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Tips for Choosing Interior Paint Colors

Tips for Choosing Interior Paint Colors

Everyone's smartest choice when selecting interior paint colors is to begin with the colors they like. When you begin with the colors you like, you are not limited by conventional color schemes for any particular decorating style. Your favorite colors, as your base color, can serve as a blueprint for your color scheme for all of your home's surfaces.

Find out what your favorite color means and how you can decorate with it.

Find Paint Color Inspiration

Even if offline sources have always been a staple in interior design for inspiration, they are now much more accessible thanks to the abundance of marketing material available online. You can discover all kinds of inspiration for your room on the retailer's site. Also, you can discover innovative uses for color in paint and furniture on paint product and decor websites. Social media sites such as Pinterest and Instagram provide real-time color inspiration that is refreshed on Pinterest. Pinterest is a great tool for creating inspiration boards for desired ideas, allowing you to have them all in one place.

Use Color Theory to Create a Color Scheme

You don't need in depth study of the science of color to get great design ideas from a color wheel. Most of these low-cost color tools can help you develop color schemes almost instantly. Turning a wheel will allow you to see the relationship between colors and study the theory of color.  You won't likely paint your house in the exact colors you find on the wheel, yet you can pick shades of those colors at your preferred paint shop.

Get Creative With Neutral Paint Colors

Neutral paint colors are not necessarily casual. You can boost up a neutral color palette with your creativity in how you put the colors together. A striped wall in neutral colors lends depth to the room but still keeps it relaxed. A neutral wall color with pastel ceiling can transform a conservative space into a cheerfully vibrant one.

Pull Your Paint Color From a Print

One of the most effective ways to choose a wall color is to start with a print fabric. Throw pillows, bedding, and table linens can provide you with an idea of wall color settings. If you are creating a highlight wall, look at the most vibrant colors in the print. Have a look at the small details of your print fabric if you would like to choose a paint color that is more subtle or for a larger space. Go to a paint store to look for paint samples, then put aside swatches to get the right color at home.

Look Outside for Ideas

Bringing the outdoors inside is a well liked technique for designing color schemes. Whether you select leafy green or the tranquil blues of the ocean, nature-inspired color schemes are designed to be serene and relaxing. be sure to sample your favorite paint colors at all hours of the day and under the lighting conditions with your windows shut and open to obtain the most accurate idea of what your options include.

Find Your Paint Color in Artwork

An interior designer's secret is sourcing colors from paintings you may have in your room. Artwork creators are experts in color and use this knowledge to create their color schemes. Feel free to combine colors from the same painting in order to get a color scheme.

Look to Historical Color Inspiration

You may still incorporate Craftsman color schemes in your residence, even if you're not a fan of this style. Many popular paint brands provide historical paint options inspired by the Craftsman style. Use these collections as inspiration and customize them to fit your decorating plan.

Benjamin Moore's damask yellow is a warm wall color that would function well in many interior design styles, including Craftsman and mid-century modern.

Try a Lighter or Darker Shade

Sometimes, all you need to consider to make your home look better is a color change. When deciding on an interior paint shade, consider lighter or darker variations of the same color before you quit your search prematurely. Some paint colors are chosen from paint strips in gradual shades, or you can order yours customized by percentages of lightness or darkness.

How to Use Undertones to Find Your Perfect Paint Colors

You might be disappointed with the effects of the undertones when you select your interior paint colors carefully. Essentially, the shades of color that are unseen are the colors that are hidden by your chosen paint color. For instance, a beige may look simple, but it may have a greenish undertone. The best way of learning how to describe the effect of undertones in a room is the test. Paint from other surfaces inside your room can alter the appearance how your room's paint reflects light, so sampling is necessary.

Do Your Homework Before Shopping

Deciding on a good interior paint color starts at home. Before you head to the paint store to grab samples, collect inspiration using a catalog, a magazine, and a fabric swatch. This can help you from choosing too many paint colors on your first visit to the store. The hardest part of picking a paint color is figuring out what to do with too many options. 

Paint color samples allow you to test paint colors in your own home. Since finding your color choice is important, returning to your retailer for paint samples is essential.

Sample Your Paint Colors Before Committing

This rule is basic enough that it should never be disregarded. Always test out the paint color you're considering, in case you are applying lots of effort and gallons to it. If you're investing a sizable amount of time and paint into your project, you need to make sure you get the color perfect the first time. You do not want to negate this step. If you go to the back of a paint store, various cans of leftover paint are available. Don't be one of them. Be sure to carefully calculate the amount of paint you'll need as well, in order to minimize waste.

How to Flow Color Throughout Your Home

If you're planning to decorate a small house, your rooms can have better appeal if you paint them the same color throughout. Painting your home the same color throughout can make it seem larger and more relaxed. The most pleasing way to use this kind of color is to choose a neutral paint color to serve as your signature color. Each room can have its unique color scheme, or you can maintain the exact same color scheme in numerous rooms. Keep flooring similar between spaces, and consider baseboard to tie everything together.

Use a Color Consultant

If you question which interior paint colors to select and would like a fresh colour scheme, a color specialist can provide you colour suggestions or create a custom palette for you. 

The best way to prepare for your meeting with your color consultant is to talk about ideas with them beforehand. Ask them if they would be willing to visit you at a specific time so you can explain what environmental lighting issues you are facing. Don't worry about your lighting specialist suggesting modifications to your lighting if your color specialist suggests it to correct color issues in the room.

Paint Color Apps Can Make Choosing Paint Color Easier

You can use a smartphone or tablet app to select from a broad array of possible paint colors. These apps have improved over the years, so you might want to consider trying them again if you've tried them before and they didn't work.

The most popular paint color apps enable you to copy a particular color you see anywhere, even if the camera on your mobile phone is able to capture it. Even though it may not be an exact match, these apps can still recommend strong colors.