Choosing A Paint Colour

Choosing a paint colour can be really tough.  You pick out a bunch of paint chips, take them home and hold them up in your room to see if it will look good.  All of us know that if a paint colour looks good on the paint chip, if could look horrible once you put it on the wall.  I've provided you with a few tips that will help you choose the perfect paint colour for your home.

Tips:

1. Buy a fan deck

2. Match a paint colour to the objects in your home

3. Get matching paint chips

4. Try colours with a hint of gray for a more sophisticated look

5. Choose a white that complements your furniture

6. Use a semi-gloss finish on your trims for easy clean-up

7. Consider the sight lines from room to room

8. Add contrast by highlighting your baseboards, windows and trims with a darker colour

9 Draw attention to one wall in particular by painting it a different colour

10. Experiment with sample boards

Contemporary Interior Design Style

The contemporary design style is always changing. It is defined as what is current now, which means what was considered contemporary 10 years ago, is not considered contemporary today.  Contemporary design includes sleek, simple colours.  They are fresh and comfortable instead of cold.  There are many styles that are considered contemporary: clean simple lines, and minimal accessories are just a few. 

To create the framework for your space, use neutral colours.  Use pops of colour in your accessories.  You can also do an accent wall to add a splash of colour to a room.  The contemporary colour palette normally consists of warm shades of neutral colours like white, cream, brown, taupe, etc.

Keep simple furniture that has very little detail to make your room feel sleek and sophisticated.  Make sure you have neutral fabrics on upholstered pieces.  Very light or very dark wood finishes fit best with a contemporary design.  The legs on the furniture should be exposed in order to make the space feel open.

Putting everything together can be the tricky part.  You have to make sure your space is clean and uncluttered.  Don’t have little knick-knacks sitting out. Contemporary design is simple and sleek and your eye should easily travel around the room.

Eco-Friendly Design Products

There are many ways to make your home more eco-friendly, from shutters to furniture to paint. Below are a few eco-friendly products.

Wall Panels: These ultra-textured MDF wall panels made by Architectural Systems, Inc. in their Sculptured Collection are packaged in completely recycled cardboard. They are made with no-added-urea formaldehyde. You can get the panels in either unprimed wood or primed in white.

Shutters: NewStyle Hybrid Shutters has GreenGuard Indoor Air certified, extremely energy efficient shutters. The shutters come in 11 frame styles and either stained or painted finishes. They have the same grain pattern and color as real stained wood and they have the stability, strength, and uniformity of manmade materials.

Dining Room Table: Henry Hall Designs has designed a dining room table made of 100% recycled aluminum. It has a zinc plate patina finish that is very durable as well as FSC-certified teak wood. The Cast Outdoor collection also includes chairs, smaller round tables, and benches.

Fireplace: Morso has created an eco-friendly wood-burning stove that is energy efficient.  Advanced purification systems and refined combustion technology reduces particle emissions when the woodstove is burning.  The woodstoves are made from 98% recycled material.

Paint: Mythic paint is the only latex paint that doesn’t contain VOCs and is non-toxic. It’s available in 1,232 colours and in satin, matte, and semi-gloss finishes. It is also available in primer as well as paint.