Chasing Rainbows and a feel good factor! My mind turned to the fact that here in England under the difficult times we are in. I have actually seen windows with a technicolour rainbows. Displaying their appreciation to the NHS and other care workers, it brought to the fore what we do with paint.
It gave a rising thought to how we choose the colours. We start off with the base making ready for that touch of colour. The preparation of sanding ,smoothing and filling and sanding again. If required perhaps two coats of pure white undercoat. To stop the underneath colour bleeding through and altering the top finished colour. You’ve made your plane canvas think about what you need to do next.
As a Designer that is how your mind visualises the space, before you choose. The light aspect of the room, does make a decision on depth of colour. Plus does it need to be a colour that reflects light making the room larger, aria and lighter. Or absorb light to tone down the bright light in the room giving a calmer feel.
You need at least three tones of colour to one room. Light, medium tone, dark and also use a highlighter within the area space. Now it’s going to be your choice where you use these colours. Of course one of these is going to be the walls also the paintwork.
Chasing Rainbows: You will be using Emulsion , Satin, Matt, in some situations Eggshell, or High gloss, paints.
Now it’s choosing your product, you can get the lower end of the market. The tin that give’s you a strip of colour on the outside. Sort of an indication of what’s actually inside. But no idea to what it’s actually going to be on the wall. You may be lucky after half a dozen test pots of trying it on. The wall to actually finding the right one. You may have tried to look at it on a colour chart and you have about as much luck as before.
There is one make that is fabulous for us and makes our life really easy. Little Green, a UK based producer the difference that they do. The paint chart is quite unique all the little colour samples are actually real paint. What a difference when you’ve chosen the correct colour. You now know with confidence you can match all your other things to this. Now of course you can visualise the end result but your client may not. But at least you’ve only got one paint pot to choose and test out. And this of course will give added confidence to your client that they actually know, you know what you’re doing.
A bonus as well you only need a couple of coats normally to cover. Even some of the higher end other products need more than two coats. To get the depth of colour it may need three coats.
This also keeps the cost down you haven’t got another layer of paint. To put on plus the decorators fee for a whole room to be redecorated a third time.
Little Green covers Heritage colours for the National Trust. There is a collection for Georgian or Victorian or perhaps 50s, but they also go in to shade is in a very big way.
Now when you are tiring them up with your soft furnishings. Or upholstery even the carpeting, what you see is what you get.
I always use Little Green paints for my for my clients and I find them the best. Now Start chasing rainbows and a good feel factor for your clients creating their environment.
Jayne.
Ps: Also have a look at Helping you create the atmosphere by Lighting The Way.