How to Pick the Perfect Paint Color Every Time- You’re Almost There!

Neutrals, white, black, blue, green, yellow, pink, purple… choosing paint colors can be extremely difficult. It’s kind of like going to a candy store as a kid. There are just too many options available to you. All of the choices are overwhelming, and you end up taking a color home that wasn’t even on your consideration list. But, I won’t let this happen to you! You’re going to walk home with the perfect color for your space. Today, I’m going to give you two important considerations you should nail down before walking into the hardware store. You’re not stress-picking colors today!

Before You Continue Reading!

Welcome to my third and final blog post of the “How to Pick the Perfect Paint Color Every Time” mini course! If you missed the first two blog posts, make sure you go and check those out for more guidance, tips, and advice on finding that perfect paint color match. Here are the links:

1. How to Pick the Perfect Paint Color Every Time- An Introduction to Color Theory
2. How to Pick the Perfect Paint Color Every Time- The Do’s and Don’ts

Consideration #1: The Mood

What’s a Mood Have to Do With Paint Colors? 

Whether you’re conscious of it or not, every room around your home gives off a different aura that causes you to feel a certain mood. A room can make you feel joyful, focused, inspired, or (if it’s messy) even stressed. But, every room in your home has (and will always have) this ability. Professional interior designers often use paint colors and color pallets to evoke a certain mood they want people to feel upon entering a room. And, guess what? You can do the same exact thing! You can decide what mood you want a room to make you feel, and use it as a guide to help you decide on a paint color/color pallet. Pretty cool, right? 

A Rooms Mood Can Guide You In Choosing Paint Colors for Your Space

Cozy, Warm, and Inviting

Do you want a room to make you feel like you could just snuggle up with a fuzzy blanket on the couch? Consider using one or all of the colors below when choosing paint colors/color pallets for your space: 

1. Neutrals (beige, gray, taupe, or greige)
2. Any color with a soft tone
3. Sage green
4. Lighter blues
5. Pink
6. White

Safe and Secure

Sometimes you just want a space where you can leave the day’s worries behind and not be stressed and anxious for a few hours. You want to forget the dirty dishes in the sink, the rude customer you dealt with at work, and the neighbor’s dog waking you up at 3 AM this morning. If you want a room to make you feel safe and secure, then consider adding some lighter blues into your color palette or as your paint color. Lighter shades of blue are scientifically proven to make your body release chemicals that help calm you down and make you feel safe. Fun fact: that is why so many banks and insurance companies have blue logos. It shows that they stand for safety and trustworthiness when dealing with your pecuniary matters. Pretty wild, right?

Sophisticated, Confident, and Bold

You want to feel like you can achieve anything in this room. You want to feel like you can call that important company for work, write a jaw-dropping news article, and move a mountain. Perhaps this room is your office, library, or even a gym. Here are some color recommendations you should consider incorporating into that room’s design: 

1. Dark blues
2. Deep greens
3. Black

Creative and Inspired

For all of my artists, musicians, creators, etc, here are a few colors you should add to your creative space to help you along your artistic journey: 

1. Purple
2. Yellow

Clean 

Have you ever wondered why most hotels, motels, and hospitality buildings use white sheets, towels, and the like? White is associated with making a space look (and feel) clean. And, guess what? You can do this too! If you want a room to look and feel clean, just add white. Whether you’re choosing paint colors (or a color pallet) for your bathroom, kitchen, or bedroom, don’t underestimate the power of simple white. 

Happy and Joyful

Is there any better feeling than when you can smile and you don’t even have or need a reason to? If you want a room to make you (and others) feel happy and joyful, then you should definitely consider adding the following colors to that space: 

1. Yellow
2. Orange
3. Pink

Consideration #2: The Lighting

The same color can look completely different in multiple different rooms. And, this most likely has to do with each room’s lighting. I’m not talking just about the lamps. But, all the lighting. Natural included. The amount of light (or lack, thereof) can drastically change the way a certain color of paint looks on the walls. Therefore, it will play a role in choosing paint colors for a space. So, pull out a notebook and a pen because it’s time to study your room’s light sources. 

Natural Light/Window Placement

The first type of light you should study in your soon-to-be-painted room is the amount of natural light. How many windows does the room have? What direction do those windows face? Are there any trees right outside the windows that cast shadows in the room? Do the windows have any mullions that dampen the amount of light the window lets in? Are the windows stained glass or clear? Once you’re finished asking the questions above, it’s time to study your room’s second type of lighting. 

Overhead Lights

The next type of lighting to study in your soon-to-be-painted room is your overhead lights. Overhead lights are any light source that’s mounted to your ceiling and shines down on the room. Recessed lights, pendants, and chandeliers all fall in the overhead lighting category. If your room has any overhead lights, turn them on. Do the lights make your room look warmer? Or, do they make your room look cooler? Are they dimmable? Do they cast any shadows on certain wall points? If so, what walls do they cast shadows on? All finished? Great job! It’s time to analyze your room’s final type of lighting. 

Lamps/Wall-Mounted Lights

The third (and last) type of lighting to study before going to the store and choosing paint colors for your soon-to-be-painted room is all of your lamps/wall-mounted lights. Go through the space, and turn on all of the lamps and sconces. How much lighting do they give off? Do the lights make the room look warmer and cozier? Or, do they make the room cooler and crisper? How many lamps are there? Turn each one on individually to figure out what temperature of light they give. Do they cast shadows on any walls? If they do, what walls do they cast them on? Do the same exact thing for the sconces. Once you’re finished, write everything down and keep that book handy! It’s FINALLY time to head to the paint store.

You Made It!

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the store and are ready to finalize your paint color decision. You now know more about the color wheel and how it plays a significant part in choosing paint colors. You also know lots of paint color do’s and don’ts to prevent picking the wrong color for a space. And, you have two key considerations that will help you come to an ultimate paint color decision.

All that’s left to do now is, well, to pick a color! At this point, you should already know which color you want. And, you most likely just have to pick out the shade and sheen. Take a nice look at the paint samples of the color you chose, and find the shade that sings to your soul. Have the salesperson (or employee) mix and shake your perfect paint color, grab your supplies on the way out of the store, prep your space for painting, and get that roller rolling! 

Thank You!

If you’ve stuck this mini-course out with me from start to finish, thank you so very much! You’re a superstar! And, now you’re also a paint-picking expert too! If you found this mini-course fun and helpful, and you would like me to create more mini-courses similar to this one, then leave me a comment below. I would love to make more for you in the future. Let’s keep making our homes beautiful together- inside and out. 

Also, feel free to print out the little certificate I created for this mini-course shown above. You never know when you may need to show proof that you’re a paint-picking expert!