One large quandary many people have when redecorating or building a home is what color to paint the walls, which is a decision they will have to live with for quite some time.
I find many people, if they want a color, tend to find a shade that is too bright.
When you have four walls reflecting one another, the color intensifies, especially if there is a lot of natural light. When you have white trim around your doors and windows, the wall color becomes more prominent as it contrasts the trim.
The “booklet” of paint colors that designers use is called a fan deck. You can spread it open and see a rainbow of colors.
The main body of the colors are easy to work with. You will find that a shade of color is on one page and it goes from light to dark. Again, considering wall color intensifies as the walls reflect each other, always consider going with a lighter shade.
Also, compare the pages with one another. You will find a variety of base hues as you compare and this will help you find just the right color. As we have moved from the popular beige colors to more gray tones, maybe find a color that is right in the middle, a gray-beige or greige as I call it.
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Paint is the least expensive design element. And most people can complete the work themselves, which saves money from having to pay a contractor.
Paint can be so versatile. Why only paint the walls, when you can add color to ceilings! Using the right coloring overhead can add depth to a room and make the space seem larger than it actually is.
Color drenching, where you paint all of the trim and walls the same color, can make a bold statement. Trim doesn’t always have to be white. Sometimes trim can be darker than the walls.
I love hiring faux painters to use a variety of paint techniques to add pattern or texture on a wall or trim.
There are a variety of paint finishes to choose from.
Most walls are flat or matte, while trim can be eggshell which adds a tiny bit of glazy patina. However, there are other finishes such as gloss and semi gloss and you should be carful with these paints that have sheen. They will highlight flaws on the walls as well as brush strokes. Because of this, darker colors tend to need more coats.
It is also important to consider who will be using the room daily. If you have kids, you may consider a higher gloss for maintenance purposes as glossier paints withstand cleaning better that matte choices.
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When in doubt, get a sample paint from your local paint store. Most paint stores will mix your color and sell you a sample size to paint a small area to compare hues and finishes. It is worth the small investment to paint a few swatches on your walls to consider.
Paint a swatch near the trim. Paint a swatch that gets the most sunlight, if any, and also in a darker space in the room. Take a look at these swatches both in the daytime and the late evening and you will see how the color changes during the day.
Take your time, enjoy the process and always remember you can easily change the color in five years when you get tired of the color, or you want to embrace the new color trends!
