The color of a room can often make or break the ambiance of the space.
That’s why it’s prudent to know what to look for when choosing shades for the walls in your home. Colour can do so much. It can evoke certain feelings, stimulate senses and ease stress. So, before choosing a paint color, you might want to take a few things into consideration.
Baby steps
If you haven’t had a lot of experience choosing paint colors, the best advice is to start small. Perhaps a powder room or a small office would be easiest to tackle or maybe even one wall. And be patient with yourself. After all, if the color doesn’t work after painting one wall, you can always stop and have a do-over. You can really have fun with this!
What feeling are you trying to convey?
Perhaps the color of a master bedroom would be different than the color of a dining room. Keep in mind that more cool, soft colors and neutral shades are wonderful for creating quiet, intimate spaces, while bolder colors are for a dramatic effect. If you have children, this is especially vital to keep in mind. Do you want your children to have high energy or do you want their spaces to be soothing for them? Very bright colors may be over-stimulating for them.
Lighting matters
That paint chip color you like may not necessarily be what you see on your wall. You will see the paint’s truest color in natural light during the day, whereas incandescent lighting highlights yellows and warmer tones. If you have fluorescent lights, the color will have a blue cast.
Use the color wheel
Colors opposite each other on the color wheel like red and green are complementary. They’re intense when used together. Many people don’t realize the colors that complement each other. A color wheel will also tell you the depth of color – colors on the right of the wheel are cool, while those on the left are warm.
Mix and match paint finishes
You might want to try sticking to the same color, but use that color in a matte finish, a semi-gloss finish, and a satin finish together in one room. A matte finish would be good on walls, while satin or semigloss could be used on the trim. Even though you’re using the same color, it will look somewhat different in each area.
