Home decorating inspiration?

[aprilcait]

We''ll be moving soon and I''m looking for some home decorating inspiration (for paint colors, primarily). I know interior design magazines can be great, and I checked out Behr''s website and Pottery Barn''s. Any tips as to other online painting inspiration sources?

 

[gailrmv]

Here are some things that helped me:

- Order catalogues from furniture stores you like - my favorites are PB, Restoration Hardware, Crate and Barrell, Ethan Allen, and my absolute favorite Room and Board!

- Some stores will give you free design help if you purchase from them - my friend did that with great results.

- Start with an inspiration piece, like a picture, rug, bedspread, etc, and pick your color scheme around that.

- Take your time. It is tempting to buy a bunch of stuff right away but you might regret it later. Tackle one room at a time and try to have fun!

- Paint is awesome - a gallon is about $30 and totally remakes a room. Once you learn how it is easy!

ETA I see you are mostly asking about paint, here are more thoughts:

Buy the sample (a few $$) and test a small area first, can save a lot of time (learn from my mistake - took me a while to figure this out!) Sometimes colors look different on the wall than in the chip, more often than not I would say.

Think about what rooms you will see from what other rooms and make sure those colors flow OK. Think about the general mood and function of those rooms and how you want the color to enhance that (light and breezy? formal? casual? comfortable?)

Good luck!!!

 

[pennquaker09]

I''m not getting paid for this, but Benjamin Moore makes the BEST PAINT EVER. Looking at mags and catalogs is a great idea, but the first thing you want to do is figure out what you want your room(s) to look like and what kind of feel you want them to have.

Let me ask, are you getting new furnishings? Paint is pretty much the last thing that you want to select, because you want to pick your color (or colors) from the things going into a room. Like, a certain fabric might have a color that would coordinate well with everything, Or an area rug

This pretty much my thing, so I''m willing to help in any way that I can. I''m extremely familiar with Benjamin Moore paints, and from there have knowledge of Valspar, Pittsburgh, Pratt and Lambert, Ellen Kennen, and Sherwin Williams. I''m not really fond of Behr and I flat out hate Olympic. Other than Ellen Kennon, I''d probably tell you to have whatever color (or colors) that you choose color matched by a Benjamin Moore dealer.

What''s you style?

 

[aprilcait]

TanDogMom: Thanks for the paint sample suggestion! That''s one I''ll definitely use.

Pennquaker: We won''t be getting more furniture for a while so the place will be pretty bare for a bit. (We''re moving from a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condo to a 4 bedroom/2.5 bathroom house.) I would wait to paint until the house is all furnished but who knows when that will be... and I must admit I''m a bit impatient to slap some color on the walls (they''re white now) seeing as I''ve been living with white walls in our rented condo for 1.5 years.

So, I''m thinking neutrals would be the main focus however I don''t want a whole house painted in one or two colors... a little variety would be nice. That''s why I''m looking for a bit of inspiration.

 

[gailrmv]

hi AprilCait!
I have never used Benjamin Moore but I know PennQuaker knows what he is talking about having been in the industry and having a beautiful home himself (pics on pricescope!)
I also want to say that I''ve had great luck with Sherwin Williams Superpaint. I always used to paint with the brands from Lowes and Home Depot (Behr I think) and they are fine, but I needed two coats. When I tried the Superpaint it only required one coat, which is a huge timesaver. That''s what I always buy now.

Sometimes you can get a paint chip booklet from the paint stores that have 4 or 5 different, but coordinating colors. If you can find one that you like, then you have a palette and don''t have to worry about whether things will match. I agree with Penn though that if you can get your fabrics, rugs, drapes etc, it is easier to match the paint to them than the other way around. I know you want to paint ASAP and I don''t blame you, but it may be frustrating later if you can''t find a bedspread to match your paint etc. Maybe if you pick things that are unlikely to get discontinued you can paint now, and buy your stuff later. Or at least pick your general color scheme with the other stuff in mind

I love neutral but non-white paint. Most of my house is currently a very light tan. One room is a few shades darker of that same color. Another room is brown, and two other rooms are light green. I love green in houses. I have a few more rooms I want to paint!

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 7/3/2008 10:53:26 AM
Author: aprilcait
TanDogMom: Thanks for the paint sample suggestion! That''s one I''ll definitely use.


Pennquaker: We won''t be getting more furniture for a while so the place will be pretty bare for a bit. (We''re moving from a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condo to a 4 bedroom/2.5 bathroom house.) I would wait to paint until the house is all furnished but who knows when that will be... and I must admit I''m a bit impatient to slap some color on the walls (they''re white now) seeing as I''ve been living with white walls in our rented condo for 1.5 years.

So, I''m thinking neutrals would be the main focus however I don''t want a whole house painted in one or two colors... a little variety would be nice. That''s why I''m looking for a bit of inspiration.

I totally understand that. Neutral can go different ways, you could do a gray, green, or tan or sometimes blue. I think it just depends on your taste. Personally, I usually use colors in the khaki family. Do you have pictures of your main living areas?