Successfully Update Your Space JUST by Using these Paint Tips

This week in my Off the Shelf Online Library Design Course, we are talking about interior finishes and how to apply them to your design.  Everyone in the course is on a different design path that requires different steps.  For example, one student is preparing for a brand new construction project that will require all new everything.  Another is making changes to their existing building but in a big way by removing all the old materials and starting from scratch with a brand new design concept.  And several others are simply trying to make some budgetary changes to an existing space by using what they already have in place and giving it a much-needed facelift.  And this is where this week's topic comes in.  

So how DO you take what you already have and make it look new and inviting without breaking the bank?  I have put together several tips in the following blog post that will hopefully help you to get started.  It isn't nearly as difficult as you might think.  The key is to just step outside of what you see all around you and begin seeing your existing space with fresh eyes.

MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU

The very first step is to identify the one thing you cannot afford to change.  This may also be something that you just don't want to change.  A main feature that you feel is in good shape and doesn't need to be tossed out.  This could be the Information Desk or other millwork.  It could also be a specific theme you have that you love and want to maintain.  But for most people it's so much less romantic than that.  For most people, it's the carpet.  And that's actually good news!  

The flooring (typically multi-colored carpet) is generally the largest single interior finishes expense that most people can't afford to change out in their renovation projects.  It's also what often drives the rest of the overall look and design of the space.  So here are my big tips on how to use that existing carpet to spice things up. 

1. Revisit the color scheme and change your paint colors.
2. Take a good look at the carpet you're currently using and get yourself a fan deck with all the paint chips on it from your favorite paint manufacturer.  And that means getting on the floor and laying everything out in front of you.  Sometimes design is messy, what can I say?
3. Pick out every single color that you see in your carpet sample and order all of those swatches online.  You can also visit your local paint store.  Don't make this difficult.  Just get the colors in your space and spread them out so you can get your creative juices flowing.
4. Find your neutral.  Figure out which one of these is the neutral you already use.
5. Now change it!  If you were using a warmer neutral before like a beige, use a cooler neutral now.  Perhaps something with a little more gray in it.  Same goes if you are already using grays in your space as your neutral.  Warm it up.  I've got some great neutrals that can go either way if you get stuck.  Just visit my DIY Library Design Group and ask me for them.  I'll be glad to send my favorites your way.
6. Once you have your neutral, make the decision to repaint all of your main walls in that color.  This will make a dynamic change in the way people view your existing space.  You will be so amazed out how choosing different colors from your carpet will make that carpet look completely different to you and your patrons.
7. Next up, select two or three new accent colors.  If you are limited to only two or three already, try selecting either more saturated or more muted tones of those colors.  Otherwise, find two or three that have not already been used and make those your feature wall/accent colors.  
8. Select the areas you want to change.  Typically an accent wall behind an info desk or a designated reading area whether for children or adults.  Add your new accent colors to these walls and you will have a completely new look for your Library.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Using your flooring to liven up your building by altering your color scheme is an excellent and very affordable way to make a quick and painless change to your Library.  Sometimes due to funds (or the lack thereof), you have to make do with what you have.  If that means completing projects in phases, then so be it.  You can always change out paint faster than most anything else.  And if the funding appears a little later down the road allowing you to change out your flooring, then you already have a new launch point.  It's a win no matter how you spin it!