Planning on doing some painting? Here are six questions you may want to ask yourself before choosing a paint color to help you narrow down your choices.
Choosing a paint color can be one of the more difficult parts of designing a space. I knew what colors I wanted to paint my son’s and daughter’s rooms when we worked with Five Star Painting to paint their rooms via Neighborly. As for the colors we will use to paint the rest of our house? Oy. There are just so many possible colors to choose from! Add to that the fact that certain color combos can either work amazingly well, or make a room feel “off,” and you’ve got quite the challenge at hand! But choosing a paint color doesn’t have to be a horrible experience. You just have to know the right questions to keep in mind while making your decision. To help you, here are 6 Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing a Paint Color!
6 Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing a Paint Color
1. What other colors are already in the space?
Probably the first thing you’ll want to consider when narrowing down paint colors is what colors are already in the space you plan to paint. You need to consider those colors so that you can make sure the wall color works in harmony with them, unless you purposefully want the colors to clash. A little bit of color theory knowledge can come in handy with this, or you can just use an online color wheel tool like Paletton to help you figure out some possible palettes.
2. What feeling do I want this space to have?
Colors evoke feeling. Cool colors (greens, blues, and purples) tend to feel relaxing and peaceful. Warm colors (reds, oranges, and yellows) feel bright and energetic. You could research the psychology of colors and emotions and discover some amazing details on how colors affect people, but that’s the big picture. Using that knowledge can help you realize that maybe a calming blue isn’t right for your exercise room. Maybe you want a bright yellow to make you feel like really working out hard! And similarly, a bright red probably isn’t the best choice if you want your newborn to sleep through the night! Make sure that the feeling the room evokes fits the intended purpose of the room.
Five Star Painting, the company that we partnered with to paint our kids’ rooms, consults with their clients on paint color choices. Brian Ammerman, a Five Star Painting owner, says that when it comes to bedroom colors, “the sky is the limit.” For living spaces, the company keeps on top of color trends so that they can help advise their clients about what is currently in style. However, if you are painting rooms because you plan on selling your home, Brian says you are best off choosing a neutral color.
3. Have I tested these colors under different lighting?
A critical question to ask when choosing a paint color is if you’ve looked at the color in different light. What looks good in the store may not look good in your home. And what looks good in your home on a sunny day may look awkward on an overcast day. Or maybe it’s too bright in the morning, or develops a green tinge at night. These are the kinds of things you want to find out before you go to work painting your walls!
4. Have I tried any actual paint samples yet?
Paint chips are just that- small chips. If you haven’t actually applied any of your possible color choices to your wall, you won’t be able to properly review the colors. You need to be able to look at a big swatch of color to really get a feel for how the space would look if that color were on all the walls.
If you’re unsure of a color or comparing colors, there’s no need to buy a full gallon of paint. Every hardware store sells paint samples that are just enough paint to give you an idea of whether or not you like the color.
Tip: When you buy your paint, I recommend buying one of these samples to keep on hand in the same color for future touch-ups!
5. How long have I been considering colors?
When choosing a paint color, you really shouldn’t rush things. If you’ve only been looking at colors for a few days, give it more time. While you always can paint over a color if you don’t like it, that’d use up more time and money than if you picked the right color from the start. Of course, taking too long to make a decision isn’t good either. If you’ve been actively considering colors for months, you’re now probably nitpicking and worrying more than you should. Try to spend no more than a few weeks actively considering paint colors.
6. Have I almost picked a certain color more than once?
If you find yourself gravitating toward the same color over and over, you may have subconsciously made your decision, or at least narrowed the colors down! Painting a room is not all that unlike painting an artwork. Some of it is based on skill and knowledge, but a lot of it is based on gut decisions of what feels right. As long as you don’t have a history of making horrible interior design decisions that you’ve regretted, it’d probably be safe to let your gut weigh in on the final choice of paint color.
What do you consider when choosing a paint color?