How To Choose a Paint Color

I’ve worked with a lot of people who think I select paint colors with the TINY paint swatches that paint stores carry.  If I did, I would have a lot of unhappy clients!  This is also why some people that don’t use an Interior Designer have a hard time getting the exact color they are after.  I’ve heard this many times, “I picked out a color at the paint store that I loved, but the paint swatch doesn’t look anything like the color on the walls!”  So, I am going to talk about paint today and specifically, how to choose a paint color.

 

Let me share a little insider advice with you.  I don’t use those small swatches.  As a designer, I have access to large color samples (some swatches are as large as 8-1/2 x 11”).  There are times when I have lot’s of time to search out the perfect color.  This is when I will order several large swatches of each color possibility.

 

 

Ideally, I like to use a poster board for a swatch.  I paint a large 2’ x 2’ sample (sometimes larger).  This does two things.  First, it gives us a large representation of the what the paint looks like and allows us to move it from space to space and place it against furnishings that will remain in the room(s).  The second thing, is that I always leave a white boarder around the color.  This acts as a buffer.  Paint colors influence one another.  That perfect gray may not look so perfect against your existing gold wall.  Having the white between them, helps to eliminate this problem.

 

 

Paints appearance also changes in different light.  The lighting in the store will probably never be the same lighting as what you have at your home.  Not only is the lighting most likely different, YOUR lighting will change throughout the day.  This means that the appearance of your color is going to change at different times of the day.  When I wrote about my top 5 neutrals, I mentioned Gobi Desert.  This color is a perfect example of how paint can look so different in the morning vs. the evening.

 

 

 

There are technical things like addressing the correct undertones, and how best to mix colors that contain gray and/or white that can influence a room’s best color, but it is a little more in depth than I can cover here.  (It’s a whole unit in Interior Design school!)

 

 

I hope I have given you great tips on how to choose a paint color.  Please share your favorite paint color if you have one.  Do you struggle with picking out colors?  Have you developed a system that works well for you?