1. Get to know the colors.
A little bit of research won’t do you any harm. Study the standard color wheel, and collect paint strips to aid you in making the decision. Consider the intensity (brightness) of a color and its range of hues from the lightest to the darkest.
2. Decide on a color scheme.
Color schemes are typically categorized into three: neutral, complementary, and analogous. The neutral scheme is composed of colors like blacks, whites, and browns. Complementary colors are formed from the combination of a primary and secondary color found on the color wheels opposite ends. Analogous colors are warm or cool colors. Yellows, oranges, and reds are warm colors, while greens, violets, and blues are considered cool.
3. Coordinate colors with the home’s interior design.
Turn a critical eye on the flooring, furnishings, artifacts, and the rest of the home’s interior decorations. Instead of choosing the exact matching colors, try to opt for paint color that blends with the other pieces. You can also use colors to highlight or downplay certain features. If you find yourself at a total loss with this, you can go ahead and consult companies such as Raider Painting.
4. Evaluate colors based on lighting.
Lighting is another important consideration in choosing your home’s colors, because they may look different under natural and artificial light. The best thing to do is to take your paint chips to the room to be painted, and check out how they look.
5. Take in the size of the rooms.
Assess how big the rooms are, and whether you want them to look larger or smaller. Picking the right colors can help you out with this. Measuring the size of the rooms will also come in handy later on when you need to determine the amount of paint to buy.
6. Seek advice and suggestions from others.
You do not have to go solo flight in the selection of your home’s colors. Scan interior design magazines, photographs, paintings, and other similar materials for inspiration. Seek advice from Raider Painting and other experts. Discuss your desired results, and get information on which colors and products they would recommend. Consult the members of your family for their preferences as well.
7. Take notes.
In all the flurry of activities, it can be easy to lose track of everything you have picked up so far. Write little notes on the back of paint chips indicating the name of the store that gave them to you. This will make it effortless to zero in on which hardware store or home center carries the colors you have set your heart on.
Deciding on the colors to paint your home can be baffling, but these tips should clear up your murky mind. Take your time, explore the possibilities, and make informed choices. Lastly, hire exceptional painters like those from Raider Painting, or do the painting yourself if you are up to the challenge. Your home will surely thank you for the best colors it has ever been painted with.
Author Bio:
Shannon Peich is a marketing lead at Raider Painting Los Angeles. For more than 29 years, the experts at Raider Painting have worked exclusively with commercial and industrial clients. Raider Painting provide many services including Interior and exterior painting, Steel structural coatings, Machinery and equipment painting, Wall covering and wallpaper hanging.
Thank you for offering your excellent tips, that is something people always find helpful.Another option to take advantage of before making a final decision is to take a look at what the colors might look like, even before painting. One way is this:http://www.designercolorpalettes.com.
This is must-read list for anyone planning to change their wall colors. I think tip #4 is very important since most people overlook how types of lighting can affect the colors.
Thanks Barbara and Victor!
I just ordered my 2nd set of draw-down materials from Sample-Ease. For my purposes, they are great for formula-recording and record-keeping of where the paint color was used.
Even my own paint mixtures and glazes each have a draw-down to go with the entries in my .xls formula files spreadsheet.
In addition to SmallWall (for painting beautiful samples for client use as well as my own use: http://www.integralcolor.com/tips-for-testing-paint-colors-and-faux-samples-on-a-small-wall/), I find this a valuable addition to my studio. Just thought I’d mention it.
Very useful Information here! Thanks
Thanks for commenting, hope you enjoy the rest of the site!
A great article! One thing that you never mentioned is color psycholigy! Ive even probably spelt that wrong too! DOH! This post may be of some use to your readers http://www.neverpaintagain.co.uk/blog/paint-colours/
Thanks for sharing this post. It gives us a very useful idea.. Thanks alot.
Stickley Furniture
This is so important for people to read before deciding to paint their home, Great Read!
Point 4 is imperative! I have had customer hire me to re-paint my work b/c they didn’t like the way it looks in lighting include the sheen choices as well. Always investigate your color.