Painting to Please

Men will tell you that their opinions about paint colors are typically outweighed by the wife, friends, and even the painter who executed the interior?''s rebirth.
Friends will tell a man that even though an outdoor color is officially called Arizona Red, the home is pink.

Canyon, clay, terra cotta, salmon -- whatever people call it, men know  it is still pink. And, either people really like it or they really don'?'t.

Perhaps it's a good idea to start with small paint swatches to find a compromise between husband and wife. When visiting other people's homes, businesses and restaurants, take note of what each other likes. Call it what you will - Southwest or Mediterranean - for instance, but know the palette you are speaking of by visiting paint departments at local home improvement stores. Save those little color card, take them home and compare them in different rooms at different times of day - even when the weather outside is different because it can change your mood toward color. You both have to live with it so try your best to get it right.

It's been said that  imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so if you drive by a home with a pleasing color, stop and ask the occupants where they got their paint and what the color swatch was named. As you visit interiors, ask the same questions. If it is a business, try taking color card inside and asking management if you may compare your ideas against their painted walls. They will love the positive attention.

And remember, by any name, pink is pink just as green is green. And if you don't like it after a week, month or year, paint color is one of the the easiest and least expansive changes you can make in a home - assuming the husband doesn't mind working atop a tall ladder.