Do you stress over how to choose a paint colour?
If you’re anything like my sister then choosing a paint colour is a five-minute job, you go to the store, pick a colour chart off the display, choose one shade you like, buy the tester pot, bring it home, paint a patch the size of your hand, nod your head then text your decorator the brand and name. Job done.
If this is you then congratulations, move on, you don’t need to read this.
But if you’re anything like me then choosing the perfect paint colour is a mixture of excitement and trepidation and a process that takes time.
You can check out my full 11-page guide on ‘How To Choose The Perfect Paint Colour’ via my homepage here.
But if you’ve only got five minutes then this post will give you a quick overview.
I’m an analyst. And while that comes in very useful when choosing my energy supplier it can really draw out the process of choosing the perfect shade. And for some people, they just don’t know where to start. Luckily there are some steps that will help you get to the perfect paint colour.
1. What feeling are you trying to create?
This will depend on what you are using the room for. There is a plethora of information on the psychology of colour and how it influences our behaviour, but the important thing is how it makes you feel. You can just use your instinct with this one. If you want the colour to encourage activity and conversation then it should be upbeat and stimulating. Look at a colour chart as see what colours you are drawn to when you imagine your family around the dining table or the girls round for wine.
2. What natural light does the room get?
If you are using this room during the day then this is particularly important. Natural light has a massive effect on how you perceive the colour. The general rules are; if your room feels cool then balance it up with a colour that has warmth, or if your room is very sunny room you can afford to use a cooler shade. If you have a north-facing room that doesn’t get any direct sunlight then stick to yellow-based neutrals or do the right thing and go for a dark colour, you’re room is dark anyway so why not embrace it?
3. Coordinate with your furniture and fabrics
Unless you are designing a room from scratch you are likely to already have items you’ll be using in the room and you should draw inspiration from these. And I’m not saying go all matchy-matchy, we don’t want that! You just want your new paint colour to complement your rugs, sofas and flooring. Your new colour also needs to complement the rest of the home, so look at the colours you can see from your room. These colours may be the walls in the hallway or the colour of your curtains that you can see in the room beyond. All your colours need to get along so don’t pick your new colour in isolation.
4. Would you wear this colour?
This is pretty straightforward, if you’re going to spend hundreds of pounds on a new outfit then the colour has to suit you. It’s easy to return a dress but a nightmare to have to repaint a room, so try the colour on. If you don’t look good in your newly decorated room then it’s a design fail. Mustard yellow may be the perfect accompaniment to my dark blue/grey living room but it’s certainly not the perfect accompaniment to my skin tone. Sit me in a mustard chair and I look like a convalescing Victorian heroine, so you won’t find any of it in my home.
5. Don’t just slap it on your walls
Sorry, but there’s more to testers than painting them straight onto your walls. You need to see how the colour looks on every wall and next to every item that is going to be in your room. How are you going to do that if you have tiny little square of colour in the middle of one wall? Get your paint onto paper or boards that you can move around.
5. Give your ceiling some thought
They don’t have to be white you know. Your ceiling is a huge space so why not make it as beautiful as the rest of the room? A white ceiling is not going to offend anyone but neither is it going to compliment your wall colour as well as as coloured ceiling would. I’m not talking about going bonkers and painting it a garish shade. I just mean pick an off-white that has a complimentary undertone to your wall colour. It really will make a huge difference.
6. Does it make you happy?
It may be the perfect shade for your west-facing room that picks out the detailing of the rug beautifully but if it doesn’t make you happy then forget it. It’s not always about what looks right it’s about what feels right. So if you ever find yourself tilting your head, squinting, or asking your decorator what they think, then you know it’s no good. Start again and find a colour you love.
Ready to find out more?
My extensive guide will talk you through the details of all of these steps and will safely guide you to your perfect colour. Check it out here.
