Paint has the power to transform any room, and there is a world of paint colors at our fingertips. Choosing a paint color can seem like a stressful process – but it doesn’t have to be!
These are the key things to keep in mind when choosing a paint color for any room.
1. The amount of light
First things first: consider lighting. Here are some questions to get you started:
- How much natural light gets into the space?
- In which direction are the windows facing? Windows facing north and east will give the coolest light, while windows facing south and west will give the warmest light.
- How much light is coming from the existing overhead lights or lamps?
Your answers to these questions will help determine your paint choice, especially when you also consider the mood you want in the room, which leads me to my next point.
2. The experience you want to create
When choosing a paint color, another thing I consider is how I want the room Feel. Do I want to feel intimate and comfortable? Or do I want to feel airier and more expansive? To create an intimate and warm space, consider colors such as pale pink, chocolate brown, or creamy beige. To create an airy and spacious space, consider colors like cerulean blue, crisp white, or buttery yellow.
These ideas are just a starting point and can be dialed up or down in a number of ways. For example, milk yellow is just a step more intense than off-white, and grainy blue will add a little more depth than chocolate brown.
There are paint colors to suit every type of experience. . . . You don’t have to play it safe with your color choices, and you don’t have to go overboard with neutrals if you don’t want to — it’s entirely up to you.
There are paint colors to suit every type of experience. Consider whether you want to stick with colors you feel comfortable with or expand a bit beyond them. You don’t have to play it safe with your color choices, and you don’t have to go overboard with neutrals if you don’t want to — it’s entirely up to you.
3. Existing materials
Don’t forget to consider the colors of any materials in your space — the floor, ceiling, trim, and any architectural details. For example, if the trim in the room is pure white and you’re not going to paint it, you may not want to choose a warm paint color for the walls.
This is where it might also be helpful to create a simple mood board, to give you a better understanding of how the elements in the different paint colors play out. This process can be is done by hand or digitally with a tool like Canva.
4. Design of adjoining rooms
Whereas the main floor of our house is in general Closed floor planMost of the main rooms open directly into one, two, or even three adjacent spaces. That’s why it was especially important to me to consider adjoining rooms throughout my design process.
all color in the home palette It should generally feel like it comes from one coherent, overarching scheme. If you have big fluctuations in saturation and hue from room to room, you may want to rein in your color palette a bit. For this reason, I think it’s important to keep paint samples of every color you’ve already used in your home, to give yourself a clear idea of the palette as a whole.
5. How colors evolve throughout the day
Once you’ve considered the above points and narrowed down your paint color options, test them out in the room. I think the hardest part of choosing a paint color is understanding how it will look in the space all day long. That’s why I think it’s so helpful to test colors in a room – and go beyond the mini swatch.
Instead, paint a large poster board and place it on the wall. Leave it there for a few days and watch how the color changes over time. Depending on the shape and size of the room, you may want to consider testing paint swatches (or painted poster boards) in more than one area, as different walls will receive different amounts of light throughout the day.
I hope this information comes in handy the next time you choose a paint color for a room in your home! If you are designing a particularly challenging space and want one-on-one advice, consider booking a consulting call with me. You can find all the details here.
Kate is currently learning to play the ukulele, much to the despair of her husband, children, and dogs. Follow her on Instagram at MustafaHosny Oh God, Amen.
