The Big Brush

Site Staff

Treat your front door like jewelry: This is an area where you can use a bolder color. The door is a relatively small space in the context of a building, but it sets the tone as you arrive home or greet your guests. Remember, there is a difference between bold and garish.
Use C2-290/6117 Blackberry or C2-068/2118 Persimmon

Think of the ceiling as the fifth wall in any room. Color on the ceiling will create a softer, more harmonious feel than plain old ceiling white. Try a 25 or 50 percent mixture of the wall color on the ceiling to eliminate the starkness or use warmer complex whites.
Use C2 080 Milk Moustache

Make a skinny hallway appear bigger. Paint the walls a lighter color, and the end wall a darker color. Use Farrow and Ball 236 Teresa’s Green for the main walls; Farrow and Ball 76 Folly Green for the end wall

Transform a tired old floor into a great design element. If you’re not ready to replace a wood floor, and it can’t take another sanding, paint it. A colored floor will change the feel of a room fast. This is also a great idea for newer floors.
Use Pratt and Lambert Gossamer 2283 or Pratt and Lambert Eucalyptus Leaf 1325

Create a focal point with an accent wall. The darker color will draw your eye, anchor the space and create visual interest. As a general guideline, pick the wall that greets you as you enter the space.
Use C2-379 Beachbum for the main walls; C2-058 Head Over Heels for the accent wall

Bring out the details. Many historic properties have amazing details such as denatal moldings, brackets, cornices and fluting that color will heighten. Look at the details in relationship to the whole house and consider neighboring house colors. A third color can bring out details. Don’t overdo it.
Use Pratt and Lambert Brie 15-2 as the main exterior color; Pratt and Lambert Angelic Blue 23-4 and Pratt and Lambert Deep Jungle 21-17 as accents

Use complex colors; they are more satisfying. Many paint colors are made with only two or three pigments, which create relatively uninteresting lifeless colors that you may quickly tire of.
Use C2-474/8413 Fusion

For more information, visit Adler’s Hardware, 173 Wickenden St., Providence, 421-5157 or go to www.adlersri.com.