Brands of paint... so many choices!

Whew!  Now this is a subject that I get asked about all the time... people get so confused about what brand of interior wall paint to use.  Plus, the media and advertisements are very misleading.  I'm sure you have heard the ad touting they have the best rating for longest lasting paint!  Likely they do, it looks like lacquer going on the wall.... and smells like it too!  What they don't tell you is that when you get it up, it is shinny and wet looking.  Every finger print will show and if you try to touch up your interior walls, you will see every little touch up. So when you evaluate what paint to use... consider several things beside price and media advertisement before purchasing.

Devine Paint is a new paint that I have loved using.  It indeed holds up to its advertisement that it "goes on like rich yogurt"!  With no ammonia smell it is very user friendly if you are doing the painting.  Devine pallet is limited, but can produce stunning results.  Interior Spaces uses Devine Colors for many of the boards so give us a call and we can help you select which color is best for your space but also which sheen to pick so it will give you the end result of a beautiful space that you desire.  Devine paint is sold at all the Miller Paint stores in your area.

Sherwin Williams is another one of my favorite paint manufacturers.  They have great decorator colors and many different bases to choose from.  Notice as you look at different paint color cards that sometimes the base of a color is black... sometimes it is white... sometimes it is clear base.  What base your color is mixed in is very important and will greatly affect the overall look and feel of your interior paint colors.  Call us for more information... 503-692-6077.

Pratt & Lambert is often my choice for commercial interiors, or for children's play rooms.  They have great primary clear colors that are playful and fun.  Their bases are often black and white... so they do not flow in a decorator way as much as make a statement.  Even pulling up their website, you will see a difference in the look!

Kelly Moore,  Benjamin Moore, Parker Paint, Pittsburgh Paints are all options too in the Portland Metro Area in Oregon.  Generally are used more by contractors and commercial, however, many of them are trying to move into the trend paints for interior wall colors.

However, one paint brand I would caution you about is Behr paint.  This paint is less expensive and can be found at most large home improvement stores.  However, it looks like lacquer when on the wall.  It is very hard to touch up and has a very cheap look to it.  Spending a few more dollars on a gallong of paint is well worth it.  Often the sheen will bring you the luminosity that will enhance the overall feel of you newly painted space.

At Interior Spaces, we extend to you our contractor discount for many of the paint companies.  Call us for more details.   503-692-6077

Wall color creates mood...

Color creates mood….


Homeowners today are exploring new and bolder, more creative colors to express themselves. Depending on how colors make you feel you can create different environments that are comfortable and entertaining.

Before you begin selection of wall colors in your home for a master plan, be sure you analyze what mood or feeling you would like each room to evoke. Maybe in your family room you want it relaxed and comfortable, or in a master bedroom you want tranquility, or a sexy red. Color has a language all of it’s own, so explore what you want the interior walls of your home to speak!

One of the best website tools is Sherwin Williams Color 101 article.  In their article they present, "Why Color Matters" and presents how color will set the mood for your interior environment.  They mention that color can unite...   Do you have a mix mash of eclectic pieces of furniture?  Paint color often is the thing that will bring it all together and reduce the busy or clutter look.

Is your room or space boring?  Electrifying hues and fashion trend colors can become a focal point and bring a touch or whimsy or focus to the room.  Be careful!  Using bright strong colors is fun, but need to be placed in the correct areas for it to bring the end result you are hoping for.  Professional color consulting is well worth the dollars, when it is something that will affect you every day of your life! Call Anita for more information - Interior Spaces at 503-692-6077.

Choosing the right wall paint colors…

Choosing the right paint colors for the interior wall of your home can be a challenge for clients. Anita with Interior Spaces has years of experience and daily works on a variety of color consultations with clients. Years of experience and good eye for color have helped develop Anita’s keen sense of connection with each client. Personal, professional, experienced and affordable are words that best describe her service in the Portland Metro Area including Vancouver, West Linn, Wilsonville, Sherwood, and Beaverton in the beautiful state of Oregon.


Where do you start in choosing wall colors for your home? One of the main mistakes I see is when clients just go to a paint store and point to a color they like. There are a lot of colors in a paint stores interior wall color paint deck!  Remember, not every color in the deck is meant to go on a wall!  So, having expert eye evaluates your home, and what wood tones you have what furniture you are working around, what artwork you want to accent, your likes and dislikes is the first step to bringing together a good master plan of color for your home. Professional paint color services will help you get stunning results.  You can visit our website for more information... http://www.interiorspacesforyou.com/


Another tip that I like to tell clients is look at the paint color in all lights. How color appears in the sunny south side of the home will be different that on the shade or north side of the home. Color changes as light changes, so view them in the morning, mid day and at night when only incandescent lighting is used. One of the services I offer clients is to keep the 20” x 30” sample boards that I create for their master plan of color and move them around all times of day to make sure they will like the color at all times.

For more information or an appointment call Anita at 503-692-6077

Interior Paint Color Specialist in Portland Oregon Color Consulting

"Beauty from the inside out" is often a phrase that comes to mind when choosing fabulous colors for people’s homes. I believe, just like how we live our lives for inward beauty naturally, every home can be beautiful from the inside out. As a professional color consultant, Anita Thompson with Interior Spaces specializes in helping her clients choose and place interior wall colors that reflects their taste and enhances the character of their home.


Choosing interior wall colors often scares people and many mistakes can be made just pointing to a small dot of paint on a paint deck and saying, "that one"! Anita with Interior Spaces servicing the Portland Metro area including, Tualatin, West Linn, Tigard, Beaverton, Wilsonville, Vancouver area help her clients achieve their master plan of interior colors a little different way. After a color analysis of what colors they enjoy, what furniture or wood tones they are working around that they have currently, a color pallet can be developed that reflect their personal color combinations as well as enhance the interior of the house they are painting. Once the interview process is completed, Anita then makes up a series of 20" x 30" boards with paint colors that reflect a color pallet for their home. In the second visit these boards help the clients visualize what the color will look like. You are able to put them behind the sofa or wood furniture or kitchen cabinets so the client can see themselves how this color works with their interior surroundings. Clients love this service and it makes them very excited and takes the fear out of choosing new interior colors for their walls.

Once a color pallet has been chosen for the interior paint colors, then we help them place them. Color placement, whether it is color for your living rooms, family rooms, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms or the entire master plan of colors it is equally important where you place the colors on the walls. Anita helps you with placement of the interior wall paint colors by drawing a diagram, or listing it verbally on a specification sheet. How colors are layered depends on the architecture of your home, but makes a great impact on the overall finished look.  Click on this link for photo examples of how different colors can be chosen, yet will flow beautifully one to the other when an overall master plan of color is developed for your home.

For more information give Anita a call at Interior Spaces - 503-692-6077 or visit our website for more information and special offers.

Harmony in Interior Design and Decorating

In interior design and decorating a home, harmony can be defined many ways with words. It can mean agreement, unity, flow, cohesiveness. But beyond any word you choose to describe harmony, it is in the end how the space makes you feel when you are in it. Following are two main points to think about so you room will feel harmonious.

Unity and Variety need to be combined with just the right balance to be aesthetically and visually compatible. Unity can be achieved by repetition and/or similarity of parts. . For example, lines you see in the architecture of your home could be a repeated in some of the major pieces of furniture to maintain the integrity of the architecture and as a result, unify the look.
The same would hold true about accessories and art that echo the style and colors of the furnishings and solidify the uniformity. Good design will balance unity and variety for harmony.

Even when choosing wall colors for your home, harmony is important. One color can often be boring and monotonous. Having a variety of wall colors that are chosen so the flow one to the other will and placing them on the walls so they complement their surroundings and architecture is so important in creating harmony in your home.

After many years of experience in interior design, one of the top design mistakes I see is lack of harmony in client’s spaces. Whether it is helping clients choose wall colors or furinture or window coverings, harmony is important in making you feel good in your space. Give us a call and we will be happy to help you create harmony in your home.
Anita Thompson…. Interior Spaces… 503-692-6077 Visit our website for more information.

Top Trends in Decorating Today

We are looking for a respite from an increasingly chaotic world. We want homes that are comfortable, relaxing, healthy and safe, but also reflect your personality. At Interior Spaces in Portland Oregon, our goal is to help you make your home not only function well, but also be aesthetically pleasing. Following are some top trends we have noticed that our clients request in decorating their homes.

Color and Light Can Change Everything…

It is a scientifically proven fact that light affects our health and color affects our mood. It is no wonder that getting the right colors on the walls is a top trend in the design of home interiors. Windows have been described as the house’s eyes to the world. Because of this trend, window coverings are no longer the standard mini blinds that we have seen in the past. Good interior design will incorporate not only the right selection and placement of color on the walls, but also the appropriate window coverings your home. There are so many options of fabrics and styles it can become overwhelming. A professional decorator can help you pull color and light together.

Serenity Reigns Supreme…

“Spa” and “zen” have become buzzwords associated with the home. Communications are instant, travel is frequent, and economies are connected. We are citizens of a global village and our homes reflect that. Rooms or wardrobes that feature only one style or place of origin seem as out of date as last week’s headlines. How to combine different styles and colors can be a home owner’s nightmare. But getting a professional interior master plan in color and furniture layout can make all the difference in the way your home feels to you. That's our speciality at Interior Spaces, a full interior design and decorating firm in the Tualatin, Tigard, West Linn, Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Wilsonville Oregon area plus Vancouver Washington.

The Healthy House…

Going “green” in our private homes is just as important as the environment. One of the top trends today is analyzing how interior furnishings and finishes are affecting our health. From what carpet you choose, to what pillow you sleep on, it is important to know what chemicals and fibers are treated and how it can affect you health. Because of this there also is an increasing trend to bring nature indoors and into our interior decorating. From natural fibers, natural woods, the earth toned color trend have become the new modern! Hiring a professional interior designer with this expertise can help you choose finishes and furnishings for you home that will bring health and happiness to your home.

Give Anita at Interior Spaces a call at 503-692-6077 to set up an appointment. Or visit us on the web at http://www.portlandinteriordesign.com/

Recall information on Roman Shades, Roll Up Blinds

Check out this new Video from Window Covering Safety Council on Vimeo regarding child safety

Recently the media has given a lot of attention to the recall on roman shades and roller shade blinds for your windows.  This is especially important in children's rooms or play areas.  However, with the new products that window covering companies now have it is important to consider them when retrofitting or putting new window coverings in your home.   The following link is to information regarding the Window Covering Safety Council and it's recommendations.

Here is our recommendation... buy from a company that for years has been concerned with making window fashions safe for homes with infants, young children and pets has always been a top priority... Hunter Douglas. They specifically address concerns that have recently surfaced about the safety of roman shades and roll-up blinds in the PDF titled "Hunter Douglas and Child Safety."

Highlights of their child safe window treatment designs include:

• Hunter Douglas Vignette® Modern Roman Shades are the industry's only roman shade with no exposed rear cords.
• Hunter Douglas developed the first Break-Thru® Safety Tassel, which is designed to break open under pressure should a child or pet become entangled in the cord loop.
• Their innovative motorized lifting system, PowerRise® with Platinum™ Technology, allows you to raise and lower window treatments with just the press of a button.
• Hunter Douglas cordless LiteRise® system has no operating cords; it just pushes up and pulls down from the bottom. The shade or blind raises or lowers evenly to the desired position, and then holds that position, locking in automatically.  

Or if you are in the Portland Oregon and Vancouver Washington area, call us for on-site demonstration. 503-692-6077