Creating a mini version of a color scheme will help connect the decorating dots.
When you hear there’s a new fan deck available from your favorite paint company does your heart skip a beat? There is something about holding one in your hand, seeing all the beautiful choices available at your fingertips and asking yourself “which room do I need to repaint?” The next time you decorate remember to make a portable fan deck of your color palettes. Sure, many of us have used the notebook method or (worse) the toss-it-all-in-a-tote where it all becomes a jumbled mess.
Jane made this paint specification chart for her contractor when remodeling their apartment kitchen. It not only features the paint colors along the right side, and finishes for every room in the chart, but the floor plan rooms are painted. A great visual aid when undergoing an extensive remodeling project.
The simplest method is to use a hole punch on actual paint chip cards and keep the cards together on a metal ring. Easy, but not the best way since paint chips cards change color with age. Just how long has that Starburst Orange card been baking in the rack, under the hot lights?
The most ideal system is to take your actual paint and apply to something easily carried around, such as stir sticks or paint lids. Be sure to label the back with the brand, color name and number.
My method of madness is painting dinner size Chinets. They are large, so it’s a good representation of the color. (Cell phone picture, not so much!) The plates are also thick, sturdy and stackable. I noted which rooms are painted which particular color on the back for my daughter’s dining room transformation.
I love this image of vintage spoons painted with Fired Earth colors. While not practical to carry around, it would be interesting artwork in a home studio or educational art room.
See how our eyes makes certain colors difficult to judge in Tricks Color Can Play and find inspiration for color combinations in Color Scheme Ideas.
those spoons are the best!
You know how much I love paint! This is a fabulous post Allison.
The plates are such a wonderful idea,light and portable. I have a massive canvas stencilled with rows of dots to display paint colours in my shop. Looks great but I wouldn’t like to carry it anywhere.
Those spoons look so pretty.
They all look so pretty!
Great idea! Even though the paint colors really look different on the wall, it helps in keeping track. Especially when using multiple colors. That’s why it seems so much easier to just paint the walls one color and moldings white LOL But that’s boring… Thanks for sharing this tip!!
Judy