Selecting the Right Paint Color

One of the easiest ways to redecorate is to repaint the walls. Are you the type of person who loves to surround yourself with bright colors? Or the type of person who prefers a calming environment of soft neutrals and pastels? Even if you want every wall painted the same color white, you still have to pick which color white you want.

Start by looking around and noticing what color other people have painted their walls. Look at magazines, books, or websites dedicated to interior design. Illustrations are a great help in imagining the effect of a color scheme.

Bring home sample paint chips and hold them up to the other colors in your house. Unless you're planning to replace the drapery, carpets, and upholstery you'll want the new wall color to harmonize.

If you're painting more than just one room, consider hiring a color consultant to get ideas. A color consultant or decorator can help you achieve a specific effect, or suggest a historic color palette appropriate to the age and style of your house.

Consider these tips:

1. colors on an inside wall look darker than the sample chip. To minimize this effect, get the biggest chip possible. Consider buying a sample size can of paint and painting a swatch on the wall. If you're not planning to paint right away, paint your sample on a piece of white poster board or thin wood instead of directly on the wall.
2. colors on an outside wall look lighter than the sample chip. Take your color ships and hold them up to a building that is already painted the color you like. You'll be surprised that so many of those "white" buildings are actually grey or beige. Definitely paint a large sample swatch of color on an exterior wall, and look at it in different kinds of light. If possible look at it on a sunny day and on a cloudy day.
3. remember the color of your trim. White trim will contrast sharply with dark painted walls. Dark wood trim will contrast sharply with white or pastel walls. If you're painting a whole house, consider painting the trim a color that will coordinate with all the other colors you choose. If you're painting just one room you probably don't want to change the trim color.
4. if you want a room to look bigger, use a light wall color. Light colors and neutral colors both tend to recede, making the room look bigger. This is one of the reasons we paint ceilings white.
5. if you want a room to look more intimate, use a darker color. Darker colors can make a room feel more cozy or intimate. Consider painting one wall in the room a dark accent color and the other three a coordinating lighter color if you don't want the whole room dark
6. make sure you have enough contrast in outside color palettes - sunlight tends to minimize contrast and make the whole building face look flatter. Sunlight also fades dark colors over time. Look around at exterior color schemes that other people have painted to get ideas, and hold your color chips to the existing paint.
7. light red is pink. If you want a red wall it will have to be a fairly dark or intense red, otherwise it will look pink. The minute you start toning it down it becomes pink. The same is true of any color with a large amount of red in it, such as red-brown, brick red, or magenta. Many beige colors have a strong undertone of pink as well.

And a last piece of advice - don't be afraid to try something new! Especially in small rooms or on accent walls. You can always repaint in a few years if you get tired of the color. Color is fun!