I can't tell you how many times I've heard people complain about their color selections, yet they continue to make the same mistakes. Below you'll find 10 tricks to give you the confidence you need to select colors you will love.
1. ALWAYS look at the color samples in the room you intend to paint. Even if you think the lighting is the same somewhere else, you will be surprised to learn that color is made by different amounts of light. This is why it looks different when you bring random samples home from the store. Also, color is effected by surrounding colors. So if you are IN THE ROOM to be painted, you wont have any surprises .
2. Stop viewing colors on tables! Horizontal surfaces give you 100% light saturation. Unless you are painting a table, you should hold colors vertically.
3. Decide how you want to "feel" in the room. If you want a calm relaxing feeling, look at cooler colors.
(blue greens grays). If you want to feel energized try warmer colors (colors with yellow or red undertones)
4. Don't limit yourself. Get a designer to bring the full deck of colors into your space. Using preselected color schemes in brochures are predictable and limiting. Those colors are designed to work together with each other... Which sounds fool proof...but keep in mind they selected those colors without YOUR SPACE in mind. A good designer can help you select harmonizing colors if you don't trust yourself.
5. Use the best designer in the world for your guide...take a look outside. God's landscapes display the lightest color high (sky) and then, grounds everything with darkest colors. (tree trunks, dirt, dark grass).
6. Saturation. This is the spectrum of how "solid or dense" a color feels. When selecting colors for rooms that are open to each other, make sure you select saturation values that work together.
7. A space can feel larger, more opened up when furniture is similar to the wall color. But keep in mind that if your wall color is an unnatural color for your furniture or storage, then you may be drawing attention to something you are trying to make disappear.
8. Look to favorite items for inspiration. (a vase, art, outfit etc) ask yourself what you like about it. (color, pattern, texture etc). Apply that item to your color selection.
9. If you have doubts, really, it is just paint take a deep breath - you can easily change paint colors
10. Accent walls. Stop over using them folks. An accent wall should be used when you have a wall of importance that you want to draw attention to. So, choose a wall that you want people to look at as a focal point. (fireplace, headboard, walls people face the most). The other use of an accent wall is to make a long space feel smaller by painting both ends darker. Or to open a small space up by painting both ends lighter.
There you have it! Ten, easy steps to help you get it right the first time. If it still seems overwhelming, get a hold of me. Not only am I training in this, but I've been working with color for a very long time & I'm very passionate about it! It is FUN for me! :)
Happy painting!
1. ALWAYS look at the color samples in the room you intend to paint. Even if you think the lighting is the same somewhere else, you will be surprised to learn that color is made by different amounts of light. This is why it looks different when you bring random samples home from the store. Also, color is effected by surrounding colors. So if you are IN THE ROOM to be painted, you wont have any surprises .
2. Stop viewing colors on tables! Horizontal surfaces give you 100% light saturation. Unless you are painting a table, you should hold colors vertically.
3. Decide how you want to "feel" in the room. If you want a calm relaxing feeling, look at cooler colors.
(blue greens grays). If you want to feel energized try warmer colors (colors with yellow or red undertones)
4. Don't limit yourself. Get a designer to bring the full deck of colors into your space. Using preselected color schemes in brochures are predictable and limiting. Those colors are designed to work together with each other... Which sounds fool proof...but keep in mind they selected those colors without YOUR SPACE in mind. A good designer can help you select harmonizing colors if you don't trust yourself.
5. Use the best designer in the world for your guide...take a look outside. God's landscapes display the lightest color high (sky) and then, grounds everything with darkest colors. (tree trunks, dirt, dark grass).
6. Saturation. This is the spectrum of how "solid or dense" a color feels. When selecting colors for rooms that are open to each other, make sure you select saturation values that work together.
7. A space can feel larger, more opened up when furniture is similar to the wall color. But keep in mind that if your wall color is an unnatural color for your furniture or storage, then you may be drawing attention to something you are trying to make disappear.
8. Look to favorite items for inspiration. (a vase, art, outfit etc) ask yourself what you like about it. (color, pattern, texture etc). Apply that item to your color selection.
9. If you have doubts, really, it is just paint take a deep breath - you can easily change paint colors
10. Accent walls. Stop over using them folks. An accent wall should be used when you have a wall of importance that you want to draw attention to. So, choose a wall that you want people to look at as a focal point. (fireplace, headboard, walls people face the most). The other use of an accent wall is to make a long space feel smaller by painting both ends darker. Or to open a small space up by painting both ends lighter.
There you have it! Ten, easy steps to help you get it right the first time. If it still seems overwhelming, get a hold of me. Not only am I training in this, but I've been working with color for a very long time & I'm very passionate about it! It is FUN for me! :)
Happy painting!
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