How to Choose Paint Colors for Your Home

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When redecorating your home, one of the most important decisions is choosing paint colors. Painting is a quick and reasonable way to give old rooms a fresh, new look. However, you must be careful to match colors with your home’s style and decorations, as well as your personal taste.

The basic rule to remember is, “Use the color wheel.” Colors opposite each other on the color wheel, such as green and red, complement one another and will nicely play off each other. Painting with cool colors such as blues, greens, and purples makes small rooms appear larger and more airy, while colors such as reds, yellows, and oranges will give a room a more vibrant appearance.

Here are several factors you should consider when choosing paint colors for your home:

  1. Always start by taking note of the floor’s color. Your floor will usually have a color of its own; even wooden floors have different shades—they may be stained in honey, cherry, or walnut finishes. The shade of your floor will contrast with your walls and thus affect how the paint on your walls will look.
  2. Let your creativity lead you. Gather your artwork together and look for a color that stands out. This can be a fantastic way of choosing an accent paint color.
  3. The best way to get over your indecisiveness is to start with a color you love. You may find this inspiration anywhere, whether in a simple rug, a favorite accessory, or a pretty fabric. After deciding on your preferred color, test it on the wall. If the color is too strong, consider asking help from your local paint store in formulating this color so you can lighten it or tone it down by adding some gray paint in the mix.
  4. Consider each room you wish to paint. If you will be painting a long and narrow room, you can consider painting the end walls a darker shade than the long, narrow walls. In this instance, the darker colors will recede and create an illusion of width, contrasting with the light-colored walls. Deeper colors tend to suit cozier rooms, such as a study or a living room, but may also accent bigger rooms that enjoy lots of light. However, strong colors can also be used in small amounts to add depth or create a focal point in any room.
  5. To make a small room look larger, choose a light-colored wall paint and select furnishings in the same color family. Or, if you are feeling crafty, you can even paint some of the furniture yourself to match the walls.
  6. Light-colored ceilings will attract attention and help open up a space. Dark-colored ceilings give the impression of lowering the room’s height and allow more focus on the walls, furnishings, and accessories in a room.
  7. The type of artificial lighting used in a room plays a large role in how a color appears within that setting. Fluorescent lights give off a cool ambience and bring out the greens or blues in a color. Incandescent light bulbs generate yellow light that intensifies warm colors but tends to dull cooler colors. It is important to view prospective colors in both daylight and at night so as to give you a better idea of what to expect, because colors will appear differently depending on the time of day.

By taking these points into consideration, you will be better advised on what to look for when choosing paint colors for your home. Then you can make an informed decision on picking colors that will both fit your style and accent your home’s design.