Color is one of the most important factors in a room. It creates a sense of feeling in a space and often determines the success of a design. One of the number one paint manufacturers in the United States is Sherwin-Williams. They have hundreds of colors to choose from and many resources to help when choosing a paint color. Some of the most popular of these resources include an application for smart phones, color fan deck and box, and magazine issues.

ColorSnap is the new smart phone application for iPhones and Androids. It is a free downloadable app that allows for color matching. For example, there is an item that you love on a flower outside your house and you wonder what color that is because you know your living room would look beautiful painted that way! With this Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap app a picture can be taken from your smart phone’s camera and the closest match to that color will appear. You may also scroll for more shades of that color if it is not what you are looking for. Once the desired color is found it can be saved for future reference and the Sherwin-Williams number will be given to you to take to your local Sherwin-Williams store. With this app it will also show you coordinating palettes and find a store near you.

The Sherwin-Williams fan deck and box are some of the most used items in the design world for paint. Included in the fan deck are over 1,000 different colors organized by the saturation level of that color. This is widely used for finding a desired color for a space. Each sample contains the Sherwin-Williams color number. And if the color is needed for a design board, larger samples are available in your local store or through ordering on the Sherwin-Williams website. If you are a design professional you may be qualified to order a Color File which contains both interior and exterior large paint samples in a portable box.

The third most popular Sherwin-Williams resource is their magazine issues called Stir. These issues contain information on the current color trends and advice on color. It is a resource that helps you in your color knowledge all together! The most current 2011 Stir issue contains articles on high spirited, bright hues and how to approach these kinds of colors. It also contains the 2012 Colormix which reflects earth’s natural colors, such as neutrals, greens, blues, and reds. There is also a STIRvey, which is a survey done by Sherwin-Williams which evaluates how valuable resources such as blogs, technology, and media are in the design world for finding and using color.

Sherwin-Williams is a great design source for your paint and color needs and they have excellent resources for their customers. Visit www.sherwin-williams.com for more design ideas, tips, etc. or visit your local Sherwin-Williams store.