Staring at twenty-seven variations of white? Put the fan deck down. Let’s talk about choosing the right color for your home. But where do you start? Most of us begin our color journey staring at the seemingly endless rack of color samples at our local hardware store. Which is not a terrible place to begin, but it can seem overwhelming. There are a few key factors I would like you to consider when picking colors for your walls.
Room Size
The size of your room makes a huge difference in the choice of color. The darker the paint color, the smaller your room is going to feel. Although, that is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, a larger room can feel more cozy when a darker color is applied. A helpful tip if you are looking at Sherwin-Williams colors is the LRV number on the lower corner or the back side of the color chip. You can see the LRV or the light reflective value number is listed. The higher the number or closer to “100”, the brighter it will look on your walls. If your home is smaller and you want it to feel more open and larger, chose a color that is much lighter. \
Color Temperature
No, this is not how hot your paint is. I am talking about using the good ol’ color wheel. The cooler temperature colors are the blues, greens, and grays. The warmer end of the spectrum is your reds, yellows, browns and fleshier tones. Color temperature has the ability to alter ones mood in a space. There is a direct correlation to color and emotion. The warmer hues are going to promote a range of feeling from hostility and anger, to warmth and creativity. Cooler tones like blues and greens can trigger calmness and a feeling of serenity to sadness.
Finding Inspiration
As a rule of thumb, when I am picking colors for my walls, I always find one thing that I want to inspire the room design. You can find inspiration anywhere. Whether it is an idea of the perfect vacation home or your favorite painting in the hallway, something is the base of my inspiration for design. Use this inspiration as direction. Take the general temperature of the inspiration and begin to mock up color ideas. After considering all of these elements, its time to do some designing.
Now It’s Time to Paint
When finalizing your color choices, remember that design is subjective. Not everyone has to like it. It is something that can help turn your drab old house into a getaway retreat from the day. It can be anything you want it to be. This is your space, hopefully some of these fundamentals of design will help you pick your colors with a little more knowledge and confidence. Just remember, if you are having someone do your painting, they cannot choose a color for you! This is not a responsibility any contractor wants to make. They may be able to steer you in the right direction, but this is what you have to live in. Not your painter.
