Design Tips

Paint

To make sure you have the right color paint, you need to go to the store from which you will be purchasing the paint to get a sample can. In other words, don’t go to Home Depot or Lowe’s to get a sample of a Benjamin Moore brand paint. The color will not be the same. If you want a Benjamin Moore paint color, go to your local Benjamin Moore store & purchase a can of exactly the color & finish paint you want. Many times, the small sample cans will only be available in one finish. If you want a different finish, get the sample paint in the finish you want, even if you have to purchase a larger can to do it.

Paint large swatches on opposing walls. The color will look different dependent upon the lighting, the furnishings that are against the wall, & the time of day. (You may want to get several colors. It is rare to pick the right color, the first time.) All of these factors will play a role in the overall look of the color in your room. Once you have finished painting the swatches, live with it for a while. Watch how the color changes with the time of day & make sure you like it.

Lighting

You layer your clothes & it looks great! You layer a cake & it tastes great! Layer your lighting & you will not believe how much better everything looks!

What do I mean when I say, “layer your lighting?” Put lights in your ceiling, on your walls, & on your furniture. You almost cannot have enough light.

“Good design isn’t worth anything if you can’t see it.”

Ceilings

Add architectural interest to your ceilings by adding beams, coffering, medallions for chandeliers, etc. Have you been to Europe & walked through Versailles or castles in Germany & marveled at the workmanship on the ceilings? The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Rome? Have you seen the ceiling on the dome of the Capital in Washington, D.C.?

“Rich people never forget their ceilings.”