Where, Oh Where, to Start?

Q: I'm thinking of renovating a couple of the main rooms in my home. I'm not sure what should come first. My husband wants to pick out wall color, but I don't have a clue what I want in these rooms, or where to start. Is there a first thing I need to consider?

A: From the ground up, of course. However, that's usually the last place a client thinks to start when it comes to updating or remodeling a room.

Think of your floor as the "visual field" upon which you'll place your furnishings. Is it going to be carpeted? If so what's the color of the carpeting? Is it a wood floor? If so what's the main tone to the wood? Perhaps it's tile, vinyl, stone, or some other product, regardless having a good sense of the main floor color and texture is an excellent place to begin.

All the better to start with the floor if you have an area rug you'll be using in the rooms to be remodeled. Use it as your guide to creating your rooms color palette. If you don't have the area rug, but know you'll be buying one, then shop for it first. The entire room, including fabrics and furniture finishes can be selected from using an area rug as your point of reference and it will turn out wonderfully every time.

Q: I painted my son's room a bright shade of yellow and it turned out looking very nice with his bedspread and toys and things in it. Then I decided to paint my bedroom a shade of blue that I thought would be beautiful, but I hate it. It's not the color I thought it was going to be. What did I do wrong?

A: Color is very subjective, and without actually seeing the color blue you chose and knowing the source of your rooms available light I can only make a guess. So this is my "for what it's worth" response.

Your son's room, painted the bright shade of yellow (which is a primary color) more than likely has a number of objects/furniture/toys that are also made up primary colors. Those colors are the three main colors on a color wheel: red, blue & yellow. Depending on which direction the sun comes through his windows, the yellow may be visually very balanced.

In an adult bedroom, we're usually looking to be more calm and serene after a busy day. We don't need as much visual stimulation from color as children do. When painting a bedroom using a blue shade (a cool feeling color) it's sometimes best to use a blue that has been "cut" with a raw umber, so that the color reads as more muted and quite. Think blue gray instead of true blue.

Another thought when picking a bedroom color, if there's to be new bedding involved I'll shop for that first before picking the wall color. If using existing bedding then take a pillow sham with you when you pick your wall color. Also, take color chips to a front window so you can view the paint chip in natural light.