How Do I Choose a Paint Color?

You need to hire a painter to paint your house for you. You have cleared all the technical hurdles that come with the territory and have moved heaven and earth to find the perfect painter. You even found one that you think is best for the job. What next? The most important factor to your ultimate happiness….the color!

Play It Safe

Go with what you already love – a color from your favorite work of art, a rug, or a color you have used before. Look through a fan deck. Come up with 3 choices. Good painting companies should arrange to have samples painted on several of the walls to be painted. Different walls show color differently.

If you’ve done some work determining your samples, then once they’re up, you’ll know which one you want. It will feel right. Go with your gut. And gentlemen, 90% of the time, let your wife decide. You will be happier in the end.

Lights, Camera…

Your favorite shade of “vibrant” yellow might transform into a “screaming” yellow if painted on all the walls. Pay attention to how the light hits your room and use it to your advantage. Instead of using the yellow all over, why not use it on a wall that sunlight does not hit directly?

Go Back to School

Understanding the terminologies used to describe color will be of great help, even if you are not doing the painting yourself. While hue is the color, its value shows how dark or light it is. Then there is saturation, which explains how dominant a hue is–a red hue will be less dominant in pink than in red. Then comes intensity, the brilliance of the color– red is more intense than yellow or green.

Make Room for It

The color you choose for each room will depend on what room it is. For your bedroom, choose a color that will be conducive to relaxation while for the foyer, rich hues will make for dramatic entrances! For the library, go with orange – black bookshelves will add to the sensational and supermodern look!

Similarly, for active space, stronger and intense colors will work well. For a light-colored room, colors more saturated than off-white or two or more medium-light, closely related pastel colors would create a luminous effect.

We hope to have provided you with some inspiration. Good luck!