6 Tips For Choosing Paint Color — Miss Alice Designs

One of the most common questions I am asked quite often is what color should I paint my walls? It’s an open-ended question as there are so many factors to choosing a paint color that works for your home or office. Selecting paint color can be overwhelming for most people especially since there are thousands of options out there and no one wants to make the wrong choice. It can be a costly and time consuming mistake. Very few people know exactly what color they want from a specific paint brand and most people typically try a few samples before deciding on the final selection. Painting a room is like creating your own work of art and you are the artist. There is definitely a process for picking the right color from researching ideas, choosing the color, determining the sheen, to selecting a good painter if you aren’t painting yourself. Don't be afraid to experiment with color as you can then adjust and tweak accordingly. At the end of the day, people really need guidance choosing the right color for their space and are overwhelmed with all the options out there. This just drives people crazy and causes unwanted stress. Here are a few tips to help you start the process and choose a paint color that's right for your space.

1. Go through design images from magazines, blogs, Houzz, Pinterest, or online design sites to get ideas and inspiration. Please keep in mind that the colors you are drawn to in the photos will not turn out exactly the same in your own space because the shape of your room may be different and you will have different furniture, accessories, window treatments, and lighting in your home that will affect the color. Every material you have in each room will affect the color in the space.

2. Look at the existing items in your room such as artwork, rugs, flooring, furniture, fabric, patterns, and lighting to name a few. These will suggest a direction for selecting color. For example, if you have a piece of artwork or rug that you love with a specific color you are drawn to, that would be a good starting point. Pull together some paint swatches that resemble that color as much as possible. Or, if you have a favorite chair in a fun pattern that gives you joy, start from there.

3. I recommend purchasing brush-outs (the actual paint color painted on a sample board) from paint stores and place it next to furniture or accessories in your space. You can also create the brush-outs yourself by using 2 foot square cardboard, Masonite, or plywood. A sample board is better than painting color swatches directly on the wall because you can move it around the room and view the colors from different angles against different furnishings and materials. Keep in mind that pale paint colors will look darker when it’s dry, while darker colors will appear lighter after they’ve had time to cure. Review the color at various times of day even over the course of a few days. A color is continuously changing.

4. Think about light. Light (and therefore color) changes from the top of the wall to the bottom as the surroundings shift from natural day light to artificial lighting. The intensity and character of natural and artificial lighting within each space affects a color’s appearance. A color will look warmer as your lights go on. Notice when you turn on your table lamps, floor lamps, recessed lights, or any ceiling light fixtures such as pendants and chandeliers. Typically the color temperature of bulbs are 2700K-3000K which emits a warm glow that will affect the colors in a room. You have to account for that difference.

5. Consider colors in your other rooms and how it flows from one room to the other. If you have a large open space, use the same color throughout the entire space, or if you want a bit more variety, make sure all the colors work well together harmoniously. Keep in mind that the exact same paint color can seem to shift a bit from room to room depending on what material is in each space as well as what the surrounding surfaces are. Viewing the same color at different angles can also alter perception.

6. If you want to do something different, paint your moldings in a deep color such as navy or black and contrast it against a neutral gray or greige. If that is too adventurous for you, keep trims (window moldings, picture moldings, crown moldings) and ceilings a lighter color if you are going to paint your walls in a darker hue because it creates a nice contrast which is visually appealing. There are different shades of white for example that work well with cooler shades or warmer colors. A good color for trims is Benjamin Moore Simply White. It is a soft warm white rather than a crisp white that works very well with any color. Or, instead of sticking to a white ceiling like most people, use white with a faint tint of your wall’s hue which will add depth to a room. Although flat sheen is usually preferred for ceilings, a glossier finish can add movement and brightness to a space

I hope these tips were helpful. If you have a design project that you want to get started on and need a designer's expertise and guidance, please contact me for a complimentary design consultation. To schedule your consultation, click here. In the meantime, you can look through ideabooks on Houzz and Pinterest for inspiration!