Photo Credit: Paint Quality Institute
The front door of a home can be an attention-getting feature on the home’s exterior, beckoning potential buyers inside.
“Like a necktie, which is the focal point of an outfit, the front door is the focal point of the home,” says Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute. “The color there sends a strong message.”
So what message could the color on the front door of your listings be conveying? Color psychologists suggest that the color of the front door can make a powerful statement about the home or the owner. Here’s what they say the different front door hues can mean, according to the Paint Quality Institute: Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Photo Credit: Paint Quality Institute
Springtime is the best time to give a home a fresh coat of paint, according to the Paint Quality Institute.
“By painting in moderate weather, you’ll likely get a longer-lasting paint job,” says Debbie Zimmer, paint and color expert for the Paint Quality Institute. Zimmer says that exterior painting is best to do when temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but not when it gets too hot. “Very hot days can cause the paint to dry too quickly and impair good paint film formation,” she notes.
Some more tips for exterior painting from Zimmer:
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Go bold in 2012 or blend in–that’s the trend for paint and decorating in the new year. We recently highlighted Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute, forecast for color choices in 2012, but here are some more of the home trends she expects to catch on in decorating next year.
Courtesy of The Paint Quality Institute
Matching Exteriors
On exteriors, shutter color choices often have been painted high-contrast greens, reds, or blacks. But in 2012, Zimmer sees the trend moving to a more monochromatic scheme for the exterior.
“You’ll see more shutters that are painted just a shade darker than the siding,” says Zimmer. “Owners of homes with stone exteriors can get in on things by matching the shutter color to the dominant color of the stone.”
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Color experts are already giving their forecasts for the hot hues for 2012. And next year, the inspiration for color is mostly being drawn from the great American outdoors.
“Native plants and flowers, oceans and lakes, and rocks and minerals are the sources of inspiration for the paint colors that will be ‘in’ next year,” says Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute.
Here’s an overview of the 2012 color palette, according to the Paint Quality Institute.
Courtesy of The Paint Quality Institute
Bold Blue
“From sparkling sea-glass blue to colonial blue-grey, blues are suitable for all living spaces, being a naturally soothing color that is loved–in one iteration or another–by almost everyone,” says Zimmer.
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
So that reddish pink Honeysuckle hue may be stealing all of the glory as far as being the “color of the year,” but more home owners also are seeing gray.
Gray has become the hot new neutral, and a popular choice particularly in kitchens for backsplashes, countertops, flooring, and cabinetry, according to a recent article in Newsday by Kristin Taveira, “The Grays of Our Lives: Moody and Mod, It’s a Hot Color in the Kitchen.”
“The white kitchens never go out of style–you see them everywhere– but gray is the new white,” Jennifer Mabley of Mabley Handler Interior Design told Newsday. “Gray gives you dimension and depth, and helps to tie in the natural colors in the stone countertops. Sometimes, when you have a white kitchen and granite, there’s a disconnect. The gray helps tie in a natural color.”
Designers in the article note gray can:
- be easily adaptable and paired with any shade for a pop of color, such as yellow, for more drama, or you can use it to help soften another hue.
- enhance the look of stainless steel and granite.
- create a sense of permanence. It can ground a long space, whereas white may make it appear that it goes on forever.
Other color trends for paint in 2011:
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