So the final coats of paint are going up in my house as we speak. And since this is my business, I am confident that the colours I chose are right. And as each room gets completed I am filled with happiness.
So it got me to thinking. How on earth could anyone watch paint colours going up in their own home without being clear and confident that those colours are right?
Bad colour is very upsetting. I only specified crown molding in my living/dining room because I wanted to paint the ceiling blue and it looks way better defined with molding and you know what happened? The illusion of the blue ceiling made my crown look completely different (way creamier) from the rest of the casings. So it’s being painted AGAIN. But I know exactly what to do when that happens because I’ve seen it before. (pics coming soon)
You’ve never heard the words ‘It’s only paint’ on this blog because it’s soooo not just paint. It’s colour, and colour that’s wrong in many homes is VERY expensive to fix. What about trim colour ALONE? A fortune to change if it’s wrong and your house is big. But I digress.
I got out to my renovation-in-progress-house on Friday after being away in New York for Blogfest for most of the week and Elizabeth said ‘William is counting the days until you move to Yarrow’.
So when I saw him I said “how many days until we move?” And he said Four!!
I said “How do you know it’s four days?”
He said “Because we count all day“.
My sister said “it’s true, about every hour he mentions it”.
This, my lovelies is the biggest reason why driving into Vancouver a couple times a week from the country will be so worth it for me. I get to be close to my nephews whom I love so much!!
So get some advice before you paint. Colour on the biggest square footage in your home that is wrong will BUG you until the end of time!! Take this from me the NEW homeowner. yaay!
There’s 2 more spaces left in my True Colour Expert Workshop in Toronto June 6, 7 & 8. The room is a little bigger than we thought so we can take a couple more!
Related posts:
Colour Costs the Same as Pretty
Why You Can’t Afford not to Hire a Colour Expert
The 3 Most Important Words in a Colour Consultation
Download my eBook, . How to Choose Paint Colours: It’s All in the Undertones to learn what you didn’t get in Colour Theory.
If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me.
To make sure the undertones in your home are right, get some large samples!
If you would like to learn to how choose the right colours for your home or for your clients, become a True Colour Expert.
Yarrow! I didn’t know you were moving that far out! That’s more my neck of the woods from back in the day. You’ll love it!
You are so right, Maria. Unfortunately I had a colour consultant recommend a neutral for the majority of my house that turned my house pink! She also recommended a white for the ceiling, doors and trims that just wasn’t right. I was too afraid to question because I wasn’t the “expert”. If only I had known then what I know now! 5 years of interiors research and self-education (blogs, mags etc) later, we are now slowly repainting the whole lot. Such a waste of money and time! Love your blog, Maria, I’m learning so much. If you lived in Australia I’d have you over for a consult in a heartbeat!
Hey Kristi – I too am in Australia (Darwin) and ditto – I would happily have Maria for a consult. Would also love some recommendations on Dulux colours instead of the Benjamin Moore paint colours that we can’t get here.
I remember painting a living room, dining room and hallway a lovely sage green, just to wake up in the morning and realize it was wrong, wrong, wrong. Waited a day to let it cure and repainted. Not really too expensive as it was only a couple of gallons of paint, but so time consuming as I had to do double the work.
Have always done the painting myself – love the instant gratification!!
Maria, I think it’s that some people just don’t know what is good and what is bad. It’s only when you know then is really bugs you! My friends have three beautiful paintings (part of a series) hung on one wall in their home and these paintings are mounted so far apart they look like they “hate” one another. It bugs me every time I lay eyes on them. If I could show my friends before and after maybe they would “see” differently………..maybe???
Linda V, why don’t you just ask your friend if she has ever thought about hanging her artwork series together as a group instead of having them hang separately? This would be a good non-confrontational way to start a dialog.
Hi Ellen they are hung as a group (sort of) but there is too much space between each one. Have done what you suggested in the past, but they seem to be happy with them as placed………..so it’s me with the problem!
Doctors have to bury their mistakes. Aren’t we lucky that we can just paint over ours?
Linda V above is so right, people just do not know or understand how wrong their wall colour is… I see it everyday and have to work around the wrong colour because they are not changing it no matter what I say…
I can’t wAit to see your colors. And you’re so right of course! Bad color hurts.
Look forward to seeing the colours you’ve chosen – and meeting you next week in Toronto!
Your nephew is adorable – totally worth the move to Yarrow! I”m looking forward to seeing what colours you have painted your new home.
If you are using white subway tile in your kitchen, what color grout are you using?
Maria– How exciting! it must feel wonderful to see the paint go up.
Loretta
Once I painted my bedroom what I thought was a soft yellow, NOT! After painting one wall it was obvious that it was WAY too bright. Had to run to the paint store and tone it down. That taught me a big lesson re: yellows.
Maria, I’m so excited for you!! I can’t wait to see all the “after” pictures, even if they take a while. (And they may. We designers are our own toughest clients, don’t you think?!) Where can I get a t-shirt that reads, “BAD COLOUR IS UNACCEPTABLE, Love, Maria”
?? Good luck w/ the move!
I can’t wait to see your photos either. And I’m so glad you commented about it not being “just color” – it’s a very expensive choice and one that you don’t want to have do over again anytime soon if you can avoid it. The more I search for new homes on real estate websites, the more I saw “ackkk….pinky beige or why did they choose that color with that terrible rug” – and the window treatments. That’s a whole other comment! And so nice that you’ll be close to your nephews – mine are growing up so quickly and I’d love to live closer to them one day.
Maria, I got advice from a paint expert and I’m still not sure about the color. I have creamy white cabinets in my kitchen and a medium brown granite called Golden Leaf. The expert recommended BM Nantucket Gray. It seems to work with the granite, but I’m afraid it will make my kitchen too dark. How do I know if the color will look right? I’d like an English or French style kitchen.