Current Newsletter

Philip Reno, a former house painter and retailer now has his own line of paints, Philip’s Perfect Colors. They are not available yet in New England, where I live, but based on what he has to say, I know I'll be watching for them.

During a recent seminar at the Boston Design Seminar, Reno said that most tried and true colors date back to 14th century Renaissance art. According to Reno, the most common mistake homeowners make is choosing colors that are too bright and not complex enough.

“Our eye demands and delights in complexity,” he said, explaining that colors which have many pigments in them allow for more subtlety. He warned that paint chips don’t necessarily match the color you get on the wall, and recommended using high-end paint brands like C2, Donald Kaufman, Devine, and his own line, that make their paint chips with real paint.

Calling paint color “the most important element in a design project” Reno said, “It is both the least expensive and the easiest to procure. You get more bang for the buck than anything else you’ll put in that room.”

This story originally ran in the Boston Homes