Looking to choose a new paint color for your home or office?
To kick off the new website, I thought I would start with my most asked question – “Kelly, How do I choose colors for my home if I can’t afford to hire a color consultant?”
While there are many ways to choose paint colors, I’ll walk you through my steps when working with a client and choosing colors for their home. Please note that when I choose colors for a client I go into a much deeper process based on my training and experience, but here is a rough overview of a DIY for yourself.
Here are the steps to a stress free color selection.
Start with the fixed finishes
In a perfect world, all of your fixed finishes and furniture selection will be chosen before you choose paint. It’s much easier to choose paint based on a countertop you love than the other way around. Also, couches, carpet, tile, and rugs should be changed prior to painting. Of course, many of us don’t have the unlimited budget to do this, but make sure you consider the overall palette of theses items first.
You should have already determined your design style by choosing your fixed finishes, but if not; make sure you take this into consideration.
Choose you main color.
Identify the main area of the home, one in which counters, brick, or tile may have color. This is a great place to start. Use this as your inspiration for the main paint color. Using a color deck (you can buy one here); identify the color you like most or would like to pull out.
When you are looking for this color, make sure it is a color you are drawn to, you are going to be living in the space so consider how you react to it emotionally. I know it seems woowoo, but I promise you, color does influence how you feel. I love blues and greens which you will know if you walked into my home. Those colors make me feel calm and happy.
If you have all white, or a color you don’t love – try choosing a color that works with that brown in the countertops and backsplash that you just can’t replace yet. Instead of using a bright white such as Chantilly Lace, opt for a soft warmer white like Alabaster or White Dove or even Creamy. If you’re looking for color, grab a taupey greige and see how that works with the warm colors. Think warm colors if your fixed finishes are brown or earth tone.
If you have a clean, white countertop and backsplash, you have a little more freedom for the main color. Most cool colors will work, but please – stay away from primary unless you have a modern home. Colors like Requisite Gray, example, example. Even a blue like wedgewood gray works well, especially in warmer climates like Florida.
Tip- when choosing colors, always go a bit grayer or warmer than you see on the sample. Once the whole room is painted in that color, it will be amplified and instead of it feeling like a nursery, it will show as a grown up beautiful space.
Once you have determined the main interior paint color, placement typically starts in the entry and runs through the hallways, stairways and lands in a main area (where you are choosing the main color from initially). All other colors will work of of this color as well.
Tip- Think of the overall color of the space. You want to walk into each area and have the room work as a whole, not just a nice paint color. Each item in the room works with the other creating a harmonious environment.
Choose / Coordinate the other room colors
The most successful color palettes in a home have been considered as a whole. While this isn’t always possible (due to the fixed finishes in the other rooms), it is important that rooms that open to one another layer or flow together.
Start to create your palette as you walk through your space. Make sure to use colors that you are drawn to, but also work together as a whole.
Accompanying colors in the palette can be in the same hue family or undertone, or they can contrast. I will review color theory in another post – but understanding the color wheel is helpful when choosing your all over color palette.
Temperature – Make sure colors are the same temperature, for example (photo) Don’t place a primary looking green with a grayed out blue, it just won’t flow.
Consider the light- LVR
On the back of most paint samples you will see the LVR. I won’t go into the science of this, but it’s basically how much this paint color will reflect or absorb light. Typically, If you’re looking for a light space, stay over 60 LVR, for a darker, stay under 30. Most of the colors I am specifying these days are lighter, an LVR around 63.
Test, Test, Test – I recommend testing your wall paint on large boards (small wall, a foam board from Target work great). Paint two – three coats and view these samples throughout the day. Please don’t skip this step. Also, hold your hands to cover the current color, showing only the new color and a fixed element. Try to imagine what the space will look like in that color. Set it all around the room, behind a couch, on a counter, etc.
Once you have narrowed down your paint color, tested the color and are ready, research and hire a trusted painter. Ask around for referrals and I suggest getting at least 3 bids, going with the house painter you are most comfortable with (and who is licensed and insured).
Again, this is a quick version of how to choose your own paint color for your home interiors. Let me know, what has been this biggest obstacle you’ve run into when choosing your own paint color?
And if you feel overwhelmed and need help, I would be happy to assist you onsite or with a virtual consultation, just reach out to me here! You can also visit my Pinterest, Facebook
Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed this post – please share!
