Choosing a Color You Will Truly Love

How to Choose the Best Paint Color

Paint can be the quickest and most cost-effective way to transform a room. But where do you start if you haven’t already picked out a color? While you may be attracted to bright colors, a vibrant palette in your home may not feel “livable.” A color you love in a stunning photo may not be a color you will love to see on your walls every day. With that in mind, here are some tips for choosing a paint color you’ll enjoy in real life.

First Things First

What features or existing finishes in the room you would consider permanent? Take into consideration what you don’t plan on changing. If you just got new wood floors, or a new tile fireplace, you’ll want to choose a color that looks great with these features instead of matching the paint to your throw pillows that you may end up replacing in a year.

Draw Attention to What You Love

Emphasize your home's attractive architectural features. Do you have beautiful white crown molding in your living room? You can really draw attention to it by painting the walls a contrast color. You can also have an accent wall by painting it a different color than the rest of the walls in the room.

Emphasize or Minimize

Color can emphasize certain features and minimize others. You can make a long narrow room or hallway look wider if you use a slightly darker color on the shorter walls and a lighter color on the longer walls. You can make a ceiling appear higher by applying a lighter color, or lower with a darker color. If you want to give a spacious room a more intimate feel, paint the walls in colors that draw you in, such as red, gold, orange and brown. To help a small room seem larger, paint the walls in colors that make them appear to recede, such as blue or violet.

Envision The Feeling You Want

So you’ve decided to paint your room blue. How do you narrow down which blue? It can be helpful to think about the feeling that you want to create in the room. If you’re seeking a cozier feel, choose a blue on the darker end. If you’re going for a more serene vibe, a lighter, perhaps sea blue may be better. 

Seek Inspiration

The way colors read on your computer screen or mobile device probably won’t read the same way in your room, where they’ll be affected by the amount of light and even the landscaping that the light is coming through. Use digital photos for general color and style ideas. It’s also important to look for rooms that are of a similar size and shape to the one that you’ll be painting; that way, the effect will be more similar. 

Go Big and Go Home

Another huge factor that can change how you perceive a paint color is the size of the swatch. No matter how carefully you look at it, a tiny paint swatch will never fully show you what a color will look like on a full wall. For this reason, designers will often apply a “paint strike,” a large stroke of paint, directly to the wall to see how it will look in real life. Use the swatch on different walls, you will notice the light hits each differently. Even better, paint the swatch on a cardboard piece and carry it around your home to see how it looks through the rooms you want to coordinate.

Don’t Think About It

Any artist can tell you that the more you stare at something, the harder it becomes to truly see it. Sometimes the best thing you can do while trying to choose a color is to take a break for several days and come back to your options with a fresh perspective. Never rely on digital samples of color, in print and paint, they will appear much more different than you can imagine. For any of your painting needs, both interior and exterior- rely on Polson Painting. You'll not only be satisfied with your color choice if you follow this guidance, but with our service if you choose us as well. Get a free, drive-by exterior quote by calling 813-244-5270 or by going to our website: https://www.polsonpainting.com/