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blue, bold paint, brown, colors, cream, dark paint, diy, gold, green, how to choose a bedroom color, how to choose a living room color, how to choose a paint color, how to paint, how to pick a paint color, navy, neutral paint colors, paint, painting, painting tips, Renovation, sweat equity, tan, yellow
For some, it may be easy to pull a room together – (and if this is you, this may not be the post for you, except maybe to comment on your thoughts, preferred colors, etc.) – but for others, it can be a real puzzler. There are so many thoughts, rules and philosophies on how to choose paint colors, but forget all that. Here’s what you really need to know:
– Paint should not be the first thing you pick out/pick up. Why? Because it comes in just about every shade imaginable, but your sofa, upholstery, rugs, accessories and artwork do not, so it’s better to start with them and work your way out.
– Pull a color that exists in the room or furnishings already. Looking at this rug:
there are a myriad of colors that could be used on the walls, from cream, yellow, peaches, navy blue, cornflower blue, sage green, burnt sienna, etc.
This piece is in the same room as the rug, but you can see so many of the same colors, like yellow, peaches, cornflower blue, sage green, burnt sienna and cream. You wouldn’t think at first glance these pieces would go in the same room!
I pulled a color from both pieces and went with one of Benjamin Moore’s burnt sienna shades, but I could have gone with any of the other colors I listed.
– This rug has the choice of blues, peach, salmon, cream, leaf green and tan.
I opted for tan as my backdrop …
but any of the other hues would have worked. With a neutral, I can bring in other colors through accessories and change them out if I get bored without going through the trouble or expense of painting the whole room over again.
– Your color choice is your personal preference, what you emotionally connect to and the feel you want the room to encompass. Soft, dark, vibrant and neutral palettes all have their appeal and will dictate the mood of the room.
- A neutral can be a beautiful canvas that can be played with and morphed by accessories. And do not think neutral means boring! With neutral colors (and dark colors), I do think it’s important to add some sparkle or reflection with mirrors, shiny surfaces, gleaming metals, silver, gold or crystal.
- Darker colors, like a rich chocolate brown, grey or navy, offer more drama. Warmer hues also offer a cozier ambiance. Even if your room is small, a dark color can be a viable option if furnishings are kept to a minimum.
- A soft or lighter shade (think soft ocean blues, pale celery green or the softest of buttery yellows) is a soothing and sophisticated choice, allowing one to feel calm.
- Vibrant paint shades inject a sense of liveliness and energy.
– Consider the connecting rooms; it is better to have a hue that doesn’t clash with the next room because you will see the other color. It’s like wearing an outfit and you want the tie to match. Plus, too many different and non-corresponding colors give a “clown house” effect and that’s best left for the circus 😉
– Do not depend on a paint sample from a store to accurately reflect the color, and while you think this may not be a big deal if it’s visually off “a little”, it actually can be significantly off because of the difference in lighting. Having painted every room in my house myself – and then having the unenviable task of painting some rooms again…and then again, I have paid for the slightest mistakes (both in paint and in pain!)
– Get a sample and paint a 1’x2′ area in the darkest and lightest spots in the room, plus a swatch right up to the trim of a door or window. Make sure to do two coats and allow to dry thoroughly (preferably a day) before making any commitments. You will want to look at the swatches a few times during the day.
The two images above are from the same room, same time of day and no flash, but appear different because of the lighting in the room.
– If you are still a little undecided, paint a swatch near the largest upholstered piece, like behind a sofa, or go for a more neutral tone, which won’t show an error in a shade as badly.
Most importantly, there’s no single shade that is the “right” paint color, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Remember: it’s only paint, it’s $20 a gallon and, if you haven’t painted a room yourself, you should definitely try it. It really is easy – and this is coming from someone who hadn’t picked up a roller until this house! I don’t mess with all the who-ha of taping either; I merely freehand the cutting in, allowing me to whip through a room in no time.
And, instead of a gym membership or exercising with no additional payoff for my sweat, I exert the energy into my house! That’s why it’s called sweat equity 😉 Painting has the biggest bang for its buck: inexpensive major transformation. Plus, the feeling of accomplishment – and it’s almost instant gratification – is awesome 🙂
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Because many ask, “How do I choose a paint color?”, I was asked to write this article on the subject, but I always love to run things like this by people and see what their thoughts are on the subject – what works for them, insights, tips and experiences. Who better than my blog friends?
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Your house is simply amazing. Thank you for sharing!
You are too kind! Thank you!
I discovered the following when anguishing about paint color:
A room with Northern light will add blue tones to the paint and a room facing West adds yellow tones. Who knew?
Wow!! I had NO idea!!! What GREAT information!!!
good to know – I have chosen paint colors based around the same methods as Kearney does, but I had never been aware of this – so good to know!
Thanks for this post- I’m actually debating paint colors right now. What are your thoughts on white? My living/dining & main hall areas all connect, and I need something that I can play around with & change up with everything other than paint since it’s such a huge paint job and not something I want to tackle very often. I’m seeing a lot of crisp white rooms lately & just not sure if it’s too boring or stark in reality.
LOL – I asked my mom once why all Jamaicans had white as their main colour and she told me it was so they could always change their furniture and it would still match!
I intentionally sat on this comment for days because it is such a good, but tough, question! I do not have any white rooms in my house, but many neutrals for the same reason!! I too have seen pictures of white rooms where they look great…and I’ve been in homes where they look great and homes that they do not and just look like they never got around to painting their walls over the builder’s white! I think when it is thought out well, it can look very sophisticated, chic and even cozy if textures are added. I think the key is to make it look like cohesive and intentional.
Having open rooms, though, I think it’s a smart decision. What is your style and furnishings like? I can pull some pics and post them up for you to try to copy the ideas of rooms that did it well…
Hi! Thanks for your reply! I agree that I have seen white really work, and really not work. Right now, our living/dining/hall space is a pale green, which I really like. But I’m limited in decor options, and after about two years I’ve already found myself growing tired of it & wanting to really change things up. I’ve also found that I love the color in the spring/summer, but have issues decorating in the fall and winter with such a “springy” background. Does that make any sense? Our living & dining furniture is all currently dark wood, and my style is pretty simple & classic, but I love color. I’d love any advice! Thanks!
After three trips to home-depot for varied shades of “green” to match the navy accents in my son’s room, two purchased gallons of paint later, three sample containers and a splotched wall of “sample color”, I realized there truly is an art-form to this. I blame Pinterest for making the coordination of these two colors look so easy 🙂
Haha! That sounds like me! The Home Depot paint guy and I are on a first name basis….seriously!!
Great advice…common sense…very helpful!
I could not have expressed it better; its a service I offer my interior design clients so often. It doesn’t hurt, I have found, to have the knack or gift of vision for a space which also drives the final result, that can and sometimes should take a space in a new direction that better suits the long term plan! Really enjoy your blog!
I love your tips, but I think you can do it the other way too – I knew I wanted a soft wedgewood blue in my living area with the rest of the condo a neutral white, but I paired the blue with grey-white strips so it looked like wallpaper. Most of my furniture was wood tones so I had a lot of liberty with the paint colour. Maybe I’ll do a blog on it!!
You are spot on about pulling a color from an existing piece in a room. That is the # 1 mistake people make when choosing color.
The other piece of advice is to paint your sample on a piece of posterboard instead of directly on the wall (several coats, at least an 8×10 size). Then you can move it around the room to see how it looks!
The hardest thing is to get the undertone right if doing a neutral, or making the color too “dirty” or “clean”.
Finally, when doing your kitchen, think of your countertop as if it were the quilt/cover on your master bed. You wouldn’t dream of painting your room something that clashed with your bedspread, so don’t paint your kitchen something that clashes with your countertop!
Jennifer Johnson from OrganizedOhana and Jennifer Johnson Design (A Maria Killam True Colour Expert)
What a great idea! I never thought about pulling color from the run. I guess your eyes look down and up so having a color pulled from the rug makes everything match.
The most wondrous painted walls are those which disappear when a painting or sculpture are placed before or upon them.
Some great advice.. Your posts are always so interesting (and colourful!)
That is so kind of you to say! Thank you 🙂
Fun article with great tips. This from a brave soul who loves colors and is not afraid to mix my own concoctions if what I thought was perfect, is not. 😀
Hi, what brand paint did u use for the burnt sienna? Where can I get it?and it’s called burnt sienna? Thanx.
Hi Dorothy! I haven’t forgotten about you…I have to dig through my paint cans to find it, but will hopefully get it tomorrow!
Ok thanx, i love that color. Did u find it yet?
Still looking!! It’s Benjamin Moore, but I have sooo many paint cans in sooooo many places!!! Unfortunately, I came up with my method of keeping track of paint colors after I painted this room!! Haha!
I FINALLY found it!!! It’s Benjamin Moore’s “Sienna Clay” 4B 104. I knew there was a sienna in there. Geesh – do I have a lot of paint cans!! Haha!!
Great Advice – thanks for sharing! I never seem to get the Master Suite to jive – maybe your advice and tips will help:)
Great tips and I love the examples you shared!
Excellent advice. One extra tip: if you like the colour on a paint sample card, if you ask for “half” that colour, it will look more like the sample on the entire wall. Otherwise, just expect it to look darker when finished 🙂
Great tips. I had one wall of my son’s room painted dark blue( the others were light blue) and then I had the painter take thick string, scrunch it up, dip it in mauve and white and then ‘print’ it all over the dark blue. It looked really cool.
Actually, I do start with a hue I want a room to be, but I use posterboard samples (3 to each color, so I can have them in different places simultaneously) before determining the final shade. Especially because an undertone can be muddy or go green or another cast when it’s in a larger format. I confess that I don’t have a single white wall in my home, but every color works with the others and there’s nowhere that the rooms meet without marrying organically.
Actually, I do start with a hue I want a room to be, because it sets the mood. I use 3 posterboard samples for each color, so I can have them in different places simultaneously before determining the final shade ~ especially because an undertone can be muddy or go green or another cast when it’s in a larger format.
I confess that I don’t have a single white wall in my home, but every color works with the others and there’s nowhere that the rooms meet without marrying organically.
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Reblogged this on Bedding and Bath Towel Linen Information and commented:
This is a great suggestion for finding paint colors, but it can also be the focal point you use to pull different products together to create a look.
Thanks for the tips. I have such a hard time picking paint. These really help =)
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