Choosing the right paint colours for your home can feel daunting. What colours? Which rooms? But you can make the whole process a lot easier to manage. Just keep in mind the few simple designer suggestions I’ve outlined below.
Finding the right paint colours comes down to understanding your home flow. Then keep in mind what moods you want to create in each room, and—most importantly—don’t stress unduly about any of it!
If you make a mistake with colour, guess what, you can always start again. Sometimes that’s actually the fun of it. All of those little mistakes ultimately help us hone in on what we like (and what we don’t) so we can create that home where we truly feel like it’s our own.
Start small
It can be overwhelming if you’re not sure where to begin with colour, so I always suggest starting with a smaller room. Maybe you start with a guest powder room or a small hallway and test out the colour there.
Whether you use a swatch of paint on the wall, or you paint it entirely as an experiment, don’t feel pressure to come to a decision quickly. Take your time with it. Sometimes a colour needs to grow on you, so let it sit with you for some time. Within a couple of weeks, I guarantee you will know whether it’s a yay or nay.
Look to the largest pattern in the space
I’ve always leaned towards a more neutral, minimalist palette when it comes to what I paint my walls (any walls) in my home. So, I tend to stick to variations of white, beige, or cream for my space. It gives the whole room a lightness and openness that wouldn’t necessarily happen if you were to paint your walls a darker, dramatic colour.
Keeping a relatively neutral colour throughout the body of your house helps with creating the right flow (I’ll come back to that). Neutral colours also help make the space feel much larger, particularly if your space is a small one. Likewise, using a light colour (or white) can also make it much easier when you decide how to dress up your room, too.
In saying that, there’s a great designer trick—and general rule of thumb—when thinking about adding colour to your space. If you have certain patterns in your upholstery, rugs, or a large piece of artwork, select a colour you enjoy from that pattern to use for that one accent wall colour. You can also use some of your soft finishes in the room (i.e.: throw pillows, blankets, table lamps, or an ottoman).
Speaking of accent walls
Accent walls were very trendy years back, and they still maintain some popularity today because of the “wow factor” they give to a space. My advice? If you’re really into an accent wall, make it happen in your guest powder room or your bedroom. I’d leave the accent wall colours out of any big, often used space, like your living room, kitchen, dining room or otherwise. Maybe it’s just me, but I would grow tired of that big block of colour fast.
What’s your lighting like?
Did you know that natural daylight will show the truest colour, whereas incandescent lighting brings out warm tones and yellow? This is important to know because if you choose a stronger colour option, it may appear even more intense in the daylight, whereas that same colour may be better suited for a space that is more indirect. Make sense?
What’s the mood of the room?
I like this idea and I think it’s hugely helpful. When selecting your colour, consider the mood of your room. For example, in the bedroom, you want the space to feel comfortable, relaxing and soothing, right? So perhaps you should opt for softer, neutral colours to give that space a sense of calm.
The dining room is a conversation space, but what types of entertaining do you plan on hosting? Do you prefer a more relaxed, sociable space or a formal, elegant vibe? Saturated colours like greens, blues and burgundy’s certainly give an air of formality, whereas brighter colours tend to make me think of more chill, sociable spaces.
Make sure your rooms complement each other
How do the colours you choose meld with each other? If you were to walk from room-to-room in your home, do the colours complement each other well, or completely clash with each other? Each colour should flow harmoniously with the next, so your entire space feels like it was designed cohesively.
To me, having a different colour in every room is a mistake – it’s overkill – so if I were deciding my colour palette for my home, I would keep all major rooms neutral, while putting the colour in a bathroom, bedroom or basement. Again, and it bears repeating, I would keep the major rooms relatively neutral in colour.
Once you name your style, you can then start searching for inspiration – online or in magazines – from just these words. Also, don’t fret if you find yourself in the middle of, say, two styles. That’s OK! I’m always between styles and often combine a few together.