Best Bedroom Blues

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Our bedrooms should be a space for sanctuary. Neutral and versatile, blue paint can act as a bold accent, or provide the perfect backdrop to give you a sleepy, sweet sanctuary.

THE BOLD & BEAUTIFUL – “Navy” may be a dark paint color, but pair it with bright decor and accents to create a balancing contrast. Create a focal point for your bed by using navy on a geometric accent wall. The dimensional lines will naturally draw the eye toward the center of your bed.

BORING BEDROOM NO MORE – Say goodbye to boring bedroom walls with a splash of bold color. Try combining bright hues like Sherwin-William’s “Lagoon” with natural textures and white accent colors to give your space an uplifting look that feels carefree and coastal.

SAIL AWAY TO SLEEP – Try a nautical-inspired hue to bring the calming vibes of the beach to your space. Sherwin-William’s “Deep Sea Dive” is a jewel tone that can be balanced with warm-colored accents. As a backdrop this bold is the perfect way to highlight your most beloved belongings.

Ready to dive into a blue bedroom refresh? Call us at 410-242-1737!

Except from Sherwin-Williams

Prepare Your Home for Selling

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Everyone’s timeline for selling their house looks different. Whether you’re looking for more square footage or embracing the minimalist draw of downsizing, we’re sharing our tips to sell your home, so you’ll make the most of your listing no matter where you are in the process.

SELL RIGHT NOW

Sometimes the right house pops up when you weren’t even looking – the good news is you don’t have to pass on your dream home just because you weren’t planning on selling. If your timeline is tight, get down to basics with a little cleaning and light painting. Start by fixing any holes on your walls from hanging decor. Once repairs are taken care of, give your trim a fresh coat of paint to make your rooms look sharper and more defined.

BONUS TIP: Painting your front door is another quick project that goes a long way. 

SELL SOMEDAY SOON

If you have a few months before selling, start by clearing out clutter. Now is the perfect time to go through the things that’ll make the move with you and say adios to the things that won’t. Not only does getting rid of extra decor and dust collectors make it easier on your move, but it also gives you more room to stage your space and make some cosmetic changes.

Giving your space a new coat of color is a huge bonus for you and potential buyers. Painting walls in a new hue can increase your home’s value while attracting buyers with that shiny, move-in-ready appeal. If you’re not sure which color to use, sticking with neutrals will always be a crowd-pleaser when it comes to selling.

SELL DOWN THE ROAD

While these tips to sell your home are a great place to get started, you might not be ready to leave your abode until a few years – this means you’ll have even more time to think about the bigger picture. Much like a newly painted space stands out, a renovated room can be just as enticing to potential buyers.

Make a list of the spaces around your home that could use a little sprucing. Whether it’s updating a half-bath with new fixtures or adding new hardware to kitchen cabinets, you can prioritize little updates here and there that go a long way in increasing the value of your home.

Regardless of when you sell your home, there’s always one golden rule to keep in mind – show your exterior some love! A picture-perfect space that feels move-in ready inside and out is a big draw for making potential buyers feel right at home.

Sherwin-Williams

Choosing Stain Colors

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Staining can be colorful (and easy). It doesn’t take a doctorate in color theory to work with stain colors. Start with the basics like opacity and stain palettes.

Determining your proper opacity is crucial in the staining process as opacity can range from lightly pigmented to total coverage. Opacity options include solid and semi-transparent, all of which enhance and protect any porch, deck, trim or siding as well as concrete driveways and walkways.

Color mixing and matching. Discover the world of stain colors and let the natural wood shine through, match grain colors or cover unsightly wood blemishes.

  • Stain is available in several pre-mixed colors; a great way to bring colorless areas to life.

Sherwin-Williams

Color Theory

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Learning the basic “language of color” will help you achieve your decorating goals.

Hue

Hue identifies the general family of a color, such as red, yellow, blue or green. The traditional color wheel is made up of twelve color families: red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, yellow, yellow-green, green, blue-green, blue, red-violet, violet and blue-violet.

Color Wheel

Colors on the opposite side of the wheel from each other are called complementary colors. In combination, these create striking contrasts. For less contrast, choose colors next to each other on the color wheel, which are called analogous colors. Choosing colors of different tints within one color family creates a monochromatic color scheme.

Warm or Cool?

Different colors in the same family may be described as being “warm” or “cool.” Colors with yellow undertones will seem warmer, while the same color with blue or red undertones will appear cool. Cool colors – blue, green, violet – invite relaxation and thought. Warm colors – red, orange, yellow – encourage conversation and play. Color experts suggest using both warm and cool colors in rooms where you desire balance and variety.

Value

Value describes how light or dark a specific color may be. On Sherwin-Williams color strips, lighter values are at the top, mid-tone values are in the middle and darker values are at the bottom. When you combine colors from a single color strip, you’re creating a monochromatic color scheme – perfect for creating a sophisticated, spacious look in a single room.

(Sherwin-Williams.com)

Seeing Green

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When you think of March, you think of green! Spring is coming and a few warm days quickly reveals green shoots springing up from the brown earth. Green is a color of expectation, promotes tranquility and reminds us of nature. And don’t forget to wear your green on St. Patrick’s Day—or you risk getting pinched!

When you’re thinking about how to work green colors in your home, consider the feeling you want to create in the space. Do you want your family room to give people a burst of energy? Or do you want it to feel more peaceful and relaxed? Figuring this out first will help guide you through the many choices of the shades of green.

You also want to think about how much color you want to bring into a space. Both, pastel greens & dark rich greens, can work well as whole room colors. However, brighter shades of green, work better for an accent wall. One thing to keep in mind is how the natural lighting in the room affects the green paint hues. Typically, brighter greens can affect the appearance of your skin tone. So, you may not want to paint your make-up area or bathroom lime green.

As March greens up, remember you may just find your next room color at the end of the rainbow!

Expert Tips For Creating Color

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Unifying rooms in your home can pose a challenge when you’re trying to choose the right paint colors. Don’t stress – here are a few tips to help you create a pleasing color flow from one area of your home to the next.

Bold Accents

Have your heart set on a bold color, but don’t want to overdo it? Use it as your primary color in one room, and as an accent color in the adjoining room to tie them together.

Neutral Walls

Want a wall color that will stand the test of time? Neutrals remain independent of style and trend, making them just right for anyone who wants a look that’s long-lasting and will carry throughout your home.

Entrance Halls

The foyer makes a great first impression when using a dramatic darker color in the entranceway, and a lighter color in the background. The contrast will make your living space seem more open and spacious when you walk in.

Trim Techniques

Trying to create harmony between a main room and an open stairway? Painting all of the trim the same color will make it work.

Remember, no matter what your tastes are, from romantic to rustic, and bright to neutral. There is always way to add just the right amount of color to your home.

How to Choose Colors

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Begin at the Beginning
Determine what features or existing finishes in the room you would consider permanent. Consider the cabinets, tile or a brick fireplace. For example, if the wood of your kitchen cabinets has a red undertone, make sure the paint color you choose works well with that hue.

Create a Focal Point
Emphasize your home’s attractive architectural features, such as crown molding or arched window treatments, with contrasting paint – lighter or darker than the wall – or by painting them with a glossy finish. You can also make one wall an accent wall by painting it a different color, giving it a faux finish, adding wallpaper or a border.

Emphasize or Minimize
Color can emphasize certain features – and minimize others. A long narrow room will look wider if you use a slightly darker color on the shorter walls and a lighter color on the longer walls. You can make a ceiling appear higher by applying a lighter color, or lower with a darker color. To give a big room a more intimate feel, paint the walls in colors that advance toward you, such as red, gold, orange and brown. To help a small room seem larger, paint the walls in colors that make them appear to recede, such as blue, green or violet.

Reflect on Light Sources
Remember that the color you choose may look different at various times of the day and night. The warm tones of incandescent lights will have a different influence on the color than the natural light of day. Once you’re aware of how different light sources can affect your color choices, you can change your room’s “mood” to match the pace of your day.

(sherwin-williams.com)

Spruce Up Your Kitchen for the Holidays

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Staying home this holiday is the general theme for this season. People are trying new things and old traditions are getting virtual makeovers. So, if you have to stay home for the holidays, why not give the most lived in room in the house a fresh look. Your kitchen gets beat-up day-after-day…spills, splatters, scratches and dents…there IS hope for a quick fix.

Renew and update your kitchen colors with new warm earthy tones and textures. We can hand paint cabinets on site with fine nap rollers and detail brushes for a professional finish at a reasonable cost. With new bonding primers we can paint wood, wood-laminate, and metal cabinets without any problems. Semi-gloss/gloss finishes are easy to clean and reflect light which will make your kitchen look larger and brighter.

If you do not want to apply color to all of your cabinets, try painting just the bottom ones or just your island. Adding color to your trim or ceiling can also give an old space, new life. Accent paints are also available like chalkboard paint. Adding chalkboard paint to the sides of a cabinet or section of wall can be just the function and fun touch you have been looking for. Another easy way to update your kitchen is by changing, painting or adding a kitchen backsplash. It will not only protect the walls from grease and water, but it adds to the style of your work area.

If your outdated white refrigerator is still in good working order but has some wear and tear, consider painting it black. We use a semi-gloss enamel finish that hides rust and scratches, updates the finish and even prevents finger prints.

So, stop wishing for a way to refresh your kitchen without spending a ton on renovations. The answer is painting!

Transform your Garage with Paint

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Is your garage a cluttered mess? Are you struggling to find room for work, school & exercise as COVID restrictions continue and winter approaches? Well, you may have a new/valuable living space right in your backyard!

Converting your garage into a usable living space can add up to 600 square feet, assuming you have a two-car garage. The good news is that you’ll spend less than if you build an addition, it will take less time and a lot can be done with some cleaning, decluttering and paint! Simply painting floors, walls and ceilings will make your space look better, be easier to clean and make the inside of your garage look finished and decorated.

In general, neutral colors like gray, beige or tan will be easier to maintain. Also, a semigloss paint will make dirt less evident and is easy to clean. When choosing a garage floor paint, waterproof, oil and chemical resistant options are available. Remember, much like basements, garages can be a little damper than the rest of your home. To avoid mold and mildew, use moisture blocking paint. As far as color, if you want to hide tire marks and stains, choose a darker color.

You can transform your garage quickly from a damp, dirty storage space to a bright, dry usable part of your home that you can actually enjoy.

Home school? Working from home? The color of your environment may help productivity!

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Colors are all around us! They are part of all aspects of our daily lives and a big part of how we learn and remember things. Red means stop. Green means go. Colors send signals to our brains that make us hungry or sleepy. They can help us focus or distract.

According to a study by the University of British Columbia, certain colors can help concentration, attention span or help facilitate memory and learning. This study found that red and blue colors are the best for improving brain function. Red helps draw attention to important things. It can be stimulating, but can also cause nervousness and hunger. While blue seems to increase productivity. It is a “cool” color and actually can cause the body to produce chemicals that can slow down a your heart rate and relax/focus you.

Some research suggests that people doing intellectual work, are more productive in a blue environment. However, to “warm-up” a blue room, you should always balance it with warmer colors like yellow or orange.

A person’s age also impacts how color effects their learning environment. For instance, young children are more attracted to warm, bright colors, elementary-aged children prefer tints and pastels, middle school children like greens and blues, while high school students prefer darker colors like burgundy, gray, navy, dark green, and violet.

Although many families can’t afford to renovate their homes for school or work, they CAN redecorate. A fresh coat of the right color paint may help make you and your children more productive!