The holidays are times of joy and good cheer, but they can also cause moments of panic, especially with company coming to stay. For many people, this time of year serves as inspiration to finally complete all of those home improvement projects they keep meaning to do, but never seem to get around to.
The quickest way to freshen up your home’s appearance is with a fresh coat of paint. Even better, you don’t have to paint the entire home, or even an entire room. A few strategic changes are all it takes to take revitalize your home.
Step 1: Talk to Your Local Painter
For most people, November through December is an incredibly busy period. Extra cooking, extra entertaining, extra shopping, all while maintaining the same work and family obligations you have the other 10 months of the year.
If you want to paint but have no idea where you’ll find the time, hiring a painting contractor to do the job for you makes a lot of sense. They have the tools and expertise needed to get the job done right and get it done quickly.
However, even though the pros at CBP are masters of residential painting, we understand that you may want to make only a few strategic changes that don’t warrant hiring a painting company. To that end, the following steps apply to both the DIY painter and the homeowner looking to hire a professional.
Step 2: Create Your Wish Lists
Yes, we suggest making more than one wish list of painting ideas. The first list includes the jobs that really need to be complete even if you didn’t expect company. The second list includes the painting projects you’d like to do, but that aren’t strictly necessary. For example, do your walls have any recent repairs, or do they need repairs? These areas should rise to the top of your “needs to happen” list.
Look inside and outside your home when making these lists. Where will your guests congregate? In the Phoenix area, the answer to this may be outdoors, since we don’t worry much about freezing temps. If you live in the valley, you may prefer to paint your home’s exterior, or focus your efforts on features like your patio and property walls.
Inside the home, be realistic about where your guests typically congregate, as well as how your family lives day to day. Does everyone gather around the dining room table, or do you all put the “living” in living room?
Step 3: Come up with a Color Scheme
Most modern homes, particularly in the southwest, have an open floorplan. This makes finding a cohesive color palette more important than when painting older homes with discrete spaces. If you’re making small changes throughout the home, you can pull it all together with the right colors. Check out our color palettes for ideas on a variety of color schemes. This should help guide your choices and make it easy to match current décor, so that your new paintjob doesn’t clash with your furnishings, window treatments, and accessories.
If you really want to know how a room will look with a new color scheme, check out some amazing apps. This Old House reviewed five great apps that let you see how your walls will look in that fabulous new color, no painting required.
Step 4: Get Creative
Sometimes, one small change makes a huge impact. This is especially true in your kitchen and bathroom. You can completely rejuvenate these rooms in a single afternoon, just by repainting the cabinets. Adding some cool new hardware, such as decorative door pulls, takes it one step further.
Of course, you can make a big impact with small changes throughout your home. Paint the window trim, doorways, banisters, and any other architectural features for an instant update. These are projects you can complete over a single weekend, in plenty of time for company.
Let’s Get Started
If you’re ready to hire licensed pros, contact CBP today. We’ll inspect your property and provide a free project estimate.