Dear Friends,

The Summer 2005 Renovation Style Magazine is out on the stands. It’ll inspire you with articles on color therapy, choosing exterior paint palettes and creating outdoor rooms. Thanks to Editor LuAnn Brandsen, you’ll see our Full Spectrum Paints in several places, as well as an article interviewing one of Our Favorite Color Consultants, Bonnie Rosser Krims. According to Bonnie, “There is a rebirth in the use of color for home exteriors. People are starting to realize that color and architecture reinforce each other.”

During the Summer painting season, I often refer to my copy of Bonnie’s book, The Perfectly Painted House: A Foolproof Guide for Choosing Exterior Paint Colors, to review her advice and ideas for exterior painting projects. When it comes to selecting interior paint colors, I always ask the clients how they want to feel in the space. However, with exteriors, there are many other things to consider when selecting color besides how you want to feel when you pull up to your home; such as whether or not you want your home to blend in with its surroundings or, alternatively, stand out more prominently.

There are many fixed features to consider when choosing exterior hues, from the roof color to the surrounding landscape, to the colors of the neighbors’ homes. Fixed features also include masonry such as brick and/or stone work, fences, walkways, awnings, downspouts and gutters.

Also, you want your color to enhance your home’s architecture—not compete with it. For instance, colors that blend in with the natural surroundings are more appropriate for Arts and Crafts Bungalow style homes, where as a Victorian home can handle more color. Research the history of your home’s style for ideas. Your home is your public presentation, so consider what image you want to convey. The right color scheme can easily enhance your home’s curb appeal and resale value.

The average size house can use three colors—body, trim and accent—perhaps with a fourth color for the front door. I often suggest red as a front door color as it’s recommended by Feng Shui practitioners because it encourages prosperity. However, don’t’ forget to keep in mind what flowers are blooming nearby.

Painting the exterior of your home is expensive, so you need to be sure to make the proper preparations so that it will last. Good prep work includes power washing the house, killing all mildew, removing loose paint & spot priming bare wood, patching holes, caulking, sanding and priming. Once this is done, then the fun begins!

While all of our paint color formulas can be converted to exterior paint products, we put together a special Exterior Palette of our favorite “tried & true” colors on our website. Once you select your house body color, be sure to paint at least two coats on a four foot square area on the outside of your house and view it several times of the day. A couple of our sample jars are enough to give you a good idea of how it will look with a full two coats.

Once you decide on the main body color, then choose a trim color for the eaves, window and door frames--porch posts, balustrades, latticework and pergolas, if you have them. When choosing trim color, consider whether the trim work is substantial enough to contrast with the body color or, if not, then select a color that either blends in with the body or is the same. Also, you may have vinyl windows. If that’s the case, you’ll want to match the window sash (& possibly trim) color to the vinyl color. Vinyl window colors are no longer limited to white. The last two houses I’ve consulted on had vinyl windows that were more of a tan color, so we custom-matched it. Be sure to sample the colors you are considering on the trim as well.

Although you may be hiring a professional painter, it is important that you know as much about the process as possible, therefore I highly recommend purchasing The Perfectly Painted House which goes into much more detail and even includes a chapter on how to assess a contractor’s estimate. It emphasizes the importance of purchasing the best quality paint. Our manufacturer, ICI Dulux Paints, is the largest paint manufacturer in the world. They are a division of ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries) out of London. While the average homeowner may not be familiar with ICI Paint, in Europe it is THE household name in paint. In the States, ICI is well-known by large painting contractors and architects for the highest quality in paint products. We have a variety of outstanding exterior paints and stains, including the new Fortis® line which bears a lifetime warranty.

This Summer, we are having a sale on all of our exterior paint products and stains. Mention that you read about it in this newsletter or our new weblog, and we’ll give you $7 off of each gallon! Always included in the price of our paints is a free color consultation via telephone with me personally.

Have a great Summer and check out our new Website which has slide shows of finished design and color consultation projects as well as “Ellen’s Blog” which is always the first place to read about the latest colors and promotions.

Have a great Summer!