Choosing Great Paint Colors - Kansas City Apartment and Rental decorating Advice

Decorating on a budget doesn’t mean you have to cut corners. One of the most effective ways to set a tone for any room in a home is to use colors smartly. The cheapest route to go here is by picking great colors for painting walls. After all, who can handle stark white in every room? It has its place, but it doesn’t have to be throughout an entire home.

Before you move in to your apartment or even after years of calling it home, check with your landlord or management company before you get your heart set on painting. Make sure it’s okay to perform a little cosmetic updating to your walls. Also keep in mind that most apartment homes will allow you to paint the walls as long as they are returned to their original color before you move out. The landlord might supply the paint to do this or he or she may charge you to repaint it. When considering colors, keep this in mind, and also keep in mind that with dark colors it’s sometimes very difficult to repaint it back to white or neutral. Darker tones might be best for those who own their own homes and can commit to the labor of painting a wall to perfection.

Once you have a green light from management, start thinking about what rooms you like to paint, what colors and why. To choose the best paint colors for each of your rooms do a careful inventory of your possessions that will be displayed. Now, consider any objects that might serve as centerpieces for your room - a picture, a throw rug or even a vase. If there’s a color that strikes your fancy within one of these items, it might be a good choice to run with for wall color.

If bringing out an accent color in another object won’t do, consider going with coloring schemes for your painting. For example, if neutrals are the way you want to go so anything will look in place in a room, think warm beige or off white maybe offset this with splashes of color in artwork or drapery. Before you decide on a final color, collect some sample cards. Paint nowadays comes in every color and every shade imaginable so a quick trip to the paint store can result in some massive confusion. Choose a few sample cards in the colors you like, bring them home and match them against your planned scheme to see if the colors really work for you.

If you’re planning a tight decorating scheme that involves everything from fabric and carpeting to tile and wallpaper, you’ll want to have samples of everything to coordinate correctly. Carry them with you whenever you go looking for paints to ensure the colors you decide upon truly compliment each other.

Here’s some basics about looking for paint and colors:

• Setting a mood – If you want to create a mood with your paints, consider going warm or cool. The darker colors – reds, oranges – create a more intimate setting. They are sometimes considered too bold for walls, but with the right accents they can make a room extraordinary. Cool colors such as blues, greens and shaded whites can create an upbeat atmosphere. Neutrals work for just about everything and include taupe, beige and white.
• Finding just the right color – Should you decide to pick up a background color from your favorite painting to use for the walls, but you don’t know how to match it. Don’t worry! Paint stores can create perfect or nearly perfect matches. Bring the item to the store and let the experts do their work.
• If you not sure, ask! If you’re having trouble deciding what colors go with your new couch and that awesome painting your best friend made, bring fabric samples and even the painting itself to your local paint store. Employees there can often help by showing you colors that accent, compliment or match. The better stores have experts who really know their stuff – use their expertise!

Once you’ve picked out your colors, had your paint mixed and you’re ready to begin transforming your room, remember to take a few steps before the paint hits the wall. Protect carpets and furniture using tarps or drop cloths and tape off windows, ceiling borders, baseboards and trim. While that pretty plum is going to look great on the walls, it might not look so hot on your new couch!

by Tiffany Lewis, Kansas City Premier Apartments, Inc.