Home renovation can be costly, yet painting your walls with new color can be one of the easiest ways to update its appearance at little or no expense. But choosing the right shade may prove more challenging than anticipated.
Before heading out to a store, bring samples of your top choices home and test them against your flooring, furniture (if applicable) and accent pieces – taking note of lighting conditions throughout the day.
1. Neutrals
Neutral shades make an excellent starting point when selecting paint colors. Their neutral tones work beautifully with other hues and can easily be mixed to form various tones.
Paint colors vary depending on how they’re lit by natural sunlight. If a room faces north, for instance, cool whites such as Little Greene’s Rolling Fog Dark 160 should be avoided as these will appear blue-grey in natural lighting conditions.
2. Shades of Blue
Choose paint colors easily when you know how to approach the process. Take inspiration from fabrics or rugs you love as starting points and build an all-purpose color palette for all rooms in the house.
Be sure to test paint swatches under different lighting and throughout the day, remembering that any sheen in your paint could highlight imperfections; therefore, for best results choose flat finishes for covering up flaws.
3. Shades of Green
Green hues have the ability to both energize and calm a space, so the key to successful use is selecting shades that complement other aspects in the room: flooring, fabrics, artwork and accessories.
Lighting is also an integral factor, so be sure to test swatches at different times of day in the room in both natural and artificial lighting to assess how they will appear.
4. Shades of Gray
One of the key components to keep in mind when selecting paint colors is always taking time to sample them first. Anytime this rule was broken, returned cans of paint would soon follow back into stock at stores like Home Depot.
Avoid forgetting the color of wood detailing, carpets and rooms adjoining. Be mindful that a hue’s undertones change with light throughout the day and take time to adapt.
5. Shades of Pink
Paint has the power to transform a space. It can brighten a dark room, reduce glare from sunny spots, or make even cozy corners feel luxurious.
Paint colors have the power to transform a space, so it’s crucial that you take time and care in selecting the most appropriate hues for your home. Be sure to test each shade in each room where it will be applied – natural lighting changes throughout the day can affect how it appears!
6. Shades of Red
Higgins suggests the key to selecting a striking dark red hue is choosing one with grayed undertones to soften its impact.
Make sure to sample paint swatches multiple times; their hue will shift with different lighting conditions throughout the day and on cloudy or sunny days, according to Nash.
Appointing an interior design professional as your guide can make the process less intimidating, providing ideas on what overall style and color scheme would work best in your home.
7. Shades of Orange
Paint can completely transform a room if used correctly, lightening up dark corners, warming up north-facing spaces, avoiding glare in sunny rooms, creating more intimate atmospheres, or making spaces appear larger than they actually are.
Test your paint colors against furniture, rugs and soft elements in the room to gain a better idea of how they translate and whether they mesh well with what else exists in it. This will provide an understanding of whether they will go together harmoniously or clash.
8. Shades of Purple
Color can transform a room instantly. It can make a smaller room seem larger, cover flaws and even trigger memories or emotions in us all.
Color should make you happy, but keep in mind how it will complement furniture and other elements in the room. Swatch tests and taking into account undertones – which are subtle underlying colors of paint – is crucial.
9. Shades of Yellow
Color choices can be daunting, but that doesn’t have to be the case! Before investing gallons of paint and hours in time and labor on any shade, be sure to test any one you are considering!
Verify how the color looks at different times of day and with various lighting conditions; after all, your satisfaction with it should remain paramount over time.
10. Shades of Green
Paint colors have the power to transform rooms of all sizes: make small spaces appear larger, reduce glare in sunny spaces and bring warmth into northern-facing rooms. When selecting your hues, start by thinking about what sort of atmosphere or mood you would like to set in each space, then utilize color psychology and architecture of your home to help narrow your choices down further.
Keep this important step in mind by sampling swatches at various times of day with furniture and rugs present – don’t skip this important step!