how to choose paint colours ch1

MARIA KILLAM

HOW TO CHOOSE PAINT COLOURSITS ALL IN THE UNDERTONES

How to Choose Paint Colours

AcknowledgementsTo my mom Hellen, I love the feeling of walking up to your doorknowing that I am unconditionally loved and supported by you. To my sister Elizabeth, my best friend, thank you for being there for me in my toughest moments with your love, compassion and playful sense of humour. To my partner TR, you are my rock, my inspiration, the love of my life. With you I can do anything. To Irene, thank you for your brilliance in editing and bringing clarity to the passion I want to share with the world.

To my Colour Me Happy readers, thank you for your emails, comments, support, encouragement, and most of all for reading my blog. Without you this book would never have been written. You are my lovelies and I am inspired by you daily!

Copyright 2011 Maria Killam | All Rights Reserved

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Editor Layout Designer Photographer, Covers Photographer, Interiors

Irene Hill Brian Liu Jennifer Houghton Anna Beaudry

Copyright 2011 by Maria Killam | All rights reserved worldwideAll rights reserved. No part of this book (text or images) may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the express written and prior permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

LiabilityThe author and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information herein. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the authors, nor their dealers or distributors, will be held liable for any damages caused either directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book.

ISBN 978-0-9878278-0-7


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Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

Introduction Just Enough Colour Theory to be Useful Building Blocks and Principles Three Useful Ways to Describe Colour A First Look at Undertones A Second Look at Undertones The Crux of the Matter The Right Tool Getting Started Conclusion

6 15 20 28 38 47 56 70 79 86


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How to Use This BookThroughout this book I will refer extensively to colours from the Benjamin Moorepaint collection. Due to differing colour settings on individual computers and eBook readers, I strongly recommend you pick up a fan deck from your local Benjamin Moore store. If you cannot get a fan deck, pick up the actual paint colour chips from one of their stores, available for free. As youll discover, its critical to be able to see the colours Im talking about as true to life as possible. Dont rely on your computer screen monitor to be an accurate portrayal of each colour discussed. Benjamin Moore colours in the Canadian fan deck are not always identical to the colours in the American fan deck. Here in Canada we have a series of colours prefixed by the letters CC. If you are in the US you will not have colours listed by this prefix your colours will still have the same three- or four-digits as the rest of the collection in the Classic Colours fan deck. For example: the Canadian fan deck lists Stone House as CC-120 and the American fan deck lists Stone House as 1039. It is the same colour. Within the pages of this book well show the colour like this: CC-120/1039 Stone House. In addition, the Canadian fan deck has a few extra colours not listed in the American fan deck. For example CC-460 Inukshuk is only shown in the Canadian fan deck, but the colour itself is available from any Benjamin Moore store. You just have to request it. Ive chosen to still use these few colours because they are the best illustrations of the teaching lesson.

Go to the end of the book to view a list of every colour used in these pages. Use your fan deck or colour chips to compare to as you read through this book.

The Pretty and the Ugly DisclaimerAlong with every other designer on the planet, I love to showcase beautiful photographs of interiors and exteriors. This book will have a mixture of the pretty and the ugly. The learning involved in the pages of this book demands some photographs that show whats wrong. Just know that if you think its an ugly photograph, I wholeheartedly agree. Sometimes ugly teaches really good lessons.


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Chapter 1

Introduction

How to Choose Paint Colours | Introduction

Do you ever find yourself in one of these situations? You walk into a space andsee there is something off with the paint colour on the walls or the way the wall colours relate to the rest of the space. You know something is wrong but you dont know what it is. You want to pick new paint colours for yourself or for a client, but all of a sudden it seems like there are way too many possible options. Youre secretly terrified youll pick the wrong one and the new paint scheme will either look no better than before or just as off as it did with the previous paint colour!

You scrutinize endless colour chips, take a deep breath and make a choice. For better or worse.You may have great instincts when it comes to selecting paint colours, butwouldnt it be great if you could have some concrete understanding to back up those instincts? What if you could learn to see colour more accurately and have a greater grasp of why colours do what they do? What if you could narrow down the thousands of paint colour options available to a handful of choices and with confidence know that each of those options will turn your space into a masterpiece?


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How to Choose Paint Colours - Its All in the Undertones will guide you stepby-step through a process of learning how to really see colour like a pro and understanding the basics of how to make all-important colour choices. This stand-alone book is the foundational primer with terms and concepts you will refer to time and time again. It all starts here and once youve absorbed the knowledge in this first book youll be well prepared to add the new series of breakthrough books to your resource library.

How to Pick Neutral Paint Colours with ConfidenceDid you know 85% of all wall paint colours chosen come from the complex neutral world of beige, gray and taupe? These three families of colour are where most paint mistakes and frustrations occur. Why are complex neutrals so complicated? Theyre complicated because colours in the neutral world of beige, gray and taupe will change according to what other colours surround them. This book will teach you why this change happens and how to start to manage your paint colours to do what you want them to do, not what they sometimes do.

How to Pick White Paint Colours with ConfidenceWhites are an increasingly important part of the colour choice conversation. Typically, most people select some type of white for their trim and ceilings. With the trend moving from brown to gray more people are looking for whites and offwhites for their cabinets and even for their walls. The same principles that apply to neutrals and vibrant colours also apply to the world of white paint colours (yes, white is indeed a colour!) The second book in this series will teach you how to introduce the right white into your paint colour scheme and ensure the white you choose looks clean and lovely, not dingy and disappointing.

How to Pick Vibrant Paint Colours with ConfidenceAre you seeing more and more vibrant paint colours everywhere you look? A current, major shift in design trends allows for the introduction of bright colours in a way we havent seen for a long time. Vibrant colours have their own language and their own set of rules to follow. The last book in this series will give you the tools to understand when and how to use these colours to complement your paint colour choices and give your space a fresh, new look.


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Ive loved colour ever since I can remember andhave worked with colour throughout my entire career. I spent four years working at Benjamin Moore as a paint/colour specialist creating colour palettes for architects, developers, builders, property managers and homeowners. Later, I started my own design firm, taught colour theory at a local college for three years, and then created a blog where I found my voice and an audience as much in love with colour as I am. Ive conducted thousands of colour consultations over the years, and taught hundreds of design students about hue, tint, shade, light reflectance value (LRV) and every other aspect of colour theory, but it was one question by one student that led me to try to break apart the true mystery of selectingPhotography by Kevin Clark Headshots

harmonious, beautiful paint colours and how to pass on that knowledge in a useful fashion to others. To that end, Ive developed a system for understanding paint that Ive successfully taught to everyone from homeowners to decorators to colour consultants to designers. I teach this system as part of a threeday workshop and participants come away with a new-found confidence in their ability to understand colour. There has been so much demand for these workshops that Ive written and designed this book to teach the principles to a wider audience.


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This Book is for You if:You want the necessary foundational understanding to pick beautiful, well-balanced paint colours for your home.

You have an eye for picking paint colours and want to understand why some choices you make are great and some not so good.

You currently work in a field associated with paint colour: if you sell paint, if youre a house painter or paint specialist (faux finisher).

You want to become a colour consultant.

You already are a colour consultant or a decorator or a designer and want to sharpen your skills in selecting the right paint colour the first time.

How to Choose Paint Colours - Its All in the Undertones will teach you thebuilding blocks and principles of selecting paint colours. Youll learn enough colour theory to be useful and discover how to train your eye to see colour correctly. Youll learn which colours are behind other colours and how important the words comparison and context are to the process of selecting paint colours that harmonize with and complement each other. Youll understand what to consider when selecting paint colours and a step-by-step process to selecting colours not just for one room, but for a whole house.


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A last word before we dive into the world of picking paint colours. As Im writingthis book in the fall of 2011 the interior design world is in the midst of a major trend shift. Major trends usually last about 10 years, minor ones might only last two or three years. Design trends typically start in Europe and then make their way across the ocean to North America. Once here, we see evidence of a new trend in major centres like New York on the east coast and Los Angeles on the west coast first, before the trend spreads into middle-America and smaller communities throughout the continent.

The major trend now ending is the brown, beige and cream trend.

The major trend now arriving is the gray, black and white trend.

The brown trend arrived around 2002 the gray trend arrived around 2010. Waita minute, you might say, that still leaves two years for the brown trend! Youre right, but heres where real life comes in no trend comes in and goes out at exactly the same time. It all depends where you are in the continent it might take until 2013 before everyone starts to fully experience the new gray trend.


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What did the brown trend look like? Weve seen every shade of brown andbeige in every detail of home dcor, from carpets to granite to stone to cabinets to our wall colours. Not only did we love brown and beige for the elements we built into our homes, we filled our spaces with chocolate fudge leather and espresso stain. If you were looking for a safe neutral wall colour, you were looking for light brown. Weve spent well over a decade choosing from this palette and loved the warmth of the trend. The Builders Beige weve all seen were colours like CC-120/1039 Stone House or HC-45 Shaker Beige.

cc-120/1039 Stone House

hc-45 Shaker Beige

Interior design by Maria Killam

cc-336 Wild Mushroom


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oc-17 White Dove

Interior design by Maria Killam

What does the gray trend look like? In major centres everywhere the newneutral is gray. Were starting to see gray in new lines of tiles, carpet, granite and countertops. Get ready for this new colour to move into your neighbourhood if it hasnt yet arrived. And before you groan and say, But gray is so battleship and so cold, know that its not. The new gray neutral is warm and lovely, and the new Builders Beige will be HC-172 Revere Pewter and HC-173 Edgecomb Gray. If youre in New York City, its already arrived. If youre in middle-America, it may take a little longer to come, but it will come. This is the next major trend and every detail of home dcor will begin to reflect this new colour. The new neutral of gray works best in the company of other colours its brought to life by fresh greens, blues, clean yellows and oranges, vibrant reds and pinks. Did you get that? Gray must have colour to bring it to life.

hc-172 Revere Pewter

hc-173 Edgecomb Gray


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So heres the thing about trends. It doesnt matter what style your house is, or inwhat era it was built, after youve been looking at anything for 10 years, you want something new! Heres my best advice about trends: Dont fall madly in love with the current trendy neutral and decorate your home from top to bottom in it. This approach will guarantee you will be redecorating your house every decade. Do surround yourself with colours you love to create the atmosphere you will love to live in. If you loved brown before the brown trend, youll probably love it after. And if you loved vibrant colours before the gray trend youll probably love them when the gray trend has come and gone. The most timeless homes are the ones you decorate in your favourite colours, whether they are neutrals, whites or vibrant colours.

A Short History of Trend Styles1950s 1960s

Paint colours: aqua green, candy pink, lime green, rose beige and light blue Kitchen cabinets: bright painted colours Paint colours: turquoise, jade, mint green, pink, sunshine yellow, cherry red and blue Kitchen cabinets: warm orange ash wood as well as painted colours

1970s

Paint colours: avocado green, harvest gold, burnt orange, warm brown Kitchen cabinets: warm wood

1980s

Paint colours: mauve, teal, pink, forest green, burgundy, salmon peach and pinky-beige Kitchen cabinets: pickled-pink oak

1990s

Paint colours: sage green, rust, gold, battleship gray Kitchen cabinets: white or gray lacquered as well as maple-glazed

2000s

Paint colours: chocolate brown, beige, cream, pale blue, yellow-greens, orange, red and purple Kitchen cabinets: espresso and cherry

2010s

Paint colours: gray, black and white with vibrant colours from the 1950s Kitchen cabinets: white and gray painted


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how to choose paint colours ch1

Documents

paint colours chapter

classic colours fan

paint colours introduction

new paint colours

extra colours

colours im

wall colours

series of colours