Anne Barrington is no stranger to the Parker community. Recently featured in our May Ladies issue, Anne has owned The Barrington Group Real Estate since 2007. She’s also a council member for the Town of Parker and takes pride in giving back to the local community. If that wasn’t enough, last August, she opened Barrington Paint & Design.
“Over the years, I have always been good at having consultations with my clients as far as what they need to do to get their home ready, how to depersonalize it and make it look like anybody could feel like they could live there. Along with that comes painting a lot of times,” Anne explains.
With the start of this new endeavor, Anne sometimes wears two hats. She lists people’s houses for them, helps them through the selling or buying process and also assists in making their homes more appealing with a splash of color.
“I’ve just always had kind of an eye for design,” Anne says. “I like to accent with accessories.” A unique aspect Anne brings to the table is matching a color in a beloved painting, vase or other precious antique and using that color to highlight a room.
When it comes to open concepts, Anne sometimes suggests accent walls to add color without worrying about starting and stopping points.
“I have people who want to do accent walls,” Anne says. “And sometimes they have their mind set on one wall, I’ll maybe direct them towards another one. Sometimes it takes some coaching.” With Anne’s help, clients find a way to bring a wall to life with color without creating issues with transitions.
Finding a color that works takes time, and Anne simplifies the process by providing a method to help choose the right color.
“A lot of times what I’ll say is ‘what are you drawn to on this page,’” as Anne showcases a sheet with small color swatches. “Then based on what they choose there, we’ll go a step up,” referring to larger tile swatches to showcase the client’s color preferences.
Anne then shows an even larger swatch that features a peel-off backing, allowing it to stick to the wall and show the client what the color will look like throughout the day.
“The way this [paint color] looks right now on this light is going to look completely different this afternoon,” Anne explains. “Then I say I want you to put this in several different rooms and go back at different times of the day because you’re going to live with this for a while.”
Many gold colors from the 1990s are making a comeback, along with blacks for trims and accents. While trends are fun, Anne cautions people against being too trendy when it comes to decorating with paint.
“If it’s something that’s very trendy that I know is going to be out next year, I might try to talk them into a different direction,” Anne says. “But I also want them to be able to enjoy it.” She factors in things like when the last time they painted and when they expect to paint again to help narrow down paint colors that will work. She also considers whether they plan to sell within the next five to ten years.
For someone selling their home, Anne discusses how neutral colors are most effective, as a house becomes a selling item rather than a home.
“The way you live in a home and the way you sell it are two different things,” Anne explains. “Neutral colors are the safest and I have some go-to colors like Greek Villa.”
While Anne’s style is more contemporary and traditional, she tries to keep that out of her planning when providing her expertise, unless the client requests it.
“When someone wants color, I’m going to give them color,” Anne emphasizes, wanting to bring every client’s wants and needs to life.
Additionally, Anne collaborates with reliable subcontractors and provides clients with a line-by-line invoice, allowing them to understand the costs for each room. Between that kind of transparency, impeccable work ethic and fitting colors to a client’s desires, Anne says it best when asked what makes her company unique.
“You’re getting us.”
“The way you live in a home and the way you sell it are two different things."