Redecorating Your Home

Not ready to sell? Why not give your own home a fresh look?

March 24th, 2009 Categories: Tips & Tools

Maybe a move isn’t in the cards for you right now, but it’s never a bad time to do a little redecorating. But some people are really daunted when it comes to choosing new paint colors — with so many choices, how do you figure out what you want? And how do you know what it’ll look like once it’s up? The sites below can give you a hand with that. Some of the services are free and some require a subscription, but all three are great tools for picking out a new look for your home. Explore color schemes, wall and trim colors, special paint effects and more…before you commit!

Bob Vila’s site features an Exterior Designer that’s your best bet for envisioning new paint, trim and accent colors for your exterior.

Benjamin Moore’s Personal Color Viewer lets you try on paint and trim colors in a variety of sample rooms in different styles.

The Behr Paints site has a number of ways to explore and try out new colors. You can see your selected shades on sample photos for free — but for only $4.95 per year, you can not only try on paint colors *and* color wash, sponge and rag effects, but you can also upload your own photos and try them out in your very own rooms. Go to the Behr site and click on “Start ColorSmart.”

But maybe you need a little direction to get you started? Take the Style Quiz at Sproost and see what your room preferences say about your own personal style.