I have recently discovered that I look like somebody who knows about paint. On three separate occasions in the last few months, fellow shoppers in various Atlanta hardware stores have approached me for advice. I had no polyester vest or any tools to indicate knowledge of paint - just blue jeans, high heels, a handful of color chips and a furrowed brow. After politely explaining that I wasn't employed by the paint store, I was surprised to find that these Do-It-Yourselfers wanted my input anyway. So, as any chatty Southern gal with a love for decor would, I shared the advice I'm about to share with you.
I'm certainly not the director of the
Pantone Color Institute, but I like to think I know a bit about choosing paint based solely on the sheer number of mistakes I've made. Our loft is roughly 90% concrete, which only made finding the perfect color for the few paintable areas more significant.
The accent wall in our living room has been a neon mustard gold (my eyes!), a deep plum, a pale blue that reminded my husband of a baby nursery, and three shades of orange - Way Too Santa Fe, Far Too Peachy and Just Too Tired To Paint It Again Orange. As you may guess, my color selection advice is largely the result of trial and error. Although the process was often frustrating, if I can save just one reader from a gallon of ill-chosen chartreuse it was well worth it!
Color Psychology and Playing with Palettes
Before your first trip to the paint store, think about the purpose of the room you want to paint. There's a reason for a science devoted to the
psychology of color. The basic idea is that color has an impact on our moods and behaviors. Warm colors including reds, oranges, yellows and browns are inviting and stimulating. These are excellent choices for living rooms, dens, dining rooms and kitchens. Cool colors including blues, greens and purples are soothing and relaxing. These colors are used to support calmness and concentration and are best for offices, bathrooms and bedrooms.
It is important for your color choice to be in harmony with the purpose of the room. It is equally important for the colors in your room to be in harmony with one another. A room's color palette includes wall and ceiling color, flooring, window treatments, furnishings, art and accessories. There are great tools available online to take the intimidation out of creating a palette.
ColorBlender creates a 6-color palette from the color of your choice and allows you to fine-tune and save your palette for future reference. If you prefer a more hands-on and equally fail proof approach, choose your palette from a textile or piece of treasured art you plan to feature in the room.
Ample Samples
Once you've narrowed down your color choices, it's time to start sampling. Several paint brand websites now have a feature that allows you to paint virtual rooms with colors from their collection. My favorite is Benjamin Moore's
Personal Color Viewer. They have many sample rooms to choose from and, if you prefer, you can paint digital photos of your own room. The software download will cost you $19.95, but as you'll quickly discover, this is a few bucks less than a decent can of paint.
The Personal Color Viewer is terribly addictive, but eventually you'll need to pick up samples from the paint or hardware store. Most major paint brands have helpful
in-store displays for their color collections including professionally coordinated palettes. In addition to paint chips, several brands sell sample-size amounts of paint.
Ralph Lauren Home and
Benjamin Moore offer 2-ounce color testers for $3.99 and $4.99. These samples allow you to test the color on a 2ft x 2ft section of wall. Until I've narrowed it down, I prefer the free color chips. You can
never have too many color samples. Don't worry about the stares from the employees as you walk out with a four-inch thick stack of color chips, you'll get used to it by your fifth trip to the store.
Armed with your arsenal of chips, it's time to get down to the business of choosing a shade. You might be surprised when you first see the samples in the room you intend to paint. The natural and artificial lighting in your home will vary greatly from the lighting at the store. What looks like a soothing aquamarine in the store can mutate into a brilliant turquoise in your bedroom. Tape your favorite paint chips to the walls you plan to paint. Look at them at different times of the day and remove one sample at a time until you've found a winner.
Trends, Guts and Patience
There are limitless resources for color inspiration, but I would advise ignoring the trends. The
2006 Color Forecast may tout
Pink as the next big thing. However, if the mention of pink conjures up images of the
Barbie Dream House or
Pepto Bismol, this probably is not your best bet. The most important thing is to live with the colors that make
you happy.
The final task of picking up your roller and getting down to business can be daunting. The feeling of excitement as you purchase the paint often drips into uncertainty as you pry open the lid of your chosen shade with the complementary paint key. In my career as a therapist, I often asked my clients to think of the
worst-case scenario when they were anxious about a course of action. You've carefully planned and bought your supplies - what's the worst that could happen? When you put things in perspective, the worst-case scenario is that you're out $30 and a couple hours of your time.
My last word of advice is to try living with your new color for a few days. If you made a big change, it might take a few days to get over the initial shock. Whatever you do, don't panic! Once your furniture is moved back into place and you hang some art on the wall, you might be quite pleased with the results.
And yes, that last shade of orange finally grew on me.
