Selecting a paint color often tops the list of decorating challenges.  It also holds the promise of a dramatic room transformation!  We have all seen it on HGTV; dining rooms that go from drab to dramatic.  And Master Suites that go from boring to beautiful.  I have done it countless times and the process of selecting a color is a breeze if you take it step by step.

1. Plan the project -   Take a look around the house and decide what rooms you are going to paint.  Be honest.  Are you ready to tackle more than one room?  Are you going to be dissatisfied with the rooms that have not been painted once you finish one?  If the rooms are adjacent to one other, coordinating new colors for both may be necessary.

1. Gather your ideas – Interior designers rarely choose a paint color first and neither should you.  If you are using your existing furnishings and you don’t have fabric samples, then try to gather all fabrics in one area of the room (chair, pillow, draperies & bold accessories) and take a good digital photo.  If you are selecting new furnishings, then ask for fabric swatches if possible, or use the digital camera again.  There may be some details in a fabric pattern that give you color inspiration.

1. Consider your options - Vibrant paint colors can be fun and dramatic, but please consider what you are most comfortable with on a day to day basis.  (All bets are off in children’s rooms!)  Look at the clothes in your closet.  What colors do you wear most often?  If you choose a high intensity color for the walls, then go a bit simpler with your furnishings.  For instance, with apple green on the walls, you might want to consider a color palette of green plus blue and white.  A more neutral color on the walls gives you more room to incorporate multiple colors in the furnishings and it will also accommodate color palette changes down the line.  When I say neutral, I don’t mean boring.  Neutral colors work well with many different colors such as these below.

   

        Explore different shades of one color. Which brings us to…

1. Sample the Colors – I advise getting a sample pint of your chosen color, plus two lighter shades.  Often the color you choose on that tiny paint chip is more intense than you imagine when painted in an entire room.  The color can look different depending on the room size, ceiling height and number of windows in your room.  You cannot judge the impact or depth of a paint color from a paint chip!  Sampling colors removes doubt and gives you a true sense of how the color will work.

         Ask the paint store for:

• Your original color selection
• 90% of your color and 10% white
• 75% of your color and 25% white

      Sampling Tips and Tricks:

• I like to put paint samples directly on the wall. If you have samples on your walls you will be motivated to make a choice and get moving! Sample boards are not the same texture as your walls, and they can easily be put away in a closet and the procrastination of painting continues. If you don’t want to put the samples on your walls, then you can put them on foam board and move the board around the room.
• Paint samples on that wall of the room that are at least 2′x 2′ in different locations.
• Paint samples on walls with windows and walls opposite the windows.
• Let the paint dry before you judge it and live with the colors for a few days and see how you like them at different times of the day.  Optimally you want to judge the color at the same time of day when you spend the most time in that room.  Colors change depending on the time of day and whether you are using natural or artificial light.  Be patient, it may take some time to get used to the change.
• If you have an existing paint color that will not be there after you paint, make sure you cup your hands and use some tunnel vision when looking at the color. You do not want the existing color to influence your opinion of the new color.

1. Frame the Room- White trim is a classic touch that works in most any room, but the right shade is critical.  Many paint companies have at least 10 pre-mixed whites for you to choose from.  Take a look at a sample chart of whites.  You will see that each shade of white has a different tinge to it such as grey, yellow or pink.  If you want a crisp contrast that will really pop, then go for the brightest white; but if you want to create a more subtle effect then choose the tone that has a similar tint to your wall color.

1. Look Up – The ceiling is really the 5^th wall, so don’t neglect it.  Chances are it could use a coat of paint to freshen it up at the very least.  If you want to go for something different, you can choose a very light shade of the color you are putting on the wall for the ceiling.  Remember, we are used to a light color above us, just like the sky.

Enjoy the process!  Don’t rush yourself and you are sure to find colors that you will enjoy for years to come.  If not, you can always paint over it!

All photos in this post courtesy of Yolo Colorhouse and Pittsburgh Paint! 

Tags: color, decorating tips, paint

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 24th, 2008 at 10:47 am and is filed under color, decorating tips, paint. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.