What Are The Best Paint Schemes for Your Home's Exterior?

Figuring out what color to paint your home may be a tricky thing to do. You might imagine how a certain color will look in your head only to find out that it's far from what you imagined when you see it in reality. There are several different ways in which you may choose to go when painting your home, but when it comes down to it, make sure that you carefully consider the choice.

If you're home is old and you want to maintain its historical integrity, try to determine what the original paint color was. Old photographs from previous owners, if you know them, or asking the neighbors may be a good place to start. If you'd like to keep a tone similar to your neighbors, try to pick colors that do not clash with houses in the area. In a neighborhood full of muted earthy tones, choosing that psychedelic green may not be the best choice unless you're trying to get your neighbors to quit pestering you with friendly small talk.

Also consider the landscaping and natural setting of your house. Are you by the ocean? Then a collection of blues and lighter colors might do you just fine. Are you surrounded by trees and bushes? Natural, green and brown colors might be a good choice.

Don't forget about your roof's color, either. It doesn't have to be a perfect match, but make sure that you don't paint your home's exterior a color that clashes with the color of your roof. The same goes for brick houses. The bricks probably won't be painted, so you'll want to make sure that you choose a paint color that goes nicely with their color.

If you're trying to make your house seem larger, choose lighter colors. Light colors tend to make a house appear larger, while darker shades tend to make it appear smaller. Don't shy away from dark colors if you're trying to accent recesses, this may work quite well.

One of the most important things to remember is not to achieve a balance with your color scheme so that one area does not stand out too much.

Article source : EzineArticles

The Best Paint Colors For Small Rooms

Are you dealing with a small room and wondering what the best paint colors are to make it look larger? If so, we're going to go over a few options you can choose from that will give you the look you want.

Consider the following choices to open your space up...

Option 1) Use a (Light) Cool Color. If it's not yet obvious (light) cool colors are said to be the best colors to go with because they trick the eyes into thinking they are further away than they really are. If you're wondering what colors classify as cool colors, cool colors are considered to be...


blue
green
purple

Putting an example to them, you can think of the colors of the ocean or sea, sky and trees.

Option 2) Use a Gloss Finish. If you want to go a step further consider using a gloss finish. Paint experts at Behr.com have said that using a gloss finish can also contribute to making a small room appear larger. The best ones to use are said to be an eggshell finish, satin finish and semi-gloss finish. You'll want to stick witch using a semi-gloss finish for the kitchen and bathroom. For bedrooms, living rooms and other rooms of the house a more subtle approach is best--the satin and eggshell finish being great choices for those rooms.

Option 3) Use Monochromatic Colors. A monochromatic color scheme is simply using colors that are close in tone so that when the eye moves around the room it is uninterrupted and tricks you into believing there's more space than there really is. A simple way to go about using a monochromatic color scheme is to use colors from the same palette, such as light blue, medium blue and so forth.

Lastly, after discovering that cool colors are the best colors in principal, you still might want to consider another choice.

Option 4) Compromise with a Light Warm Color. If you're wondering what warm colors are, they are yellow, orange and red. Putting them into an example, warm colors are the colors of heat. You can think of the sun and fire as good examples.

Generally, warm colors get the opposite results that cool colors get. That is, they make a room feel smaller because they appear as though they are coming toward you. However, they also make a space feel cozy, which means it's sometimes worth the sacrifice to pick a warm color, especially if you love it.

Remember, you'll be the one living in your home day in and day out. You want to be certain that the colors you pick are colors you can enjoy. If you can't enjoy the selection of cool colors then it might be best to you to pull from both worlds...

That way you'll still be getting something light but warm at the same time. Choosing a light warm color will then ensure that your room will feel fairly bright to you, but also offer you that intimate feeling that you couldn't deny yourself.

So keep in mind not to only choose what's best for your rooms but also what's best for you...

After all these are choices you'll have to live with every single day.

by Tameka Norris .
Article source : EzineArticles

6 Steps to Hanging Pictures the Right Way

6 Steps to Hanging Pictures the Right Way ( Steven Rosen)

If you feel something is not right about your walls, never fear. There is an easy and simple way to brighten up your living space - add pictures to the walls. Doing this can give your home some personality and make it more cozy and inviting. Pictures work like no other accessory to bring style to your walls.

The kind of artwork you choose does not really matter. You could head over to the local art gallery for a one-of-a-kind print or hang up some of your children's work. Or you could hang up some of your work. It is not hard or expensive to find the right pictures to adorn the walls of your hallways and rooms.

Let's say you have the pictures that you want. The next step is learning how to hand them so that they do not spontaneously obey the law of gravity and crash to the floor. Hanging them seems like a simple task, but the truth is that they must be hung exactly right to avoid the issue of gravity and potentially damaging your wall. Here are some simple steps to follow when hanging pictures.

1. Select the picture or pictures to hang.

2. Figure out where is the best place to hang said picture or pictures. Larger pictures do better in open spaces, and smaller pictures work great in enclosed rooms. Make sure the picture matches the color scheme of the room. Wherever you decide to hang them, make sure the pictures are at eye level.

3. Depending on the size of the frame, choose the right hanging implement. Small frames can be hung up with just a nail. Large frames may need screws set into the wall in order to be secured. Hanging your pictures on drywall requires special equipment like picture rail hooks to keep the drywall from cracking. If hanging large pictures on drywall, a wall stud complete with screws will be necessary because the drywall will not be able to support the picture's weight.

4. When hanging a picture, never stretch in order to reach a certain height. You will only end up hurting yourself and probably hanging the picture so that it is crooked. To make sure this does not happen, get a stepping stool so that you can comfortably hang the picture at the height you desire. Most pictures will only need a two- or three-step stool in order to be hung. A tall picture will likely require a step ladder, otherwise you will not be able to hang it properly.

5. Use a level to make sure that the picture is in fact hanging straight, level with the floor. It is embarrassing to put all of your tools way and then discover the picture is crooked.

6. Solidify the artwork's presence on your walls by adding some family pieces, as well. This cements the pictures in your home and makes them feel as if they belong there. Personalizing your walls is a great way to make the house yours. Family members can now enjoy it for as long as you own the home.



Author : Steven Rosen consult for AS Hanging , manufacturing and distributor for picture and art hanging system. He also guest blogging for alanzain