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Create A Warm And Welcoming Home-Inside And Out-With Time-Saving Products

Posted: 9/7/2010

A warm straw color, accented with a strong blue, helps define this inviting office space. Freshly painted white trim provides contrast to a deeper exterior paint color. Pale honey is paired with cream to create a soft and fresh-looking exterior.

(NAPSI) - Creating the right color palette for your home can be simple, fun and personally satisfying. A few hints can help your home look outstanding outside and in.

Here are some things to consider before picking a new paint color from design trend forecaster and color expert Erika Woelfel, director of color at Behr Paints:

• If your house's exterior is mostly painted in subdued hues, the front door can be a great place for a splash of color. Consider red, yellow or electric blue. Visitors will have no trouble finding your house.

• Window trim in pure white adds a refreshing quality to dark exterior colors.

• Surrounding your home with the natural beauty of lush plants and formal gardens can add a soft touch of graciousness.

• It's a bright idea to remember sunlight affects the appearance of a color. Intense sunlight will make the color on a house appear more vibrant. Light colors can often look washed out in bright sunshine as well. To give your home a more stately appearance in direct light, try working with colors that are a little more muted or earthy in tone.

• Indoors, lighting can give colors a warm glow, an energetic brightness or a muted softness. Too much light can wash out colors, while too little makes colors appear darker.

• Consider color combinations. Choose your main wall color, then experiment with varying trim and accent colors. Create different palettes of two or three colors each, then determine which is most pleasing. Get paint samples of each color and paint a small area of the room.

One way to easily change the colors of your home is with a product that's paint and primer in one, Behr Premium Plus Ultra, available in both interior and exterior. Because the paint covers existing or uncoated surfaces without a separate primer, you save time and effort.

Formulated to deliver outstanding coverage, the paint uses NanoGuard technology for a denser and more durable paint film. When dry, the exterior product forms an extra-protective shell that resists damage from sunlight, moisture and dirt.

Additionally, all interior sheens resist penetration by common household stains and abrasions, so spills and marks are easier to wipe off and clean.

The paints are low-VOC. The line, including 8-oz. sample sizes in a flat finish, is available exclusively at The Home Depot stores nationwide. Samples like these make it easy to select new colors for your home.

For an engaging living space inspired by the colors of summer, construct a palette around warm shades.

For example:

• Capture the energy of the sun by painting your walls a fiery yellow shade or bring the serenity of a beautiful cloudless day indoors by applying a brilliant blue.

• Peach is a welcoming color, and using it in your home creates an inviting space that is great for family time and entertaining.

• Aquamarine accents add vibrancy to a soft palette, giving a room a lively yet relaxed feel.

• A subtle and delicate presence is created by using soft pink as an accent trim against pale white walls. Soft pink brings a romantic and charming feel.

You can find more information and advice in the Design Library at www.behr.com.

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