Painting just got easier

Have you ever wondered how designers get that perfect paint look in model homes? It’s more than just a good eye and being bold with the color palette.

The truth is that designers have access to products and tools that the rest of us do not.

Certain high-tech, high-quality paints just can’t be bought from the local paint store. In fact, unless you have access to a professional design showroom, you’re missing out on many products.

Fortunately, there is a professional design showroom that is open to the public. Finishing Touch Inc. on the Bothell Everett Highway is an award-winning design service and showroom that has worked with the Seattle Street of Dreams and has appeared on ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover.

Finishing Touch is one of the few locations in the United States where you can buy Philosophy Color. Philosophy is an exclusive color system designed to take the fear and anxiety out of selecting coordinating wall colors.

Unlike a paint store that has thousands of paint chips, some in hues you would never choose to use and all grouped by tint alone, Philosophy palettes are beautifully coordinated in true complementary designer groupings. They’re perfect for both elegant and casual interiors.

“They are colors that are geared toward our climate, our lighting and our landscape,” said Philosophy Color company owner and concept developer Ginny Rutherford.

“This is a palette for the Northwest.”

Customers or designers can select any sample from a Philosophy palette and know that the colors complement each other whether you are painting a whole room, creating accent walls or allowing a color theme to flow through an entire home. The harmonious groupings have names like Herb Garden, Salsa and City Lights.

Even more impressive than the color of the paint is its quality. As you would expect from an exclusive product, the quality is exceptional. It offers outstanding coverage, which means you can cover more area with less paint.

Customers as well as contractors appreciate the fact that Philosophy paint is a low odor and low VOC product. Anytime you purchase paint for your home you should look for products that are low VOC or low in volatile organic compounds. These are the fumes that can be hazardous to your health.

Once the Philosophy paint is on the wall, it offers a velvet-like finish. Although it is a flat paint, it can withstand scrubbing. This makes it perfect in homes with children or pets. Another plus is that, unlike standard paints, touch-ups are virtually invisible.

That’s great news when you get a smudge or scrape on your freshly painted wall.

Philosophy Color is a new local company. Rutherford originally owned an interior design store in Bellingham. After repeated requests from customers wanting her to pick their paint colors for them to match carpet, tile and other finishes, she decided to fill a niche market for quality designer paints in select color schemes.

“Choosing paint can be really overwhelming, even for people who work with color all day long,” Rutherford said. “I wanted to take this concept to other design stores because I knew they were doing the same thing that I was.”

Susan Nicholas, owner of Finishing Touch, was quick to see the benefit of Rutherford’s concept. She noted that builders in particular have been very excited about this addition to new home design consults.

“We can lay out the color sheet with the tiles and carpet and they can see what it’s really going to look like together,” Nicholas said.

As with all high-quality paints, Philosophy Colors sell small sample jars. This means that for less than $5, consumers can take home a sample and try it out on their walls. Better still, Nicholas recommends putting the paint on a large piece of poster board.

Then you can take it from room to room and see how it looks under all lighting situations.

If you’re not a do-it-yourselfer, you can take advantage of the professional design services of Finishing Touch. Make an appointment to speak with a designer or arrange an in-home consultation.