One of the main reasons that professional interior designers and interior decorators get hired is because people are afraid of making a bad paint color selection, especially if they are hiring painters or are painting a room with very tall ceilings and only want to paint once.
Picking a color that is not too dark or light, not too bright or dull, and not too exciting or boring can be tricky.
Here are some interior designer tips & tricks for selecting the best paint color for every room in your home.
photo courtesy of United Soybean Board flickr.com/photos/unitedsoybean/10481728754/
Select Everything Else First
You probably want to get the messy process of painting out of the way before you start decorating your room, but don't pick paint color first!
Paint color can be any color you imagine since paint sellers can color match, however there are limited options of furniture, fabric, and accessories, so select those first.
The color you choose for paint should complement your decor, not constrain your decor choices.
Where to Start and Stop Your Paint
You might want to use the same paint colors in certain room but have different colors in adjacent rooms.
Before you select your colors, you need to ensure that there is a logical starting and stopping point.
If you have door trim between rooms, then that is an obvious place to start and stop different paint colors.
You can easily start and stop paint colors on a corner, as long as it not rounded.
What gets very tricky is trying to start and stop paint between rooms with rounded corners. Most designers agree that it is best to NOT start and stop on a rounded corner, so you might not be able to change paint colors there without having it look a bit weird. If you really want to change colors in that location, consider adding trimwork to add a bit of elegance to your home and create a defined place to start and stop paint colors.
Another thing to consider is your paint color going upstairs. There is often not a good place to change colors from the downstairs hallway to the upstairs hallway, so the paint color selected needs to work for both spaces.
Research
Look online at websites like Pinterest and in design magazines for rooms that you like.
Look for rooms of a similar size and ceiling height, have a similar amount of natural light, are in a similar style, and have similar furniture.
Darker colored walls tend to make a room feel more cozy while lighter colored walls make a room feel bigger and cheerier.
Decide what paint colors you like the most and which paint colors work best with your home's architecture.
Come up with several color schemes that you want to consider for paint colors.
Since your home is a reflection of you, also consider your wardrobe.....do you wear a basic white shirt and khaki pants in your free time or do you prefer bold colors?
Don't forget to consider your ceiling paint color. You can keep it a basic ceiling white or paint it a color.
Consider Color Psychology
Different colors affect our mood differently.
Make sure to understand a bit of color psychology before finalizing your paint colors by reading the article How to Use Color Psychology When Decorating Your Home.
Don't Be Afraid of Going Bold
Some of the most interesting and wonderful interiors use bold paint for a custom design.
Don't be afraid of painting cabinets, a bookcase, and/or a fireplace mantel a bold color.
Since paint is relatively inexpensive and can typically be changed in 1 or 2 days, don't hesitate to try something new.
How Will Your Colors Look in Adjacent Rooms?
Consider how different paint colors will look in adjacent rooms.
Rooms that are open to each other need to have a complementary color scheme, but don't necessarily need to be painted the same color.
Make sure to use paint colors that complement the decor of all rooms that can see the paint color from a distance.
Understanding Undertones
Most colors, especially whites, are not really white. They are white with a drop of another color added.
That other color that is added is called the undertone.
If your color has a drop of blue or green, then it has a cool undertone, and should be used in rooms with a blue and green color scheme.
If your color has a drop of yellow or red, then it has a warm undertone, and should be used in rooms with a red and yellow color scheme.
You can place a plain piece of printer paper adjacent to a white paint color to help you see the undertones in the white paint.
Decorating with items of a similar color but contrasting undertones typically does not look very good.
Color Drenching?
Color drenching is painting your walls, ceilings, and trim (baseboards, crown molding, door trim, etc) the same color, or a slightly lighter or darker version of the same color.
If you do not want to repaint your trim, you can paint your wall color the same color as your existing trim color for a consistent look throughout your home.
Some people prefer the more custom look of color drenching while others prefer to keep their trim white and contrast with a different wall color.
Designer tip - when color drenching, different paint sheens are typically used for different applications. Ceilings will often get a flat paint sheen, walls will get a satin paint sheen, and trim will get an eggshell or semi-gloss paint sheen.
Lighting
Lighting in your home can change how paint colors look.
Natural light can appear different colors during different times of day, weather, and seasonal factors, and unfortunately, there is not much you can do about that.
You can, however, make sure that your interior lighting is consistent.
When selecting light bulbs for your home, make sure to select the same color temperature light bulb for the entire room so you have an even color temperature.
Color temperature is listed on light bulb packaging using the letter K, which stands for Kelvin.
A lower number, such as 2500, is a warmer (more yellow) light. A higher number, such as 3500, is a cooler (more blue) light.
Most people prefer interior lighting in the 2700-3200k range.
Samples
Once you have an idea of what color families you want (buttery yellow, dark green, or some sort of gray, etc) get paint paper samples.
You can visit a paint store, a hardware store, or a super center to get free paper paint samples.
Feel free to bring with you a pillow or other decor item with the colors that you love.
Gather many paint samples in the color family you want - don't shy away from taking 20 or more.
Select some lighter than you think you want, some darker than you think you want, some brighter than you think you want, and some more dull than you think you want.
Keep in mind that the lighting in these stores is very different than the lighting in your home, so get more samples than you think you need.
Do not buy your paint yet. Bring all of your paper samples home.
Designer tip - if you are selecting paint for many rooms, you might want to purchase a paint fan deck from the manufacturer of the paint you will be purchasing.
Eliminate Colors
Attach all of your paper paint samples to the wall of your home that will be painted using painter's tape.
Do not look at your paint samples close up. Stand at least 10 foot away or, even better, go sit in a chair or sofa and stare at your samples for a while.
Imagine the entire wall painted in that color.
You should immediately discover that you dislike some of your paint color samples, so remove those from your wall.
Move the remaining samples to other locations that will be painted the same color.
Place your samples high on the wall, near the baseboards, near the windows, near furniture, and any other places that you want.
Once again, remove the colors you do not like. Keep checking the paint colors in different locations throughout the day.
Natural light from windows emits different colors during different parts of the day, so you need to look at the paint colors multiple times per day.
Look at your paint samples with your lights on and with your lights off.
Will that cheerful color make you want to wear sunglasses when entering the room?
Will that dark color make your room feel like a cave?
Will that white color be dull and boring?
Is that beige color the same color as most of the homes on your street?
Color Decision
After a while, you should be left with 1 paint sample that you like the best.
If you are not totally sure of your paint selection or are trying to decide between 2 or 3 colors, purchase a small tester paint sample in the color(s) you selected and paint a portion of your wall in that color.
After the color has totally dried (don't judge a paint color before it is totally dry), look at it during different times of day. You might need 2 or more coats of paint, especially if it is a dark or saturated color.
If you like the color, then you are ready to paint. If you do not love the color, then start over with obtaining paper paint samples again.
Paint Sheen
Don't forget to select the correct paint sheen for your walls.
Paint sheen is the glossiness of the paint. Typically, glossier paints are easier to clean however show the most surface imperfections.
If you want to use a flat or other less glossy finish, make sure to get a very high quality paint that is more durable.
Here is an article all about selecting the correct paint sheen How to Select a Paint Sheen.
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