For those who don't want to decide on new colors for their interior spaces on their own, consider a consultant. Color consultants usually charge by the hour and will offer professional advice to choosing the perfect color.

Here are a few Atlanta area color consultants:

• Ladies Two Interiors: Offers custom color consulting for $35 an hour. They also have a painting crew and give free painting estimates. Contact Daryl Thompson at 678-698-1429.

• Murals by Caroline Faux the Fun of It: Offers custom color consulting for $75 an hour; also free estimates on murals and decorative painting. Contact Caroline Camick at 678-760-2655.

• Trademark Homes: Custom color consulting for $70 an hour. They can consult on any project, but specialize in kids' rooms with lots of color. Contact Joan Smith at 404-775-4005.

• Devine Custom: This is a service available through the Devine Color paint line. The company's philosophy involves using colors to accent the undertones in wood and tie everything together. A colorist trained in this method can be booked for a consultation for $295. Find more information on the Web at www.devinecustom.com or call 1-866-264-8780.

• Outstanding Results Painting: For those who don't want to pick up a brush, this service offers free painting estimates for any size job. A free color consultation is included with the estimate. Project consultant Janis Durham spends time with clients to help them find color schemes that work with their lighting and furnishings. To schedule an appointment, contact Durham at 678-895-1356.

'PAINT' ROOM ON WEB AND OTHER TOOLS

Paint companies offer online tools to help guide buyers to the perfect paint colors. Here's a sampling of what you'll find:

Benjamin Moore Paints, www.benjaminmoore.com.

• Find Benjamin Moore stores and get tips on picking out color.

• Click on the free Personal Color Viewer to try paint colors on the walls of a variety of sample rooms. You can buy an upgraded version of the Personal Color Viewer for $10, which will allow you to upload and paint your own photos. This program can be ordered online or purchased from any Benjamin Moore store.

• Also on the site: See pictures of prepainted rooms for ideas, and stay trendy with a guide to the most popular colors. Find a fun link to www.designmyroom.com on the Web site. This is a free site where you can design and paint virtual rooms with Benjamin Moore colors.

• If you want some expert advice, but don't have the budget for a decorator, Benjamin Moore offers a program called Color Makeover. Customers can e-mail Benjamin Moore designers pictures of the rooms they want to paint. The designers will select colors for the rooms for $10 to $40.

Behr, www.behr.com

• Read articles on picking out color.

• Use the Color Smart feature to paint sample rooms. You can upload and paint your own photos for a fee of $4.95 a year.

Devine Color, www.devinecolor.com

• Find color ideas and an online magazine about color.

Glidden, www.glidden.com

• Get color ideas and tips.

• Try the Color Consultant, a free feature that assists with choosing a color scheme.

• Look at your chosen colors on the walls of sample rooms with the Color Visualizer. Upload and paint pictures of your own rooms by purchasing a copy of Color Home Color Visualizer for $6.99 (buy on the Web site or at a Glidden retailer).

Sherwin-Williams, www.sherwinwilliams.com

• Find ideas and advice on color selection.

• Use the free online Color Visualizer to see colors on the walls of sample rooms.

Porter Paints, www.voiceofcolor.com

• Find inspiration and color trends and ideas.

• Play the Color Sense Game, a quiz that will recommend color palettes based on your answers. Shoppers can determine the color groups best suited to their personalities; the program prompts people to answer questions about their likes and dislikes and then recommends two Porter brand color families.

Valspar, www.valspar.com

•Get ideas on color, view sample projects, paint sample rooms online.

Olympic, www.olympic.com

• Get some ideas and paint selection advice from the Inspired Guide to Choosing Color.

Ralph Lauren Paints, www.ralphlaurenhome.com

• Use the Create Your Own feature to paint sample rooms.