Selecting a paint colour can be deceptively challenging. The interplay of lighting, flooring, furniture, and personal taste will all impact on how you feel about your newly painted walls.
If you’ve nailed it, you’ll know it. Your heart will jump for joy every time you walk into the room. A big smile will spread across your face as you congratulate yourself on your spectacular work.
But what if you’re not feeling that way? What if your heart races every time you walk into the room for the wrong reason? Stress!
If your newly painted walls have left you feeling anything from flat and underwhelmed, to teary and in a blind panic, don’t fret. Take a deep breath and let’s work out what to do next.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HATE YOUR NEW PAINT COLOUR
1. DON’T GIVE YOURSELF A HARD TIME
We’ve all been there. Even people who do it for a living have been there 😉. Choosing paint colours is hard. There are so many things to trip you up and catch you out so don’t hate on yourself too much! The important thing is to stay calm and to think as clearly and objectively as possible.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HATE YOUR NEW PAINT COLOUR
2. GIVE IT A FAIR TRIAL
Have you painted at least two coats? If not then paint a second coat now! You can’t judge a new colour by its first coat. It’s just not fair. Paint needs at least two coats to see its true depth of colour. It’s like expecting a cake to taste amazing when you’ve only just put it in the oven. Particularly if you are painting a dark or bold colour over a white or pale colour. In, fact in those instances, you will probably need three coats to get great coverage and for the true colour to be revealed.
If you’ve just put on the first coat and are having doubts then you may just be suffering from first-coat fear, you can see our Instagram post about this trauma-inducing phenomenon.
If you have done at least one wall in two coats then we need to work out why you are not loving it 👇🏻.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HATE YOUR NEW PAINT COLOUR
3. CHANGE IT (WHEN THE FOLLOWING SCENARIOS APPLY)
If you have painted two coats and seen your paint colour in daylight and you are still not in love, then we need to work out what the problem is. And it’s normally one of these two scenarios…
The colour isn’t as you expected it to be. It looks different to the tester. Maybe it’s come out cooler than you expected or has a weird undertone you didn’t notice before that is throwing everything else off. If it’s jarring with other elements of the room that you are not planning on changing, like the flooring for example, then it has to be changed. I’m sorry. I know it’s such a lot of effort to repaint but the jarring won’t go away and you don’t want to live in regret forever, so best to change it now.
The colour is as you expected but now you’ve seen it on all four walls you just don’t like it. You’ve changed your mind. It’s giving you the ick and it just feels wrong. You know in your heart it’s just not the colour for you. If you are having a strong gut reaction to a colour like this then it’s unlikely your feelings will change, so probably best to change the colour sooner rather than later.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HATE YOUR NEW PAINT COLOUR
4. STICK WITH IT (WHEN THE FOLLOWING SCENARIOS APPLY)
Not loving a colour doesn’t mean it’s the wrong colour. As long as the colour isn’t jarring with anything, and as long as you don’t absolutely hate it, all colours have potential.
If you have painted your room a much stronger or darker colour than you are used to and it’s making you feel nervous or unsure then this could be the time to stick to your guns and live with it for a while. Get the rest of the room pulled together. A room will look totally transformed once it has your gorgeous furniture and accessories in place.
When the colour is a bit cooler than you had expected it to be but it’s still a pretty colour, try warming it up with lots of warm tones and materials such as brass and wood, and layer lots of different fabrics and soft furnishings.
If the colour has come out paler than you had hoped try adding more pattern and texture to a space with your accessories to make the space more visually interesting.
When a colour has come out warmer and visually heavier than you had expected then make the space feel more airy by using reflective materials like metal and glass and use lightweight fabrics in the space.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HATE YOUR NEW PAINT COLOUR
5. FOLLOW YOUR HEART
At the end of the day, only you will know if you can live with the colour or if you should change it. And in the grand scheme of things, paint is actually one of the easiest and cheapest things you can change in a space. Follow your heart and listen to what it’s telling you. If it’s not the one, then better to endure the short-term pain of changing it than the long-term pain of living with it.
HOW CAN I HELP YOU?
If you’re struggling with any interior design dilemmas like this then I can help you! I offer online Design Surgery appointments to tackle problems just like this, and to try and prevent them in the first place! You can check out the service here.
Or if you are local to Southampton and prefer to work in person you can book a colour consultation here.
Let me know if you have any questions, happy decorating 😀.
Sarah x
