How to Pick the Perfect Paint Color Every Time- The Do’s and Don’ts:

Welcome to the second blog post of the “How to Pick the Perfect Paint Color Every Time” mini course! Choosing paint colors that fit perfectly for your space can be extremely difficult. Painting the walls, realizing it’s not the color you want, and having to start back at square one is not unheard of. Nobody likes to redo things that they’ve already done! My goal is to spare you from having paint color regrets. In today’s blog post, I’m going to be giving you a list of things you should do when choosing paint colors and a list of things you shouldn’t do. 

Before You Get Started

Before you continue reading this blog post, I highly recommend (if you haven’t already) reading my first blog post to this mini course. There’s lots of information in the first blog post that’ll help you to better understand the concepts you’ll read about in this one. To read that first post, click below: 

How to Pick the Perfect Paint Color Every Time- An Introduction to Color Theory 

All done reading? Perfect! It’s time to dive into some paint color do’s and don’ts. So, pull out a notebook, scribble some helpful notes along the way, and get ready to learn more about choosing paint colors!

DO Pick Fixed/Moveable Elements First

Before you head to the paint store to look at your different paint color options, you should head to the furniture store and pick out your couch. In fact, don’t just pick out your couch. Pick out your side tables, coffee table, throw pillows… everything! Right down to the rug and up to the light fixture- pick it. Or, at least decide all that you want to go into the room. Paint is a lot more affordable to change down the road than a couch or your fireplace. By picking your room elements first, you eliminate the risk factor of settling for an expensive element that you don’t like but feel it best matches your chosen paint color. Let the elements decide the paint- don’t let the paint decide the elements. 

DON’T Assume that a Paint Sample Will Match the Ending Paint Color

Small paint samples about 3 inches long and 3 inches wide are not a reliable way to see the true color of paint. I recommend bringing home a sample jar instead of any paint samples. Once you’re home, paint a large piece of white construction paper with the sample jar of paint. Allow it to dry. After it’s dry, move the piece of painted construction paper all over the room. Tape it to the wall in consideration, and leave it there for several hours to see that same color during different times of the day. Once you’ve seen the color on the wall in all lighting conditions, set it next to furniture pieces, put it down close to where the floor and wall meet, and even up high near the ceiling. Put it everywhere! The same paint color can look way different depending on the lighting conditions. So, don’t rely on a tiny 3×3 paint sample as your reason for choosing a paint color. 

DO Keep Cool Colors With Cool Colors and Warm Colors With Warm Colors

Remember that color wheel image from my first “How to Pick the Perfect Paint Color Every Time” blog post to this mini-course? In the image, I showed you that the left side of the color wheel contains all of the colors we associate with being “cool-toned.” And, the right side contains all of the colors we associate as being “warm-toned.” This rule really applies to the whole room- not just paint colors. If you pick a cooler-toned color pallet for a space, stick with all cooler-toned paints. If you pick a warm-toned color pallet, stick with all warmer-toned paints. Easy peasy!

DON’T Mix Cool Colors with Warm Colors and Warm Colors With Cool Colors

Well, you can’t live in Alaska and Florida at the same time. And, you can’t paint one wall light blue and the other one a warm maroon. I mean, you can. But, it may create a bit of a funky design. If you’re all into the funk and not so much the style, then just keep reading and skip this “don’t.”

DO Keep “Clean” With “Clean” and “Dirty” With “Dirty”

What? Am I talking about keeping dirty floors with dirty walls and clean floors with clean walls? Nope! I don’t mean physically clean or physically dirty. I mean visually clean and visually dirty. Still not getting it? Okay, imagine a beautiful, rich brown wall with a magnificent teal blue couch sitting right in front of it. The rich brown wall looks amazing! And, the teal blue couch is enchanting! But, the rich brown wall and teal blue couch set in the same room? It’s probably not hitting any home runs for you. Now, the rich brown wall with a light beige sofa and the teal blue couch with a crisp white wall probably sounds more appealing. Generally speaking, any colors that are “earthy” should be kept with other “earthy” colors. And, any colors that are bright and bold should be kept with other bright and bold colors. 

DON’T Mix “Clean” and “Dirty” Colors Together

It sounds silly. I know. But, mixing clean and dirty colors together often ends in disaster. It can make the room look confusing and distracting. The bright colors stand out too much against the “earthy” ones. And, it can take your eyes away from your room’s main focal point. If you’re really wanting to achieve that designer look, this don’t is a must-follow. Follow this rule when choosing paint colors, furniture, and even throw pillows. Just like with laundry, clean should stay with clean, and dirty should stay with dirty!

DO Match Your Wall’s Color With the Room’s Elements

Choosing paint colors that match your room’s elements is a great way to make a space look cohesive and complete. You want a paint color to work with the space- not against it. If you choose some random color that doesn’t match all of the furnishings and room elements, the only thing you (and others) will notice about that space upon entering the room is that wall with the random color. The room will feel (and look) unbalanced. It can also pull attention away from your room’s main focal point. So, when you go to the paint store, don’t just pick random colors. Pick colors that work in harmony with your space. 

DON’T Assume White Equals Bright

If a room lacks windows and reliable light sources, don’t assume that bright white paint will fix it. Because white is a color/not a color (as you may remember from the first blog post to this mini-course), it reflects whatever elements and lighting are in a room. Therefore, if the room is dark, the white paint will also be dark. If the room has lots of windows that bring in natural light, the white paint will reflect and enhance that natural light. It’s okay if you want white paint in a room void of any windows, but note that your lighting will have to be fixed for the white paint to work any magic. Recessed lighting, lamps, sconces… more lights are the solution. Not bright white paint!

Conclusion

I hope this blog post and mini course are helping you along your paint journey. Paint is truly a magical, affordable, (relatively) easy way to fully transform the look of your space. Choosing the right paint colors is the key to having a successful, cohesive room design. And, my goal is to make you a paint-picking master! You’re done with the learning portion of these posts, but don’t go yet! Make sure to check out my third (and final) blog post to the “How to Pick the Perfect Paint Color Every Time” mini course. It’s time to have some fun now that the work is done! In the last post, I’ll be giving you inspiration, ideas, and insight into the current color trends to help you find your perfect paint color.