Victorian parlour, but touches like an ornate chandelier, copper accessories or even a hardwood floor in a lighter stain can do the trick.

Be Versatile with Your Lighting

Just slapping a dimmer onto the overhead light in the bedroom won’t be enough. Think about all the different ways the room can be lit to set a mood, including things like indirect lighting and pot lighting, and give yourself all the options. That way, regardless of anything else in the room, it can be made to suit the mood.

Mix Design Styles

Typically, décor styles, like contemporary, industrial or scandinavian, generally mean sticking to the colours fabrics and designs of that style. But ‘romantic’ isn’t really a design style. It’ll take a different combination of elements in your home than it will in anyone else’s home.

If you’re looking for paint colour or décor suggestions for any style of room, stop by The Paint People and let’s chat.

The post How to Give Your Home A More Romantic Décor appeared first on The Paint People.

But considering the deep freeze we endured this past winter, you may need an even bigger fix of summer. And you can get it by bringing some of the summer’s natural, easy-going paint shades to your interior colours and wall paints.

The bonus is, if next winter is another cold one, you’ll still be surrounded by summer! Here are just a few paint shades and interior course you can use to bring summer inside this year.

1. The Calm Light of the Forest

In the brightest, sunny day, the forest is still mellow. If you have bright rooms, you can keep the mellow mood with walls in Benjamin Moore’s Kelp Forest Green.

2. Lighter with Limestone and Hampton Green

What if you have the opposite problem and want to lighten a room by reflecting more of the sun’s light, without using the harsh glare of white. Benjamin Moore’s Limestone is bright but relaxed. And it is nicely complemented with Hampton Green, which offers interesting contrast without any harshness.

3. Freshness & Youth

Just like the flavour, Benjamin Moore’s Spearmint Ice is cool and refreshing. It’s the perfect backdrop for denim blues and slate greys. If you’re looking for lively splashes of colour, accent the room with white, chartreuse and lime. This paint shade is like an endless summer!

If you’re looking to get more summer shades for your home’s decor, call or visit The Paint People. You can take advantage of our Creative Haus Designs colour consultation services to add summer to your existing decor or come up with the palette for a new renovation.

The post Some Summer Paint Shades for Inside Your Home appeared first on The Paint People.

Chalkboard paint is an economical and easy paint product to utilize for a wide variety of purposes and places. Any wall in your home can be transformed with the power of paint, but chalkboard paint brings a whole new level of texture and creativity to a seemingly boring surface.

While an entire room in chalkboard paint might be overwhelming, take to small sections of the home where artistic ability can be injected. A chalkboard area in the foyer can be an inviting way of welcoming guests, and it’s also a great way to instantaneously share the wifi password. The kitchen, on the other hand, is the heart of the home, and a perfect place for family members to convey messages, schedules and that item you forgot on the last grocery run! Similarly, an office area is a useful place for a chalkboard wall to stay inspired and organized. To top it off, kids’ rooms and playrooms are always a wonderful choice for chalkboard walls, where little ones don’t get reprimanded for drawing on the walls and they have an outlet for their constantly evolving creativity.

Paint, in any form, is commonly categorized for walls, yet paint can be painted onto virtually anything! When we broaden our idea of how and what it can be used for, we can generate truly unique design character. Why limit chalkboard paint to walls, the ceiling is a perfectly low traffic area to create a more permanent work of art. The chalkboard on walls, conversely, can be treated before or after the chalkboard paint has been applied. Try employing a magnetic paint first, with a top coat of chalkboard paint to creates a multi-utility board. Alternatively, after the chalkboard coat is dried, it can be further decorated with framed prints, and hollowed frames to create a drawing or message box! Furniture and cabinetry can make for creative surfaces as well, but consider the use and durability, and be sure to prep well.

Ultimately, the greatest feature of modern day chalkboard paint is the colour choice! Long gone are the days when chalkboard paint was restricted to professor green or boring black. Benjamin Moore’s Chalkboard Paint can be tinted to almost any colour!  This feature opens the design possibilities, to as a design tool for both functionality and aesthetic. Generally, darker colours will perform better under white coloured chalk than on a lighter hue. Whether it’s a freehand painted shape in the kids’ room or a message board in the hallway, these 7 Benjamin Moore paint colours are sure to make for dynamic chalkboard walls!

• 2050-20 Dollar Bill Green – Nevertheless, the professors’ chalkboard colour is a classic, and enhances vintage charm!
• 2121-10 Gray – A perfectly neutral backdrop to highlight crisp white chalk lines.
• 2076-20 Royal Flush – An exuberant and pleasing pink for a dose of feminine character!
• 2131-30 Lead Gray – A sophisticated and mature approach, while effectively injecting a bit of colour.
• 2171-10 Navajo Red – This energetic, yet clean-cut burnt red is sure to inspire creative action!
• 2067-30 Twilight Blue – A refreshingly invigorating, yet urban indigo blue is the ideal splash of colour!
• 2112-40 Stone – A neutral gray that looks unified with currently trendy grays.

Sometimes the best colour of all, is not implementing contrast, but extending the same colour of the room throughout. By creating the chalkboard wall the same colour as the room, it establishes a seamless space, with a dual-purpose wall.

Just like that, you can turn any wall and virtually any surface, into a chalkboard, all comprising of limitless colour options!

The post Make Any Wall a Creative Space with Chalkboard Paint appeared first on The Paint People.

Comfy, functional and attractive furniture. “Many of us don’t have both a formal living room and a casual family room, so the family room usually does double duty,” says Grech. “Since it’s the place to bond with your kids and also welcome guests, select pieces that are versatile, like a large coffee table with storage inside or underneath for magazines, board games or movies. If you have children, a classic armoire or built-in storage wall works well to hide toys and clutter when guests come over. A sectional sofa is the latest trend that’s chic but also very comfortable with more seating options, making it perfect for large families and gatherings.”

Inviting family room colours. Select paint colours that help everyone unwind. Soft greys and blues are very welcoming and soothing, encouraging people to relax and unwind. “Try Wythe Blue HC-143 or Nimbus Grey 2131-50 for wonderful options that can be kicked up a notch with accent pieces in bold pops of colour, says Grech. You can also try a soft green, such as Salisbury Green HC-139, or a calming violet like Porcelain 2113-60. For living rooms, I often recommend Benjamin Moore Aura in an eggshell finish is great for both durability and colour vitality.”

The right layout. These days, families are doing much more than watching TV in their family rooms. If you can divide your space and create either a cozy nook for reading, using a laptop, or a play area, the whole family can spend time together in one space, while doing the things they love to do. Centering the furniture in the room and keeping it away from the edges creates a more intimate feeling in the space, while also allowing you to use the back of the couch as a room divider. A neat decorating trick for parents with little kids is to incorporate a bold focal point such as a large, colourful piece of art to help draw guests’ attention away from those places you don’t want them to notice.

www.newscanada.com

The post Versatile Rooms for Today’s Modern Families appeared first on The Paint People.

Even in interior décor, gray has carved itself a niche as an understated, yet modern and elegant backdrop for any colour of the palette. And that may be its biggest advantage. It has the versatility of white (goes with anything), but it’s more interesting, and it doesn’t limit the rest of your décor’s colour choices , like other neutrals do.

So it was a complete surprise when we found none other than Architectural Digest (AD) touting gray as an exterior paint colour. Similar to our take above on the versatility of gray inside the home, AD has this to say about gray on the outside.

“Gray paint can exude elegance or make a strong statement. Gray also looks amazing on a number of architectural types.”

But, considering that most of the homes in and around Toronto use white as a way to highlight exterior features of the home, like doors, windows and brick work, it might take a bit of doing to make the leap to gray.

AD suggests some of the following considerations when choosing gray for your exterior paint colour.

1. Think about how it will look with the landscape of your yard.
2. The direction your home faces will affect the shade of gray. The same shade on a north-facing home will look much darker than it will on a south-facing home.
3. Paint a test area on a side of the house that gets both sun and shade to see how the colour will look in all kinds of light.

AD asked the top paint manufacturers to tell them what were their most popular gray exterior colours. Benjamin Moore’s ‘Storm’ AF-700 is the first one listed. AD says, “taking a cue from its namesake, Storm is strong gray. The Benjamin Moore shade contrasts beautifully with black and softer shades of gray.”

To learn more about how to make gray work for your home’s exterior, stop in to see us or call us here at The Paint People.

The post Great Grays for Exterior Paint Colours appeared first on The Paint People.

But painting and decorating your house or apartment in pink is still not something that even the most dedicated lovers of pink dare to do – unless you try some of the following tips for making pink part of your décor without worrying that it will be, well, too pink.

1. Use Lighter Shades on Walls

Yes, you’ll certainly make an impression if all your walls are all ‘hot’ pink. But if you paint them in subtler shades of pink, it can add a backdrop of playful colour for the neutral solids and patterns on your furniture.

2. Pick a Feature and Go for It

No, we’re not going to tell you to just use ‘subtle’ shades. If nothing but the hottest, bubblegummiest pink will satisfy your craving, pick a feature, like a bedroom door, bookcase or couch pillows and make them as pink as you dare.

3. Put it in Your Artwork & Accessories

This can become an ongoing way to keep giving yourself a fix for your pink obsession. Start looking for artwork and/or accessories, like a beautiful pink flamingo sculpture, that let you indulge in the colour without overwhelming anyone with it.

4. Choose Your Palette Carefully

If pink used to have a bad rep in home decorating, it’s because people tended to go over the top with it by making everything pink. But you can actually make the pink areas of your décor stand out even more by using them in the right color palletes.

Pink shows up well in combination with light and dark grays, dark blues, earthy browns, taupes and even aquas.

To learn more about how to indulge your love of pink – and still keep all your friends – call or visit us here at The Paint People.

The post How to Indulge Your Love of Pink in Your Home Decor appeared first on The Paint People.