Does anyone else totaly suck at decorating?

Really annoyed here right now.....i bought two tins of paint to change the colour of my lounge, it was supposed to be a "forest green", the picture on the tin looked great, however after painting just a fraction of my room i can see that is drying an "army olive green" colour.

This is an ongoing pain in my lifes backside. I am so bad at picking the right colour to live in. You see i grew up in a house where the only option was magnolia and white. That was it, and i grew to hate it. I understand you can spice things up with accessories and different colour furniture, but it just never happens for me.

Not sure how many guys here understand this, from what i've seen it's usualy the ladies that pick the colours and accessories, however i live on my own with two daughters....so it's down to me.

I want lots of colour, bright colours so that everything in the house is interesting to be around. There so many inspiring rooms on the internet, i'm tempted to just pick one and copy it, that way i'm sure to get something right.

Does anyone else have this problem? I know i'm not colourblind, but every colour i pick to put on my walls ends up being too strong or dark.

CX.

I certainly have had this problem many times.....

The colour of the paint looks great on the tin, but when it is added to the walls and then dries it turns out to be something completely different......

So what I learned was this....

Go to a shop, find some wallpaper you like, stick it on the wall and it doesn't change colour....

Hi, I actually want to give you a whole bunch of credit for trying
I wouldn't let my husband decorate a closet... he too says he is
color blind I always thought guys overly used this excuse, but he litterly is and if we have a wedding
or party to go to I have to dress him he has no color coordinating ability what so ever.
I think your idea is wonderful about getting ideas from the internet also pick up some
magazines on decorating pick something you like out and go to your local store show them what you have in mind for colors they can match them up perfectly. Keep it simple keep in mind the colors of your funiture.
You can't go wrong in liking something from a magazine copy the colors and style that you like I give you A+ for even atempting ... Good luck!!!!!

Not saying you are color blind

reply to post by CX

Why not get the small tins that are the same shade you are going to use? Then you won't be surprised when you start to use the paint? The really small free ones that are there as well....

reply to post by CX


Did you prep the walls first as sometimes the previous colours will come through and subtly change the colour on the wall which will require an extra coat or 2?

Surely you must be able to find/kidnap/rent some female with a half decent eye for colour to give you some advice

I'm with Maxatoria. Having done a lot of remodeling and renovation as work I can tell you that if you are doing a major color change (and I mean not going from "Egg shell" to "Navajo white" but drastic), you really should paint your walls with a primer white first. This stops all bleed through as well as color alteration of your desired shade. And, you should really put on 2 coats of the new color. Some brands of paint look to be nice and smooth and cover well but in reality, very thin and translucent when dry. All I am saying is that it may not be the color you chose or your eyesight, but your technique in application.

reply to post by CX


Oh! Finally a thread just for me!!!

After my divorce, some years back, I was relieved that I could finally express myself through decoration! I went to Wal Mart and bought everything in my favorite color.

Black.

Black towels, black sheets, black shelves, black furniture, black plates, black glasses, black paint to trim, black hangers... black everything.

A couple of years later an ex girlfriend moved in and threw it all out.

Since she left? I've not touched anything. I am afraid to change any of it. I spent years of my life with black towel lint all over me, every day... I cannot trust myself in this regard.

So, until I am no longer single? IT STAYS AS IS!

~Heff

One thing with color on the walls (deeper colors).. they change with with the amount of light reflecting off of them.

Paint from a can always appears darker after drying, but it will also appear darker in the evening when less natural light is hitting it.

Decorating? LOL

That is all I have to say on that subject. No interest in it what-so-eveeeeeeeeer.

reply to post by CX


How are you applying it? Are you slapping it on? If so, this may be part of your problem. Also, did you use primer first?

I would also strongly recommend using the hand pads rather than rollers or brushes (save the brushes for the fiddly bits around skirting, coving and radiators).

reply to post by CX


How old are your daughters?
I let my son pick colours for a room years ago when he was only 5, and although he picked powder blue and bright teal (both in the same room), I went with his choice.
It looked surprisingly good!

Be brave - paint can always be painted over.

When you get a variety of colour samples, look at them for a few days in all different lights, morning light, artificial, etc.

I once opened my loft door and it was stuck so I gave it a good shove. 2 large pots of white emulsion fell about 10 feet onto the carpet in front of my wife! I burst out laughing as her face was a picture! Lol
Mine wasn't as I spent the rest of the day clearing it up! Thankfully it wasn't gloss and just emulsion...