Colour Change

There are some things I don’t leave home without.  My keys, lip balm, kleenex, the ipad, and my Farrow & Ball paint colour brochure.   I love stumbling upon a cool colour at a restaurant, store or even somebody’s home. I’ll pull out my paint colour brochure and compare, sometimes make notes of reference, possibly take  a picture or two if my camera is handy. I then daydream about where I could foresee using that colour in my home.

I’ve painted every room in our house over the past 5 years (some rooms more than once due to a change in direction of my originally planned colour scheme).  I get inspiration from first hand viewing: magazines, home decorating stores, online searches, favourite fabric, nature, clothing, the list is endless. Painting is one of the easiest, cheapest ways to change the look of a room. You don't need to buy into the gimmicks and gadgets. A tray, roller, a good quality paintbrush, some tape and an edger is really all you need.

Not all paints are created equal. I am in love with the Farrow and Ball paint colours and have to admit that their water based, low VOC (volotile organic compound), eco friendly, natural pigment paints cover well and look stunning.  Though their in store staff seem a bit hoity toity, their paint truly rocks, but at $110/gallon, it's too rich for us. My second choice in terms of quality is Benjamin Moore.  They have a wide variety of colours, always adding more according to the yearly trends and their in store assistance is fantastic.  Natura is a new paint they're promoting as a better choice for the environment. The price? $60/gallon, not insane but not “cheap”. My third choice is to head over to our local Home Depot and choose their Behr brand (approx $35/gal) then ask them to tint it to match a chip on my Farrow and Ball paint brochure.  I get the colour I want at ⅓ the cost. Behr is working on reducing their environmental footprint, lowering their VOC’s in their interior paints in 2010.  

I've navigated away from the "beige" family lately, opting for grey tones instead. Below are some wall colours in our house right now.

Benny Moore
Timothy Green

Farrow & Ball
"Stony Ground" / "Radicchio"

Farrow & Ball
"Light Blue"

Benjamin Moor
"Collingwood"

Is this spring weather (that still requires mittens) getting you down? How about a change in the walls around you?  It’s amazing what change a little paint on a wall can make. Go for it!

Hmmm, those mittens are a nice aubergine colour, I wonder how that would look with my Farrow & Ball’s light blue?

Perfect!