If you are looking to make your home classy and elegant, you need to choose the right paint color. A good paint job can increase the value of your home before an appraisal or even make it more attractive for your own use. However, selecting the right color might be confusing due to the wide range of colors available.
Since painting is among the most popular DIY projects, you need to have the right plan to make your project a success. You also need the best quality paint and painting supplies to capture every detail. Most creative people get it right while others opt to hire qualified interior designers to do it for them.
When it comes to color selection, you need to consider the colors that truly make you happy. Here are some tips to help you make the right color choice:
1. Narrow down to at Least Four Colors
As there are so many colors to choose from, create a list of some of your favorite pictures. Now, pick out the colors that pop out to you from your chosen gallery of pictures. Narrow down the list to at least four colors. This will give you a palette of colors for your paint samples.
You can purchase the samples and line them up against your wall to gain a good comparison of the colors. This will help to eliminate the colors you don't like, thus narrowing down your selection. Once you've narrowed it down to two or three colors, hold up each sample one at a time. Try to envision how the color will look on the walls and how it will complement your furniture.
Before finalizing your selection, you can buy testers of the colors/shades that you like. Use the testers and paint a particular area on the wall. The testing areas will give you a preview of how the colors will look after the paint job is complete.
Leave the testers for about a week. This will give you a clear view of how the colors will look during the day and at night. Check the testing areas to see how the color appears in different light conditions.
2. Find Inspiration
Inspiration can come from anywhere. You might find it in a piece of fabric you've seen or on your favorite mug. If a particular fabric in your closet gives you comfort and warmth, that particular shade might also be what you're seeking to give your home a warm and comforting vibe. The color of your furniture can also help to provide ideas.
Great inspiration can also come from unearthing certain memories that made you happy. Think of your favorite memories. For instance, you can go through memories captured through photos to make the process easier.
Inspiration can also be about setting the right mood for a room. Consider the way you would like to feel while inside the room. Do you want calmness? Then choose a cool shade.
The bottom line is to identify an item, artwork, or any colorful thing that inspires you. An inspiring color is all about setting the right mood to make your home a haven. With lots of imagination, inspiration and some paint, you can easily change the feel of your house.
3. Consider Neutrals
In some settings, bold colors work well, especially if you want to draw attention to a feature in the room such as a skylight. Likewise, in the sitting room, most of the attention is directed to the walls. In these settings, going bold may not be a bad idea. However, for most rooms, neutral colors work well.
Neutrals often offer a level of elegance in the room. Most people think of neutral colors as white and beige only. However, this has changed over the years. You can now transform your living room by choosing different shades of neutral colors. Light pastels and shades of grey have become popular in recent years.
The advantage of using neutral colors is that they allow more flexibility for the design and decor. Adding accessories with different colors can easily change the feel of a room.
Choosing lighter or deeper neutral colors also can transform the look of a room. Lighter and brighter colors make rooms appear larger. Shades of mahogany or garnet give out perfect elegance and bring out that feeling of earthiness. Ceilings can also be visually lowered for a cozier feel by painting darker shades than the ones used on the walls. An ideal way to create a transition is to paint ceilings and floor moldings with similar hues.
4. Choose the Right Sheen
At the ThePaintStore.com, we have found many of our customers enjoy glossier paints. The glossy sheen is easy to maintain and clean. If you have kids who are always playing around, it's advisable to choose a glossy paint. It will hide sticky marks. High-gloss sheen is ideal for painting a kitchen or a kid’s playroom. Semi-gloss paint is much cheaper than gloss. Semi-glosses work well for painting kitchens and bathrooms where grease and moisture are highly present.
One thing to note is that sheens in a paint can highlight flaws in walls, so be careful when picking them. If your walls have numerous imperfections, choose matte or flat paint. The only disadvantage of this matte or flat selections is that they tend to be harder to clean. You might end up taking some of the paint off while wiping down a wall with a matte or flat color.
Eggshell is another type of sheen. It falls between satin and flat. Eggshell helps to hide dirt and is easier to wash. It is also very durable and smooth to the touch.
Some of the different sheens you can consider include:
- Flat (Matte): No shine at all. Good for rooms with little or no traffic.
- Flat Enamel: Almost no shine and easier to clean compared to flat paint. This is also perfect for low traffic areas but maybe a better choice if you have kids or pets.
- Eggshell Enamel: Little shine. An excellent choice for moderate traffic rooms. Most dirt can be wiped off with a damp sponge.
- Satin Enamel: A bit of shine that works well in high traffic areas. It is easy to wipe off the dirt. It is recommended for use in the kitchen, playrooms, and bathrooms.
- Semi-Gloss Enamel: Shiny. It is used in cabinets and trim.
- Hi-Gloss Enamel: Very Shiny. Perfect choice for railings and furniture.
5. Come up with Focal Points
When painting a room, you need to identify some focal points. This will help you to easily change the view of any room by painting contrasting colors on the walls.
Painting a darker shade on a single wall in a large room makes it appear smaller than it is and vice versa. A slight change will have a significant impact on your room, making it pop out. Applying different shades of the same color will make your rooms more appealing.
Search for any highlights within a room and make them stand out. Highlighting the exciting aspects in a room with a darker shade helps to create a beautiful visual contrast.
6. Start with the Biggest Room
In most cases, the living room is the most significant room in a home. This is where you host your guests, and it must be eye-catching and have the right appeal to your visitors.
If you are having a hard time choosing a color, start by selecting a neutral hue for the biggest room. If you already have a specific color in mind, make sure to use it in the main room.
Once you have decided on the type of paint to use in your first room, choose complementary shades of the same hue for adjacent rooms and walls. Go for colors that are one chip above or below your main color. This will give your home a beautiful look due to perfect blending.
7. Choose Color Palettes
Color palettes create cohesion for different colors throughout the home. By selecting a palette, you can ensure that the colors of different rooms are complementary. Palettes also bring together the color of the room with the decor in it.
Warm colors create a feeling of comfort in a room. Some of the warm colors to consider are red and yellow. Bright shades of these colors are vibrant. However, if used excessively, they can come out too strong. Shades of red and yellow bring out a luxurious feel and work well in living rooms. For example, using a dark shade of red on a wall and pairing it with orange decorations lightens up a room and brings out a playful look.
Cool colors work well to create a relaxing vibe. Blue, which is a cool color, can freshen up a room. It is a perfect choice for the bedroom.
Dark shades can make a room look distinguished or elegant. A study, for example, might have forest green walls paired with natural wood furnishings.
Paint apps available on the internet can help you to come up with lovely color palettes. The apps enable users to try out different colors. Other apps allow users to upload pictures and get matching colors. This can be helpful when you want to get a matching paint for the already painted surface. The apps also help you discover new colors and their various shades.
The Takeaway
With a plethora of color choices, it’s important to ensure all the rooms match and blend well. We’re here to offer you as much guidance and options as possible so you don’t have to hire an interior designer to guide you.
Most importantly…
- Go with your personal preference,
- Pick the color that makes you happy,
- And remember, the colors you choose will be the foundation of other decorations.
With a massive stock of paint colors and brands, all at wholesale prices, ThePaintStore.com is your one-stop to find your perfect match. Shop our store today!
