When looking at a chart - Don't always judge a Chalk Paint® color just by that tiny 1 inch square on the Color Chart. When you look at painted swatches against the bright white card stock of the color chart - it could give you false perception. For example- any of Annie's "white's" are going to look creamier....vs when you actually paint a whole piece and it is in a space of your home. This difference also applies when holding the color chart card flat vs vertical ...the amount of light bouncing off the swatch can make a difference in how your eye perceives the color. This kitchen project is a perfect example of what I mean. The Chalk Paint® color Original - is a warm, slightly creamy, traditional white. When you look at the swatch, it has a slight ochre base to it, and may appear as if it is too creamy but once painted, it is a perfect soft warm white and seems much more neutral. Purchasing a sample pot of potential colors you are considering is always a great investment... especially if you are doing a large project like your kitchen cabinets. Paint one door and see how the color works with your wall paint color. Keep in mind other things like the amount of light you get in your home and your flooring and countertops can make a difference too.
If unsure of a color- BUY ONE. It is much cheaper than getting a can of paint that you do not like the color of. This is really important if planning on purchasing multiple containers.
I also want to insert a link to a video I made where we opened every LITRE container of Chalk Paint®, stirred it and described the color. There is a key to jump to a specific color noted in the comment section to save you time. CLICK HERE to watch the YOUTUBE Video.
If you are are considering of purchasing Chalk Paint® for a larger project- like a kitchen or a whole bedroom suite consider investing in a sample pot of chalk paint first. They are very affordable and really the only way to truly see how a color plays in your home with your lighting, other wall colors, etc. Sample Pots are 1/2 cup.
The Annie Sloan Painted Color Chart is perfect to understand the actual hue of all the Chalk Paint® colors since these swatches are produced by painting with actual paint of all Annie's global colors that are now packaged in litres as of 2019!
Annie Sloan has organized the colors from the perspective similar to a color wheel. You see the "primary" colors of red, blue and yellow.
All of the paint swatches are real paint, painted on to little cards except for Athenian Black and Oxford Navy. Those are digital images on an additional card that we include.
Since these are painted swatches (not copies by a printer) and are laid out similar to the color wheel, when using this chart you can see colors that are opposite each other - which are considered to be complementary colors (example: red and green).
The high contrast of complementary colors creates a vibrant look especially when used at full saturation. However, keep in mind when partnering this color scheme to manage it - so it is not jarring to the eye.
Complementary colors are tricky to use in large doses, but work well when you want something to stand out. (Like painting the inside of a hutch or dresser drawers, or using it to accent details.) Annie will often call this design for furniture, "Quiet Riot" when you paint a hutch in Old White, but then open a drawer and BAM! You get a treat of some bright or fun color! Kind of like wearing bright red underwear under your boring business suit. LOL! (sorry- just had to add that and as I type this- I wonder how many of you will read this whole description for a color chart ~ too funny!)
I also love how this trifold document has an overlay of a piece of acetate that describes the color beneath it. By having the painted swatches on the inside, they are protected and will not get scratched when placing this in your tote if bringing it along when shopping or picking out coordinating items.
If you are looking for inspiration of other colors to select when making a purchase? Reference this chart!
I APOLOGIZE THAT WE DO NOT MAIL COLOR CHARTS FOR FREE. We would literally go out of business if we sent them solo in the mail to everyone who asked. The color charts wholesale for the same cost we sell them- and then-
the envelope and shipping adds up to another $3.50 so- we actually sell
them for less than it costs us for the envelope and postage. I only share this information- so you
know the reasoning behind the response if you ask us for a free one. If you order more than two
items at any time though- we always include a color chart in the package for free!
(not that that option helps you if you are a first time buyer )
**Just an FYI: We ship color charts via regular mail in a white envelope to keep shipping costs as low as possible for our customers.**
