If you are ever needing to find a color or match a color name to a color or have forgotten the name and need refreshing, Colorcharts.org is a great one-stop resource to help you out. We just recieved yet another good tip from Andree who explains it so well:
On this site, you can look up paint colors by name, for SEVERAL different manufacturers. I used Jimmy's Marlboro Blue as an example from his entree page here.
You'll get the one reply. If it's a common name, or you only know part of the name, you'll get several responses.
Once you see the color online, you can see how it contrasts against black and white. You can see the colors that are shown next to it in the manufacturers color charts (very helpful when needing something a little lighter or darker in the same manufacturer).
Maybe you find a color you love online, but you don't have that brand of paint nearby, so click on the "match" link, and you'll get similar colors from other manufacturers. And you'll see a percentage rating of how closely they match.
The main page will link you over to the CBN system (Color By Number), and you'll get to this site:
http://www.cbnsystem.com/software/selector_benefits.asp
It's a Windows-only application, I'm on a Mac, so I don't know how it works exactly. But it's FREE to download!!! You can calibrate your monitor to more closely reflect the manufacturers actual paint colors.
And the best part (besides FREE) is that you can import your own home pictures and try out those colors you've long considered for your home.
It's a wonderful tool, to compare colors, or to use colors they've dreamed of and show them in their own home!
Andree
They also have carefully organized color charts from almost every paint manufacturer available in the US. Instead of going to say, the Benjamin Moore website and struggling through all of their hoo-haw, you can effortlessly scour their color collection right here. (Thanks, Andree & Patrick!)
(Re-Edited from original post on 2005-09-08 - MGR)
thanks patrick!!!
anyone know a site that helps you adjust the color on your monitor so you're looking at what they are putting up?
I'd head to the color gurus at Pantone (pantone.com). They offer a monitor calibration system.
Colorcharts.org would have come in soooo handy back in the days of the apartmenttherapy.com Fresh Melon Green Commotion.
... or NOT, actually. I can't find Fresh Melon Green on their site.
thx p(too),
but - o my - I wonder if there's a way to calibrate my monitor for less than $179 + shipping
http://www.pantone.com/products/products.asp?idSubArea=0&idArea=2&idProduct=497&idArticleType_Products=0
re: fresh melon
paint companies have a habit of changing out their colors just when you are looking for them again . . .
Many DVDs with "THX" sound also contain a television (monitor) calibrating sequence. Look for one of those DVDs, or maybe THX has a website with this on it. THX is owned by George Lucas (Star Wars).
Of course, I'm assuming you have a DVD drive on your computer.
Regarding Fresh Melon Green: Paint stores and manufacturers can usually tell you what the old paint name has been changed to. My favorite hardware/paint store, Brickmans on First Ave. even keeps the old color sample cards for just that reason. They know it is bad for their repeat business to not have the old names handy.
From the CBN "Features" page:
http://www.cbnsystem.com/software/selector_features.asp
"Calibration
Display Calibration utilities are integrated with CBN Selector, providing the most accurate display of the real world color on your monitor."
Which means that after you Windows folks calibrate your monitor with their CBN System, you see the colors as they are intended to be seen.
Now, could someone, ANYONE, please clue me in on how this whole website works? I came over to view the Smallest Coolest Apartment area and have been thrilled.
I've sent in a few emails, one of which was the above one, but never got a response via email. I didn't realize what I sent in might pop up somewhere on the site.
I'm not sure where to post things. Like when people have asked in the various threads below the individual SMA pictures, looking for a specific thing, sometimes I go look for it for that person. Is that okay? Okay to post links?
I have no idea who "Maxwell" is either. LOL! And Maxwell says they got ANOTHER good tip from me. What was the first one? Is that somewhere on this site too? LOL!
I'm not really sure about where things ARE here, or where to look for them. I guess there's a daily "newsletter" kind of thing posted here on the site, which is what this was a part of. Are there two different ones? One for the LA and one for NY?
Uh, the Open Threads...those are to talk about anything? No theme?
And does anyone ever go back and read the old questions? Like I saw this one from March 3:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/030306/good-questions/good-questions-ikea-kitchen-cabinets-or-better-006836
about IKEA kitchen cabinets.
I didn't know much about Kitchen items and couldn't help folks much with decorating or renovating, until I happened to glance up at a Consumer Reports issue, I guess it was August 2004? I'd have to pull it out...
But the cover was splashed with "Kitchen Makeovers for Thousands Less" and covered appliances, countertops, etc. This gave me their unbiased opinions on how well things WORKED.
IKEA was number four. And rated above many higher priced brands. They go into soooo much detail there, for the prices, and what the price includes, but it's basically and upper and lower cabinet. IKEA at number 4 rated above other brands that cost 2-3 times as much. It rated just below a Lowe's Premium cabinet, Diamond Platinum, that cost $630, compared to IKEA's basic $290. They both rated "Very Good" overall. Just barely below "Excellent".
The top two were both Expo Premium cabinets, Omega and Fieldstone that were priced $1,055 and $1,020 respectively, and those rated in the Excellent category.
Now, I could have a pair of cabinets for $290, or a pair of cabinets for $1,055. Uh. Hmm. DUH!
The best part of that article, which I LOVE to mention every time is this:
"Price doesn't guarantee performance.
Salespeople will tell you that you get what you pay for, and to a degree, that panned out. Premium cabinets withstood heat, water, moisture, and other abuse best overall. Indeed, readers we surveyed who bought the least-expensive cabinets were likelier to have problems. We found strong lower-priced performers, however.
The ready-to-assemble Ikea outperformed much more expensive units, despite its low price. High-quality drawer hardware and doors and a robust mounting strip helped."
I personally don't know squat about "mounting strips" and I'm not Googling that pair of words, as I have the feeling I'd get unexpected adult content like I did when I was looking for "safer wood stripper".
I don't know how they test mounting strips either, maybe let kids dangle from the cabinets?
Anyway, I like the fact that I could have IKEA base cabinets and change out the doors for a completely different look.
Uh...anyway, how DOES this website work? Uh...and also, where does one find modern/contemporary items in the towels realm? There just aren't that many!
Secondly, I know I'd never win any cool apartment contest, unless you consider the temperature as part of "cool"...becuase I don't see a lot of modern or contemporary cat furniture. Or cool cube cat boxes.
I've been trying to GIVE away ideas to IKEA and I can't get any of the big cheese people to email me.
Andree
By the way, I guess you DID find the Fresh Melon Green...
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/011905/color-chips/colors-fresh-melon-green-001820
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/27/garden/27blog.html?ex=1264827600&en=b12bdb04f349d041&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt
I see that Maxwell had to drink out of a vase and Ryan was forced to sit on stairs as there was no other seating. I hope this has changed in a year's time. It's such a shame when one has no shoes.
Oops, where's the edit button? That's Oliver banned to the stairs with no shoes. I suppose it could have been more confusing if the hyphenated name was a combination of two "first" names, like "Maxwell Bob-Ryan" and "Oliver Ryan" Then when introductions took place, it would be "...and this is Mr. Bob-Ryan" and the other person would say "Ahh, Mr. Ryan, how do you do" and Maxwell would say "That's Mr. Bob-Ryan" and the other person would be confused "Yes, Bob Ryan, can I call you Bob?" Especially when "Mr. Bob Ryan" says "But you can call me Maxwell."