Where To Start With a Renovation
Helping clients and investors get their homes ready (either to sell, ready to rent or to live in) seems to have taken over my business these days. Don't get me wrong - I'm loving every minute of it! Coming up and designing organized and efficient spaces that are not only functional, but look pretty - BEST.JOB.EVER! I guess you can say all my education and training is being put to use.This past weekend my General Contractor and myself were at the Calgary Home + Garden Show at the 'Ask An Expert' booth talking about renovations. Whether you are just looking for a 'refresh' of paint colours or are looking to do some minor or major renovations, I typically get asked about where to start with the whole process.I'm so glad when I get asked that question because there actually is a place to start - and that is determining your foundation palette of your home. All of my clients want a 'fresh' look (and quite often that equates to the gray trend these days). However, a specific gray that you love (or may have seen on Pinterest) may not work with your house.
KNOW YOUR HOME
One of the biggest mistakes I see homeowners making is changing some (or all) of their trim colour to match the colour of their newly painted walls. Your trim work should relate to your hard finishes in your home and NOT the colour of your walls which is why knowing your foundation palette of your home is so important!
Crisp and Clean
If your foundation palette is white, then you will most likely have trim colours that fall in the blue-white and true white categories. Colours such as:
Warm and Earthy
If your foundation palette is cream,then you will most likely have trim colours that fall in the off-white and cream categories. Colours such as:
*Please note the colour on your computer screen may not reflect the true colour of the paint*
** When I carry out Colour Consultations I spec out Benjamin Moore (BM) as well as Sherwin Williams (SW) colours**
Mistakes
The biggest mistake I see is trying to mix crisp and clean with warm and earthy. And guess what? For the most part THEY DO NOT WORK and you end up having a hot mess with a ton of wasted money (and yes, there are always exceptions to the rules). Take this photo for example:
While I don't know the whole situation here, it looks like they wanted to have a lighter, fresher feel. Well guess what? The paint on the walls is clean and fresh while the flooring and cabinetry is warm and earthy. If you see the edge of the carpet, it also falls in 'warm and earthy'. This is a perfect example of mixing clean and dirty colours.
It's important to know what your foundation palette is in your home. If your home is earthy and warm and you want to make the change to crisp and clean, then chances are you'll be doing renovations (and most likely not small renos either) in your entire home. If a large renovation is not in the budget, is there a way to get a new 'fresh' look if your foundation palette falls in the earthy and warm category? YES - absolutely!
When it comes to renovations and work done in your home, you just can not afford to make a mistake! Send me an email to discuss your home.
One of the biggest investments one can make is the investment of a home and I believe you should LOVE coming home.
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