A former contractor rolls out a high-end paint store that tips the scales of color brilliance. Colori is the place to go to paint your walls red-really red.

WHO A designer friend introduced former road building contractor Michelle Herzog to C2 paints. After visiting with the brand’s found-ing members in Boston, Herzog, 36, persuaded them to let her open Colori, the first show-case store in Chicago.
WHAT A smart paint store in Bucktown
WHERE 2243 W. North Ave.; 773-252-4923, colori-chicago.com

Relax with a good cup of coffee while your paints are mixed at the color bar. A spectrophotometer can match any color from a bead to a brick.

Corona natural ox bristle brushes ($9.26 to $46.99) guarantee the smoothest result per stroke. “If you’re not using the right brushes you won’t achieve a flawless finish,” says Herzog.

“These paints give you the exact color you’re looking for, and they have great names,” says Herzog, who painted some of her store walls “Bang!”-a vivid red-and “Al Green.” The paints ($30 to $60 per gallon, $15 to $25 per quart) use 16 pigments for deepest dimension and coloration. One coat of primer ($39.99 a gallon), followed by two coats of color, and you’re done.