Where would we be without the beauty of color?

"Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower." - Albert Camus

Fall is my favorite season - God's beautiful creation gives us a colorful show to enjoy. It always seems that I want to bring some of that color indoors! Pumpkins, leaves, berries, and branches decorate many homes this time of year.
At Reflections, we have taken the idea of new color one step further and we have been painting our vignette rooms some fresh new colors! With paint names like "Cork", "Raspberry Truffle", and "Dragon's Breath" - (talk about brave - yikes!) - several of our rooms have new life and beautiful color. Which got me to thinking...what are some tips for selecting color?

1. Pick an item that you love, (rug, window treatments, upholstery, art), and pull a color out. Narrow your choices to 2 or 3 and purchase a quart of each to paint sample boards. While no one wants to buy paint that they won't use, this can keep you from buying gallons of the wrong color. Hold the dry sample boards up to the furniture, fabric and surfaces already in the room. The larger swatch makes it so much easier to decide if a color is right or not.
2. Leave your paint sample boards in the room for a couple of days. Look at them during different times of the day and evening to see how different lighting plays on the colors. You are the one who will see this room in the morning AND evening and you need to be pleased with the color selection.
3. A perfect match to your choice color isn't always the best wall color choice. Allow one of your samples to be an imperfect match - it might just be the spark that gives your room that "Wow!" factor.
4. Think about the atmosphere that you want in that room. A room with a relaxed atmosphere often has "cool" colors: light greens or blues. You can warm up a room by using reds, yellows and browns. Grays, beiges and taupes blend well with with other earth-tones colors for a more contemporary feel.
5. One of my favorite ideas: try a contrasting color for an accent wall! Brings interest and color to your room.
6. Consider the size of your room. Light colors increase the feeling of space, while darker colors bring the walls in for more coziness.

If it is just too large a decision to make on your own, our wonderful associates at Reflections will be glad to help you choose the right color for your home!! They chose the colors for our latest "update" - I am telling you, I was a little unsure about "Dragon's Breath" - and it is more beautiful than I imagined. They can offer you the same assistance!

"There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice." - John Calvin

Happy Decorating!
Mary