Q. I am in the process of building a new home, and I am trying to choose colors for every room of the house. I picked up the fan deck from the Michelle Winick Color Collection, and the story boards with the color combinations, and I wanted to see what you recommend for a home with nothing but some tiles and cabinets in it? We do not have any furniture chosen yet. Where do I begin with color choice? What products are best for me? My children are young, and my current homes walls are a mess! Any suggestions you have will be greatly appreciated!
A. Congrats on building a brand new home! I work on a lot of new constructions and spec homes, and that is how I came up with the concept of the color collection-using usable, sophisticated colors that bring out the elements of all homes-stones, tiles, etc. The best thing to do is choose paint colors that allow you to bring in color with furniture later on. My recommendation is to start with the common areas, and then work your way out into the other spaces. A safe bet is to keep the foyer and hallways (common areas) a neutral color, and then branch off into other colors.
Start by choosing a color a palette you are comfortable with (mainly decide if you prefer browner neutrals, grayer neutrals or neutrals with a warmer tone). If you are bringing in a granite or stone in the kitchen that is predominately beige/brown, the neutrals are the best place to start. (MW-1, MW-2, MW-3 and MW-6 are usually tones that will be in a granite). If you are bringing in lets say a carrara marble with gray tones, then start with the serenity and earthy palette (MW-15, MW-16 and MW-21 are all great grays from my color collection). The warmth collection is great for warmer accents. Now that you have a color palette that works with the bones of your house (stones, tiles, etc), start to bring in deeper tones in those palettes into the living room, family room, etc. Those spaces are also great to keep somewhat neutral so you can bring in fabrics, etc.later on.
Once you have your palette for those spaces, start to bring in accent colors (greens, blues, etc.) perhaps into powder rooms, dining room, study, office, etc. Allow the palettes (neutrals, serenity, etc.) in the collection to guide you. The palettes of your choice will work together in harmony throughout your home from room to room. And don't forget about the coordinating trim and ceiling colors. Those trim and ceiling colors are what tie the whole space together!
Now as far as the paint itself is concerned, the Muralo Ultra is the "creme dela creme" of the paint industry. The Ultra Matte would be my recommendation for the walls. It is a durable finish, yet flat enough to hide imperfections in the walls (especially in new construction where nail pops and settling will occur). It is also scrubbable for those little fingerprints! For the trim I suggest the Muralo Ultra Semi-Gloss or Satin. The semi-gloss will be more of a shine than the satin, and that is just a matter of preference. For the ceiling, the Muralo Ultra Flat is the way to go. It is a dead flat, which is what you want for a ceiling to hide any imperfections due to the house settling, etc.
Good Luck and Happy Painting!
Fantastic blog and great advice
ReplyDelete