How to Choose a Paint Color

1. The first step is to be patient. All too often people rush through choosing paint colors and are not happy with their decision once on the walls. If you do not have patience, stop right now, pick up the phone and call me. We can choose together!!!!!

2. Decide what you want painted. Are you painting all the walls or just one? Are you painting the ceiling, moldings, cabinetry….? The list can go on. The room pictured above has three different paint selections I had to choose for. The ceiling (dark grey) the walls (a light grey) and the molding (a shade of white).

3. Look at your surroundings, take note of the lighting. Is it morning, afternoon, or night? The time of day can radically change the colors you are viewing. Also, check your mood! If you are sad, mad, excited…this can drastically change the way you are viewing the colors.


4. Walk your home. Begin at your front door and walk through all the hallways, glancing in each room as you pass. Take note of the colors that catch your eye. These could be on pillows, artwork, tile, rugs, bedding, draperies, photographs, etc… These are most likely colors that you chose for a reason and hopefully they all work well together!
The rooms throughout the home above, designed by Paul McClure of Lee Meier Interiors, blend beautifully.


5. Find these colors on your paint deck and place in the room you are painting. If you have other colors in mind, place them in your room as well. By bringing these colors together you can get a good sense of what you want/like.


6. Consider your paint finish and moldings. Are you painting with semi-gloss, eggshell, or satin? This can alter the look of your color. The color of your molding is an important part of choosing your color as well. If you have moldings that are a shade of white or a wood tone, make sure to have a sample of this ready for the next step!


7. Pull together your finishes from the room you are painting. Are you purchasing new furniture? If so, ask for a sample of the finishes/fabrics. Lay everything in the room with your paint swatches.
The sample board above, created by Christopher Randall, shows all the different finishes for one room. Although this board is gorgeous, you only need to lay the samples together!

Thank you Christopher!

8. Study your colors, select your favorites, but leave all the colors out and WALK AWAY! Come back in a few hours, maybe even the next day. Do you still feel the same about your favorites? If so, discard you’re least favorite colors… you are getting closer.


9. BUY SAMPLES!!!! Seriously, this can save you so much headache and not to mention money! Buy samples of your top colors and paint a large area with each. Once dry, place your fabric and finish samples next to the paint samples, if the samples are able to be taped on the wall it is an easy way to look at your choices together. Again…WALK AWAY! Come back later and then choose. Follow these steps and chances are you will get it right the first time around!

10. Still not sure… CALL ME!
Photo Credits: Google Inage, Lee Meier Interiors

A Love Letter

Dear Mr. Baldwin,
I understand that I am not the first designer to profess my love for you and your talent, but here I go anyways!
What you did for American design is incredible. The way you mixed old and new, masculine and feminine, textures and colors, was more than brilliant, it was genius. The timeless designs you have created has shaped American design in more ways than one. I just want to simply say thank you. Thank you for showing the world your talent and sharing your gift with us!
Love,




While studying at Ursuline College I was given the opportunity to write a paper on an Interior Designer of my choice, and that is where my love affair with Billy Baldwin’s talent began! Billy Baldwin, PLEASE, NEVER MISTAKE HIM FOR ONE OF THE BALDWIN BROTHERS, he is far too talented to for that, was an iconic designer who lived until 1984. For those of you that are unfamiliar with him, Baldwin created stunning interiors as well as furniture pieces. I have posted some of his great works and quotes for you to enjoy!


The Blue Salon of La Fiorentina on the French Riviera:
“Comfort is perhaps the ultimate luxury.”


“Tall Room”, Woodson Taulbee Apartment, and yes, that is his signature slipper chair!:
"Great blends of pattern, like great dishes, must be carefully tasted. And constant tasting is what teaches a cook how to taste."


Bonnie McIlhenny Wintersteen’s Bedroom:
"Color should not be subject to the rules of fashion."


Mrs. Mollie Parnis Livingston's Living Room:
"Be faithful to your own taste because nothing you really like is ever out of style."


Mrs. Gilbert Miller's Living Room:

"A person with a real flair is a gambler at heart."


Mr. and Mrs. Lee Eastman's Living Room
"There is magic...in the deep-jewel-colored room, warm and mysterious, where you discover its many beauties as you sit, seduced slowly."


I saved my favorites for last: Billy Baldwin’s Apartment and two more of his famous quotes:
"Never adopt a particular style and peddle it as your own. Always be personal, always be flexible. Many decorators fall into a trap, and when they finally want to do something a little different, they find they cannot because their clients have stereotyped them."

"If I find that something I am doing is becoming a trend, I run from it like the plague."

Images- Billy Baldwin Decorates, Architectural Digest