Picking out paint colors for your home seems like an easy process until you go to the store and stare at the hundreds of colors available. Don’t worry, there are ways to help you pare down to just a dozen or so colors. These initial selections are a great start
Sheen types
To start, you need to consider sheen types. Certain sheens are better in certain rooms; this is due to differences in durability and cleaning ability. Here’s a run down of the various sheens available and their uses/visual effects.
- Flat/matte- good for low traffic areas like bedrooms because it’s harder to clean. When cleaning thes walls, you have to be very careful since it is easy to create scuff marks in the paint because you can rub a bit of paint off as you go. The best quality of this sheen is that it covers pretty much any flaw a wall may have as well as having the most coverage.
- Eggshell- also good for a low traffic area like a dining room and creates a smooth wall, much like the texture of an eggshell. This sheen is also harder to clean, but not as much as flat/matte. Covers flaws in the walls well.
- Satin- good for high traffic areas like the living room and hallways since it’s easy to clean. Creates a velvet look, but does show flaws on the walls as well as brush/roller strokes. This means that if you need to do any touch-up painting, you will need to repaint the whole wall.
- Semi-gloss- good for high traffic areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, and doors/trim because it’s very durable and easy to clean. It can stand up to moisture and grease. Make sure to prep well since it will show flaws. If you live in an older home you may want to omit using semi-gloss on kitchen and bathroom walls since the wall tend to have lumps and bumps from patches and other happenings over the years. Therefore satin is our best option in these spaces.
- High-gloss- good for doors and trim because it’s the most durable and easiest to clean. Make sure to prep properly before since it will highlight any flaw.
Decor
A great way to start is by looking at the decor and furniture you already have for the space you are painting. Take inspiration from accent pieces, art, and even your sofa. If you are working with a new house or room that you want to be something completely new, go out and buy/select your furniture or even just find inspiration in magazines, pintrest, etc and go from there. Ask yourself if you’re pulling the same color palette or theme as the rest of your home or if this space will be different. This can help you pare down your paint selections down to cool or warm colors.
Room
The room you are painting can also help you decide what color you are going to select. For example, your living room can be bright and energetic colors- oranges or yellows or your bedroom can be toned down and relaxing. Also, take into account what architectural accents you already have in your home- baseboards, wainscoting, etc. you can play these pieces up or down depending on what color you paint them or if you have them as a stained wood. Consider all aspects of the room you are painting along with your decor and then you can decide on what kind of mood you want to convey.
Mood
Colors can invoke certain emotions, bright warm colors can be energizing while muted, cooler colors can be calming. You can use bold, bright colors to create statement walls, or to create a grand entrance in your home. Another way to go is to use neutral colors, which create more of a blank canvas to work with. You can get warm or cool undertones, even to white paint, depending on your furniture and decor. This can give you a backdrop for accent art pieces or a statement couch that creates a relaxing or vibrant feel to the room. So consider what you want to mood you want to convey depending on the room you are painting.
Paint Samples
This is where the process gets exciting. Don’t be afraid to buy several samples, this is because paint chips aren’t going to give you a good idea of what a paint color is going to look like of your walls. Paint swatches of your colors on a wall in the room and let them dry. Once they are dry, take a look at them at different times of the day for the next couple days. This allows you to look at how the colors look in different light so you can make sure you like how they look in all conditions. If you haven’t found the color you want, go back and get more samples and try again. Once you finally find the color you love, you can finally paint your room, set up your furniture, and enjoy!