All About Color

Having a hard time deciding on a color? No, you aren’t the only one. Almost everyone has a hard time choosing a color. Paint, carpet, hardwood floors, window treatments, furniture – how do you pick the right color?

Here are some helpful tips:
Determine the direction of your room. If the room faces:--North – dark colors will look darker, light colors will not be as vibrant--South – dark colors will appear brighter, light colors (particularly white) can make the room look washed out--West – colors will feel darker in the morning and lighten as the daylight increases--East – colors will feel much cooler in the evening

Color intensifies as it covers more area. Select a shade a little lighter than what you actually want.

Get as large a sample as possible. Move the sample around the room or home for a few days. Different lighting will affect how it looks over the course of the day. Take your time. Make sure you love your color both under daylight and in the evening when the sun is down and the artificial lights are on in your home.

Look for undertones – pink, yellow, green, blue. Undertones can change once as you go from room to room. Other surfaces in your room reflect onto the color (walls, countertops, cabinets) and can intensify the undertone or cause it to recede.

Choose your paint color last.  There are thousands and thousands of paint colors. If you pick the paint color first, you’ve limited all your other selections.

Decide the focal point of the room. Is it the walls? The fireplace? The backsplash? The view out the windows? The floor? A rug? 

The focal point should be the boldest and most vibrant color(s). Other colors in the room should be milder, more neutral, with minimal designs.

A room in dark tones seems smaller and more compressed.

Light tones visually expand it, the room seems more spacious, the ceilings seem higher.

Generally, crisp whites can make a space feel bigger and more open, while warm colors create a sense of intimacy.

Large rooms generally can handle more color than small rooms.

While you should definitely sample multiple color options, avoid putting the samples right next to each other. They will compete with each other (and distract you) and make it harder to make a clear choice.  Rotate the samples in and out of the room(s) you are renovating.

Never select a floor online or from a picture. The color will not be true. Your computer monitor, settings on your phone and tablet, or printer quality distort the color. Use the actual flooring sample for your color selection. When You Are In Our Showroom As you are looking at colors in our Design Center, here are a few things to keep in mind: There is very little natural light in the showroom. If your home has a lot of sunlight, look at your choices in our foyer. The lighting in this area will be more like the lighting in your home. Fluorescent lights (like we have here) accentuate blue, green and grey (cool) tones. Look for warmer colors (yellow, red, orange undertones) to avoid a color going blue once in your home. If you’re unsure about the undertone of a particular shade, put the sample on something white, like a piece of paper.  Ask for more help – a group consultation. Our Design Consultants enjoy working in tandem with each other to assist you in finding the right color. Ask about the variation to be expected in hard surface flooring (wood, laminate, luxury vinyl, tile and stone). Some products have minimal differences from piece to piece. Others have extreme variations. Often there are pictures on the back of the sample that give you an idea what to expect. If not, look at the style and color on the manufacturer’s website, ideally in a room scene, so you can see how the floor looks in a large area once installed. Popular Flooring Colors For hard surface floors: natural and blonde wood tones. For tile: creams and greys. And in carpet, warm neutrals: very light colors for the empty nesters, darker tones with color flecks for active families. WWOWT Wonderful World of Window Treatments Draperies and shades act as a great insulator from the outside climate. Think about this, it's no different than adding layers of clothing. The more we add, the more insulation. Full draperies across the window is one option. Even a blind, shade, or shutter with simple side panels will add a layer of warmth in the winter and keep things cool in the summer. Draperies and shades also prevent energy from inside your home from escaping through the windows. Windows allow energy to seep out. Some windows are better than others and we dare not try to get into this business. But, no matter what, just like protection from the outside, draperies and shades act as protection inside not letting heat escape in the winter time. How Much Does It Cost? We just installed a Mannington laminate in the Family Room and Eat-In Kitchen (551 sq ft) of a Marietta home for just shy of $5000. Our client went with a medium brown shade -- not too light, not too dark. She loves that her new floor is made in the USA, and we do, too.  Did You Know? that laminate floors are great for kitchens: no need to worry about spills, melting ice cubes, water dripping dogs and other calamaties since today's laminates are very water resistant. https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0... I Was FLOORED By Enhance Nancy in Roswell compliments our showroom personnel:“Very helpful staff. Easy to work with. Took a good amount of time looking at different options for me, explaining pros and cons of each.” Thank you, Nancy. Our Design Consultants strive to educate you on your options and help you make the best choice for your home, lifestyle, and budget.