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When it comes to decorating your home, the paint color you choose for the walls can have a huge effect on how your house looks and feels. Whether you’re buying a new home, remodeling an existing space, or just wanting to change things, it can be difficult to know where to start when selecting a new interior paint color.
Well, worry no more—we’ve put together this comprehensive guide filled with tips and tricks to help you choose the perfect paint color for your home.
From the basics of color theory and traditional color schemes, to examples of fail-proof shades and how to work with light and existing home furnishings, this guide has all the answers you need to pick the right hue for your space.
So, grab a cup of coffee and get ready for a painting project—it’s time to dive into the ultimate guide to choosing the perfect paint color for your home!
Consider your furniture, wall décor and personal style. Also, it is important to look at how different colors look in different lighting at different times of day.
Selecting a color palette for your home can be an exciting experience, but it can also be overwhelming.
As you explore different options, it’s important to remember that even though the colors you choose are a reflection of your personality, they should also work together harmoniously and create a unified look throughout your home.
Selecting a single accent color in addition to a neutral backdrop helps keep the entire space balanced and elegant.
When choosing colors, consider the size and shape of the room before selecting a color palette. Large rooms can accommodate bold colors that complement each other.
Small spaces tend to look best with light colors as they make them appear brighter and more spacious. However, if you’re looking for drama, select two or three colors from one family, such as using various shades of gray or blue.
Pro tip: Opt for monochromatic schemes with cool colors to conjure up a clean, modern atmosphere.Contrasting colors are another reliable way to bring excitement into any space without feeling overwhelmed by too many color choices. Use classic complementary colors like blues and oranges or purples and yellows for captivating contrast that almost anyone enjoys.
Additionally, analogous colors can unite your chosen style by introducing shades from adjacent segments on the color wheel into your palette as well.
Whatever path you decide to pursue in order to create your personalized hues, always strive to ensure that whatever colors ultimately get chosen will blend together in order to give off a unified vibe throughout the entire premise. This is why considering the architecture of each room beforehand is pertinent in order for everything to come together nicely in the end.
Selecting the right color scheme for your home is important as it should reflect your personality while also creating a unified look. Consider the size and shape of each room before choosing a color palette, and opt for bold colors in larger spaces and light colors in smaller rooms.
Monochromatic schemes with cool colors are a great option if you want a clean, modern atmosphere.
Alternatively, contrasting colors can also be used to bring excitement into any space. Always make sure to keep in mind how everything will come together to create harmony from room to room when choosing a palette.
Choosing the perfect paint color is much easier when you are harmonizing colors from room to room. This helps create a sense of continuity and flow throughout your home, visually linking spaces together.
That being said, whether you decide to harmonize or not is ultimately up to you and your design style.
On one hand, some designers and experts advise on the importance of investing in cohesive color schemes across the home.
A clearly orchestrated palette plays an important role in achieving a unified look within each space, while still allowing room for change with accent colors or interesting wallpapers.
Linked rooms should be harmonized with variations of the same shade relative to their adjoining spaces, rather than matching them exactly – this creates an attractive visual transition between rooms.
On the other hand, however, others argue that duplicating color across multiple rooms can come off as too matchy-matchy, appealingly called monotone.
Having a room to room color scheme defines the overall décor aesthetic of your home – but having analogous tones from adjacent areas can also be quite limiting when it comes down to personalization.
If you want variety but don’t want sudden shifts in palettes between different areas, considering analogous colors such as similar shades of blues or variations of whites will help you add personality to each of your spaces without overwhelming them all with disparate hues.
When selecting the perfect paint color for your home, understanding your interior design style is key. It’s important to take some time to ask yourself what type of look you are going for.
Are you drawn to modern or traditional looks?
Do you prefer bright and airy designs, or darker and more romantic atmospheres?
Do you appreciate natural elements or prefer more urban vibes?
The best way to determine your preferred interior design styles is by honing in on what pleases you visually. Look around your current décor and identify the elements that give it personality. It may be that adding a diverse spectrum of colors gives the room life, or perhaps keeping everything neutral adds just the right touch of sophistication.
Try to hone in on your preferences by reviewing pictures of various décor styles and seeing which appeals to you most.
Another great factor to consider when determining your desired design style is how often you plan for a refresh of the space. If you like trying something new every season, then minimalism may be the best choice for you as it allows for easy swaps between seasons.
If however, you prefer a longer period between changes, then building larger installations such as fireplace mantles or custom millwork may be beneficial since they require special tools and skill sets to make edits.
With a better understanding of your personal design aesthetic, you will have a clearer idea of what kind of color palette makes sense for your home. Now that you know your interior design style, let’s learn the lingo to help choose the right shade!
Choosing the right paint color for your home can be overwhelming, especially when confronted with all the lingo in paint color selections. It’s important to understand the basic terminology when selecting a color of paint. Knowing the terminology makes it easier to assess whether the paint will work in your space.
First off, finishes are important as they create different reactions when you look at them; this includes flat vs. glossy, eggshell vs. satin, etc.
Flat is best for walls and offers a matte finish, whereas primer is used for new woodwork or wood that has never been painted before or has been stripped or sanded down.
Glossy finishes are primarily used for trim and lend themselves to a reflective result that can make a space appear larger.
Eggshell and satin tend to be between flat and glossy and offer one durable option, often being used on kitchen walls and baseboards.
The next terminology to understand is sheen levels, which refer to light reflection from a wall’s surface, ranging from low sheen (flat) to high sheen (gloss).
The higher the sheen, the more light is reflected off the surface – hence producing a larger appearance of game room walls painted with bright colors.
Hues and tints are also important terms when choosing a paint color; hues refer to a color’s family name (blue), while tint is a variation of that hue made lighter by adding white (periwinkle).
Variations include shades (darker versions of tints) and tones (lighter versions of shades).
Pairs describe two coordinating colors that play off each other in an attractive way. They typically come from opposite sides of the color wheel – like blue and orange – but don’t necessarily have to follow those rules either.
Pairs can also be two shades of the same hue like navy blue and deep blue or green and teal for example.
By understanding these terms when selecting your paint color, you can feel more confident in making sound decisions about what works best for you overall.
Now that you know the lingo let’s move on to consider how your lifestyle influences your choice in colors for your home.
When selecting a paint color for your home, your lifestyle should be one of the deciding factors in determining which hue you choose. Some colors may look great on the wall but will not work with everyday life activities.
Think about the activities that you and your family will engage in at home.
Do you often entertain guests, or is it more of a quiet space?
Are there children who like to play indoors?
Certain colors can make your home feel warm and inviting while others can create a sense of relaxation and retreat.
Those who enjoy hosting events might opt for a brighter, bolder shade of paint that promotes conversation, while those seeking a tranquil environment could choose something softer and more neutral.
The materials used in a room should also be taken into account when selecting a color.
Lighter shades are best for rooms with wood floors or furniture as dark hues may cause intrusion from the opposite wall; think bright whites or yellows to make the room appear larger and airier. Conversely, navy or black paint can be used in living spaces with other earth tones to create a stunning contrast that brings the room together.
Regardless of what color you pick, making sure it meshes with the environment and lifestyle of your home is essential before committing to it.
Visualizing how it will look in the space prior to painting is another important factor to consider when choosing the perfect paint color for your home – something we’ll discuss in the next section.
Understanding how to visualize colors is key when picking the perfect color for your home. Many people struggle with this step as they may be limited in their ability to physically experience the colors within their own space.
If you’re unable to look at test swatch samples of certain colors in varying light angles and scenarios, then you should start by relying on visuals that are already present in the room or an adjacent space.
Doing so can help give you an overall feel of what colors will work best and create a harmonious, inviting atmosphere inside your home. You may use a piece of furniture, art work, accessories or fabrics as a starting point to guide you through the color selection process.
For example, if there is a rug that sits underneath a loveseat and sofa in your living room that you want to keep, then colors from the rug can be used in selecting paint colors for the wall.
Just remember – some colors may look brighter on larger surfaces than smaller patterns (such as rugs).
Another way to get an idea of what colors will look good is by taking photos of your potential area and using digital tools like Adobe Color CC or Sherwin-Williams’s ColorSnap to preview colors on the walls before buying any paint.
These virtual tools allow for more precise color schemes since you can zoom in on certain shades and hues and see what it will look like in different lighting situations.
Our favorite method for testing paint colors is to get paint samples from your local paint company and paint them on cardboard. This way you can tape it to the walls and actually see the color after application.
You will then be able to visualize the color in different light settings throughout the day.
If you can’t get paint samples from your paint store, then we recommend ordering stick-on samples from samplize. These are easy to use, accurate peel and stick samples that you can apply to various surfaces.
Ultimately, visualizing colors requires balance and creativity but with these tips, choosing the perfect paint color for your home becomes easier! Now let’s discuss lighting: lighting matters in many ways when it comes to painting any home.
The right paint color can completely transform the look of any room. But in order to get it right, you must take into account the kind of lighting set-up you have in each room.
Natural light in a particular area can alter hues; shadows and shadows can also obscure complex colors, making them appear muted or muddy. It’s important to keep lighting in mind when shopping for paint shades, as man-made light sources can also change color tones.
In general, natural light is a great way to showcase vibrant colors. Sunlight brings out bold tones and reveals an array of beautiful hues that cannot be seen under regular incandescent or LED lights.
On the other hand, bright sunlight can also reveal any imperfections found in surface walls or floors, so if your room consistently receives a lot of natural light, opt for a slightly less saturated shade than what you may think it should be.
Artificial lights can be used to your advantage if you already have a specific color scheme in mind for a particular room but don’t have enough natural light coming in. In this case, LED or fluorescent bulbs are ideal to showcase the intended hue without washing out any complex hues that may not show up with natural light sources.
No matter what kind of light sources you use indoors, it’s always a good idea to test out specific paint swatches under multiple lighting situations first before applying them on your walls—even if they may seem perfect during daytime hours.
And if possible, try taking the swatches outdoors and seeing how they look in natural sunlight too before committing to that particular paint color.
Ultimately, mixing different types of lighting can create an interesting ambiance and add to the overall aesthetic of whichever room you’re working in. Lighting matters when selecting paint colors for your home, so make sure you keep this in mind before jumping into the painting phase.
Finding inspiration for the perfect paint color is key to achieving a successful outcome in any home painting project.
While traditional methods like visiting sample homes, hardware stores, and checking out interior styles on websites are valuable tools when deciding on a paint color, there are other less-conventional sources of inspiration that can be explored as well.
One such option is surfing through decorating blogs, magazines or websites for ideas. An idea found during this type of search can easily be adapted to the space being painted where inspired colors work together to create beautiful spaces that impart a sense of contentment.
When exploring these sources of inspiration, it is important to analyze how light works in the space pictured .
How do shadows and hues compare?
Where does the eye go first?
By considering each element individually, homeowners can recognize what elements make the photo appear aesthetically pleasing and create an atmosphere that is both pleasing yet functional.
Additionally, using natural materials like fabrics or flowers as inspiration can be effective when choosing the perfect paint color. Using these items as part of the palette naturally creates an ambiance in which every color works together seamlessly and harmoniously.
For example if vibrant coral pillows are used in a room, a close match to the pillow’s shade can be used as the wall’s base color and its complement (blue) can be used for furniture or for accent pieces like lamps or rugs.
Additionally, accents shades may include subtle variations of the main wall hue to keep a unified look throughout.
Finally, looking through family photos and memorabilia can also provide great inspiration for choosing paint colors. Particularly for those who have owned their house for many years and have created family memories within its four walls, utilizing personal artwork or mementos can not only provide visual cues when selecting a color but can also serve to inspire deeper sentimental ties with a room’s updated look.
Making the decision to paint your own home or hire a professional painter is an important one. If you decide to go with the latter, it’s important to get good advice from a professional before committing to any particular paint color.
While some might argue that choosing a painted color yourself can save time and money, it’s important to remember that improperly acquired and applied paint can lead to costly repair bills in the future.
On the other hand, if you have adequate knowledge of painting colors and supplies, then opting to DIY your own painting project may be a good option for you.
Make sure to carefully consider all the factors involved such as getting a color sample and testing it out beforehand, getting all the necessary materials, reading up on certain techniques and processes related to painting, and so on. It pays off to do your own due diligence before moving forward.
For those uncertain which route they want to take, it helps to consult an experienced professional on what they should do. They can provide valuable insight into both options available and make sure that the finished result is one that meets their standards.
Additionally, note that if this project is part of a larger redecoration process or requires more complex painting techniques (such as ceiling medallions), hiring a professional may be the better option in order to ensure quality results while staying within budget.
There are several things to consider when choosing the perfect paint color for your home.
Making sure to think through all aspects of your vision for your home is key for achieving an end result that brings years of enjoyment and satisfaction. With careful consideration of budget, time frame, and desired outcome, you’re sure to find just the right paint color for your space!
Contact Kind Home Solutions now!