I am learning all sorts of new things as I’m working on launching a paint line. One of those lessons has been on the universal language of color. In order to communicate with the designers I’m collaborating with, I have had to learn the standard, the reference point, so we’re all looking at the same color. I have lots of paint decks (I am bit of a junkie), so I thought I could just pull out the Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams color that was closest to what I was thinking for one of my 12 colors. Well, that’s not the case. That would probably work in a pinch, but it’s not the standard. The standard is Pantone.

 

 

 

So now I have my color reader and my Pantone paint deck and I am able to find the Pantone color that matches my custom milk paint color.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes the reader was dead on and other times I had to go to a color near the one it suggested.  Milk Paint has a lot of variation in the color, so it was important to have the physical paint deck to compare.

Why was it important to get the color right?  First of all, I needed to let Reni, my label designer know the colors, so the dresser on the label on each box of paint shows the customer what color is in the box…

Second, I am so excited to share that I am collaborating with Dawn of Oliveira Designs to carry a line of gorgeous fabrics and pillows to coordinate with the paint colors.  Amazing, right?  Since she’s a designer, she had a Pantone paint deck, so now we can compare colors and make sure we’re on the same page.  Very important when coordinating fabric with paint!

 It’s exciting stuff!

Another lesson I’m learning is that managing all of my retailers and potential retailers is taking over my life!  I finally hired an assistant.  It was the perfect timing and the perfect person had the perfect conversation with me at the perfect moment.  That conversation was an answer to her prayers and mine.  It’s awesome how that works out and I can’t wait to introduce you to her.  And to make it even more perfect…her name is Faith.

 

 

Disclosure:  This is not a paid post, but X-rite/Pantone sent me the color reader a few months ago and recently sent me a complimentary paint deck.  I’m giving them some link love for sending me something I really needed and was going to buy anyway.