For any homeowner, one of the most frustrating parts of starting a painting project is choosing the color palette. I mean, there are soooooo many choices in color out there.
Do you pick a neutral tone that goes with everything? Should you build your selections around your flooring, furniture, or drapes? When and where do you use an accent color? And how do you know what colors complement one another?
For a while now we've provided our customers with access to a variety of DIY color selection tools to help in the process, but there are times when you just need a set of professional eyes on the job. If you've ever found yourself wondering about having a professional color consultation done with someone like an interior designer, you may have also experienced the same hesitation that many of our other customers have.
Professional Designer or Color Consultant?
The common perception seems to be that color & design consultants are only for the rich, and that their services must be expensive. While I'm sure that this may be true in some situations, the fact is that not only are most of these folks very helpful and willing to work with anyone, they're also more affordable than you might think.
During a conversation I had with an interior designer in Pittsburgh recently, she told me that the going rate for design services in her market could range anywhere from $55/hr - $150/hr depending on the level of education and experience of the consultant. Keeping in mind that these highly-trained professional consultants dedicate themselves to keeping up with trends in design and color, and are experts at bringing a home's decor together into a perfect ensemble, it's not hard for someone to justify paying for an hour or two of their time to ensure you'll get a project that you'll be happy with for many years. But the problem that we've had in getting our customers paired up with a professional designer for the purpose of paint color consultations has been one of availability.
Most designers who are in demand are involved in large remodeling or construction projects and just lack the time to work on smaller projects like color consultations. So, if you're needing to have some painting work done that's not part of a larger remodeling project and you're looking for an inexpensive solution to your color woes, we have a great new option for you.
In our quest to help our frustrated homeowners navigate the color selection process we've partnered with the leader in house paint, Sherwin-Williams, to offer Personal Color Consultants to our customers. These professionally trained color experts will meet with you in the comfort of your own home for a 90-minute consultation to help you choose the perfect colors and create a space you will love.
What Can I Do To Prepare For The Consultation?
You can make your consultations even more productive by doing a little homework.
Find Color & Design From The Web - Check out sites like Houzz.com and Pinterest.com for thousands of photos and uniquely creative ideas for your project. You can copy and save any image to show your consultant the type of theme you'd like to create.
Start With Colors That Match Your Personality - Head over to our Color Help page and play The Color Sense game. You'll be asked a series of questions that will help narrow down the color choices to the ones that better fit your personality and style.
Build Around Pieces In Your Home - On interior painting projects furniture, fabrics, and flooring are all things that should be considered when choosing a color palette. Identify the items that will be a constant in your home for years to come. Fabrics and carpeting wear out and change over time, so focus on the things that you'll always want to keep, like antiques or wall art.
Get Inspiration From Cherished Memories - If you've ever looked at any of your old family or vacation photos and wished you could capture the color from that moment, now you can. On our Color Help page, you'll find the ChipIt program. With ChipIt you can instantly turn any picture into your own custom color palette.
Use the Process Of Elimination - Just as important as narrowing down what you do like is pulling examples of colors, palettes, and styles that you don't like so that your consultant will know what to eliminate.
Involve The Whole Family - Experts recommend that you involve all of the members of the household -- at least those who are willing -- when making your selections. Have them participate with you in the homework process and be present and involved during the consultation.
What If I'm Still Unsure?
Once you've done all your homework, met with your Personal Color Consultant, and have identified your palettes, what do you do if you're just not quite sure you'll be happy with them? Try applying some test samples on your walls.
Sherwin-Williams has created Color To Go samples that come in small Twist-n-Pour containers and cover about 75 square feet.
For under $10 you can test what your colors will look like on the actual surface where they will be applied. You can see how your home's decor and natural & artificial lighting affect your selection.
If you're located in the Greater Pittsburgh or Western Pennsylvania areas and would like to have a Personal Color Consultant for your painting project, ImageWorks Painting offers this service to its contracted customers at no charge through PPG Paints. Please give us a call at 724-898-2446 or click on the button below if you'd like us to contact you about scheduling an appointment time that's convenient for you.
