Next, I take that thing to the paint chip samples at the store, and compare the cards to my ';inspiration'; article. I usually get six or seven or more colors that are close to my color(s) - I'll go a shade or two lighter, a shade or two darker, and a few shades with a little more or less gray/black (more or less muted/pure tones).
Then I'll take those paint chips back home and compare them in the light where I'll be painting them - and even at different times of the day, in case sunlight will shine on it or I will be using solely electric light, etc. This is important because I once painted a focal wall what looked to be a deep, rich chocolate brown, when viewed by the natural light coming in from the windows. However, when the the spot lights were later installed, and they focused down on my beautiful chocolate wall, they turned it a really gross shade of orange-y bittersweet!
Anyway, once I have gone through all these steps, a favorite generally emerges, and that's the color I go with. I then try to repeat that color, more or less, in the various rooms of my house. For instance, my current home is done mainly in shades of bright red, moss green, a misty robin's egg blue, chocolate brown, and soft black. In my dining room, it's mostly brown and blue and red, with a little green and black. In my kitchen, it's mostly black, brown, and red with a little blue and green. The family room is mostly red and green with a little blue and black. My bedroom is mostly blue and brown with a little red and green, and so on.... This way, one space ';flows'; into another and no room looks too jarring or out of place - really important with an open floor plan like mine.
The only exception to this ';general'; rule is my kids' rooms: I let them pick whatever colors they want, and just figure I can redecorate when they move out!How do you choose paint colors for your home?
I'm sorry to have to disagree with you, but my answer was by far better than the answer you chose... http://answers.yahoo.com/quest鈥?/a>
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How do you choose paint colors for your home?
My answer was best of all.
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Several ways:
1] colors from a beautiful print bedding/curtains - darker [ cornflower blue ] for a big bedroom, lighter [ pale peach ] for a small bedroom.
2] let kids pick a combo of colors they like [ shut the door if you don't like it ], and make them help paint it!
They will be more careful with selection second time.
3] my fav color [ yellow ] for the kitchen, since I am the main cook/dishwasher; with yellow or hunter green accessories
4] both mine [ butter yellow ] and husbands' [ smoke blue ] favs for living/dining - say LR yellow with blue accessories; DR smoke blue with butter yellow accesssories
\5] both our second favs [ green ] for family room - sage green walls with hunter green accessories and tan furniture [ great dirt color ]
6] also have been inspired by beautiful art color combos
7] stick with color YOU like/feel good in; and try to match 'flow-through rooms' [ LR/DR, kitchen/FR ] with similar colors
8] hint - keep carpeting/flooring in warm colors [ ivory, tans, browns golden woods ] if you like WARM colors [ scarlet reds, oranges, golds, yellow greens, turquoise, caramel, espresso ]
9] Keep flooring in COOL colors [ soft white, grays, charcoal, cherry or mahogany, red oak ] if you like cool colors [ pinks, blue-reds, lemon, blue greens, purples, grays ]
It depends upon your personality and your furnitures. Aways blend in the contrasts of things. If you have light colored furnitures, you better have a bright paint color for the interior of your home. It should vary in every room, and every furniture must have the same theme of colors. About the exterior of your home, the best way to choose the color is based on your personality. It would be the talk of the people's mind that would pass by your home if they'll see the color of your house. But I highly suggest a light color since dark color is just full of negativity and according to feng shui, dark colors may bring bad luck. So that's it.
Well, my dad is a painter and I work with him very often so when we do paint our home we usually think about the jobs we've done and go from there. However for those who are not painters themselves, I believe the best option is to visit your local paint store or ask a experienced painter about their opinion. Most experienced and very knowledgeable painters will have a very informative and helpful opinion on what colors will be well suited for your painting needs. They can give you what is well suited or direct you to where you could find the colors. Also most of them carry around color books(palates) of color cards of most of the popular painting brands or stores( this is very helpful because you don't have to visit the store if there is not one in the near distance. However another option would be to visit the local paint store. Most paint stores have a couple or one very knowledgeable workers who know the products and will work with you to choose a color or make a close to exact match(if needed). A good thing about the paint store is that when you do develop a short list of colors you would like you can have them mixed( ASK for the sample quarts). The sample quarts are fairly inexpensive and very helpful in determining a color because you can take them back to your home and paint them yourself to a small section of the wall, therefore you can develop a well informed and hopefully determine the color you like.
This is the reason decorating magazines are so popular.
Find a room with a color scheme that you like and look up the paint color in the back-of-the-magazine reference.
Go get some sample cards and bring them home for a sanity check against the furniture and other objects and colors in your home.
I usually also paint the door and window framing to the same color the magazine used if it seems to differ from what I had - there are so many variations of white - and having a shade that coordinates well with your new wall color can make all the difference in how agreeable your new color seems in your home.
Okay, I'll help you with some market research. :-) I look for a brand of paint that is as non-toxic as possible. I decide on matte, semi gloss, etc. Then I try to get as large of a color swatch as possible, looking at it in different types of lighting, both near and across the room. I try to imagine the color on the whole wall. If I have a towel or piece of clothing that is similiar in color, I will also hold that up to the wall. If I'm in doubt as to which shade, I go for the lighter one. I sometimes buy a small can and try a sample first, particularly if the color is not neutral.
BTW, I find the SW swatch book very helpful with the colors numbered in an index, and different saturations on the same page.
Normally I go to Benjamin Moore kiosks at the mall- they have mini testers, color templates, and large pieces of paper that you can stick up onto your wall to test them out instead of painting on it- and choose the three colors I think suit that room the best. Then, I go home, stick up the pieces of paper, and choose which one I like better in the lighting, which one I like better against the molding, and which one suits the purpose of the room most!
Don't buy on your first trip
Choosing paint requires two trips to the store. If you know in advance that you're not actually going to be choosing colors on your first trip, you can relax and get inspired. Stop by the store on a Monday evening after work to avoid the weekend crowd. Turn your fear into excitement and pull color swatches to which you're immediately drawn. Take as many paint swatches home as you want. I've been known to take 50 or 60 at a time -- that's why they're there
Know your shades
Perhaps the biggest mistake people make in choosing color is not knowing the difference between a background color and an accent color. In cosmetic terms, the background is the foundation and the accent is the lipstick, eye shadow, and blush. If we understand that wall color is designed to show off the accessories in a room, then we can understand why choosing accent colors for the walls instead of appropriate background shades is a mistake.
I think the question shouldn't be what color to paint because you can do two really easy things which are 1: paint your favorite colors on the walls or reflect what color different rooms should be. People usually like light colors in the bathroom, people like colors that reflect actual sunlight in the bedroom and generally stick to tans, greens, yellows, and browns for the rest of the house but people know what they like and sometimes put whatever they want rather than choosing what will sell quicker, general schemes always irritate occupants of a home so people usually go with whatever colors they like. 2: Find the latest fashions in a home deco magazine or website. You should paint with the appropriate paint. There are all kinds of paint grades and textures to choose from, study these and chooses what you think is best and don't worry about budget because the better the paint the longer it lasts and you will have picked something that feels right.
Take a color from a decoration in your room ie. pillows, painting, or anything that you like it that room. Choose one color that is from the piece, and one color that will compliment it... [a kind of basic color, not too dark] [maybe two]. Take the 'extreme' color and paint one wall, this wall should be a wall that you want to draw attention to [not a wall with a TV] maybe a wall with a window. Then take the other color[s] and either paint a strip or the remaining walls with the color [don't forget to do something with the ceiling] Crown molding looks great on the top of a wall, but it is expensive... creating the effect is just as good. Don't forget to do something that will open up the room ie. if there is a shortish window, put the blinds higher than the window, this will open up the window and make the room look great.
Best of luck
I choose paint colors for my home based on the architecture of the home, and try to pick colors that compliment it. In example, a ranch home would have lots of character, and bright colors could be chosen, etc.
And it also depends on the person's want. If one pleases to a calming feel, then the person would likely pick green or blue. So there is really no wrong or right answer to picking colors for your home.
I use the books of paint chips to see what's available and I also look around at other homes to see what color combos I like.
When I remodeled my home a couple years ago with a stucco exterior, the general contractor gave me a book of stucco colors to choose from. My wife and I knew we wanted a kind of sand color and white trim (like so many houses in Southern California). So, we picked a couple of possibilities and consulted with the contractor. He recommended one of our choices, called Pacific Sand, saying that it was a good color to not have a mottled effect (I guess that happens with darker colored stucco). And, that's what we went with.
Inside, we wanted a generic look, but with some custom tones for accents on certain walls. So, we found a color called Muslin for the base color (a kind of light khaki color), and then chose darker tints of that color for accent walls. We also painted the ceilings white. It's a nice effect.
When we had the interiors of our rental units painted, we just went with a basic off white.
I just painted my room 1 month ago. I was torn between two colors, baby blue and light pink, but I googled ';blue room'; and ';pink room.'; I got good ideas based on the pictures of rooms on how I wanted to paint and decorate the room. It really helped me personally.
Also, it was very important for me that the paints in my room were low VOC (volatile organic compounds) because these are pollutants that we breathe in years after the room has been painted even, and theyre just not good, so I purchased a low VOC paint and I am very happy because my room dosent stink!
I get a card with colors on it.
My wife and I recently had our driveway and house trim painted by a contractor. It was Sherwin-Williams paint, or course.
We got color cards, and had the person at Sherwin-Williams mix a color, and give us a swatch of it , also.
We are very happy with the colors.
We previously had our house, trim and driveway done with Sherwin-Williams paint. We have been very happy with the quality and colors.
I think about the surface I want to paint in comparison to things around it. I go to the hardware store and check out the colors they have. I take a few color cards that I think will look appropriate and hold them up to the surface I want to paint. I imagine the whole surface being that color and try out different cards. At the end of all of this imagining, I adjudicate which will look the best and buy that color.
First, go through magazines, card stores, fabric stores, and poster or painting websites, and look at what colors and 'whole settings give you pleasure just to be around and to look at.
If they seem too overwhelming, they can still be incorporated as an accent color to a complimentary background color.
I like to choose these in 'icon' size after I have snipped or cropped my favorites and put them all into one file folder so I can compare all the pics together in the icon size..20, 50, or even 100 at a time.
What draws your eye in icon size tells you more about your tastes than in larger pics because in larger ones you get caught up in details away from the whole point.
In the paint store, you'll see also anything goes and the palette goes all the way from light to dark, so take your hints from favorite pics, places, vacation spots and restaurants you love..including the sense of 'weather' you love...
You'll be surprised at how much you already know you like.
If you see a color you like but can't pinpoint it on swatches, blow up the picture on a computer and print it from photo shop in different color adjustments so your printer finally prints it as you like it.
Then cut out a 1'; circle in a white sheet of paper and lay it over your print and view the individual colors isolated from the others it the printed picture.
Against a white background, this helps you more easily pick the right color at the paint store.
Remember that in pictures, sometimes mood lighting alters the real color of the paint.
A consult from a scenery artist can help you deduct what the actual color is were it in the absent of the light-altering scenario.
But sometimes this lighting alteration is an advantage because what one sees exactly, is often exactly what one wants, as though 'mimicking' mood lighting, dust, dawn, dark, or blinding fog light.
One designer uses a 'seven layers of design' approach original to him. This shows you how to assemble the whole thing and chooses what colors to use where.
First, go through magazines, card stores, fabric stores, and poster or painting websites, and look at what colors and 'whole settings give you pleasure just to be around and to look at.
If they seem too overwhelming, they can still be incorporated as an accent color to a complimentary background color.
I like to choose these in 'icon' size after I have snipped or cropped my favorites and put them all into one file folder so I can compare all the pics together in the icon size..20, 50, or even 100 at a time.
What draws your eye in icon size tells you more about your tastes than in larger pics because in larger ones you get caught up in details away from the whole point.
In the paint store, you'll see also anything goes and the palette goes all the way from light to dark, so take your hints from favorite pics, places, vacation spots and restaurants you love..including the sense of 'weather' you love...
You'll be surprised at how much you already know you like.
If you see a color you like but can't pinpoint it on swatches, blow up the picture on a computer and print it from photo shop in different color adjustments so your printer finally prints it as you like it.
Then cut out a 1'; circle in a white sheet of paper and lay it over your print and view the individual colors isolated from the others it the printed picture.
Against a white background, this helps you more easily pick the right color at the paint store.
Remember that in pictures, sometimes mood lighting alters the real color of the paint.
A consult from a scenery artist can help you deduct what the actual color is were it in the absent of the light-altering scenario.
But sometimes this lighting alteration is an advantage because what one sees exactly, is often exactly what one wants, as though 'mimicking' mood lighting, dust, dawn, dark, or blinding fog light.
One designer uses a 'seven layers of design' approach original to him. This shows you how to assemble the whole thing and chooses what colors to use where.
First, I find something I like - an article of clothing, a picture in a magazine, a curtain or drapery panel, even a piece of scrapbook paper. Anything that appeals to me is fair game!
Next, I take that thing to the paint chip samples at the store, and compare the cards to my ';inspiration'; article. I usually get six or seven or more colors that are close to my color(s) - I'll go a shade or two lighter, a shade or two darker, and a few shades with a little more or less gray/black (more or less muted/pure tones).
Then I'll take those paint chips back home and compare them in the light where I'll be painting them - and even at different times of the day, in case sunlight will shine on it or I will be using solely electric light, etc. This is important because I once painted a focal wall what looked to be a deep, rich chocolate brown, when viewed by the natural light coming in from the windows. However, when the the spot lights were later installed, and they focused down on my beautiful chocolate wall, they turned it a really gross shade of orange-y bittersweet!
Anyway, once I have gone through all these steps, a favorite generally emerges, and that's the color I go with. I then try to repeat that color, more or less, in the various rooms of my house. For instance, my current home is done mainly in shades of bright red, moss green, a misty robin's egg blue, chocolate brown, and soft black. In my dining room, it's mostly brown and blue and red, with a little green and black. In my kitchen, it's mostly black, brown, and red with a little blue and green. The family room is mostly red and green with a little blue and black. My bedroom is mostly blue and brown with a little red and green, and so on.... This way, one space ';flows'; into another and no room looks too jarring or out of place - really important with an open floor plan like mine.
The only exception to this ';general'; rule is my kids' rooms: I let them pick whatever colors they want, and just figure I can redecorate when they move out!
I choose a room color based decor, usually. It seems rather simple, but as tastes and styles change, so must the paint! I choose a core neutral that will go with whatever colors reside within its palette that I choose for the decor. I also like accent colors as well, my favorite being in the red family, dark, which can usually accent with most colors.
Ditto on the cost of sherwin williams paint......I prefer Lowe's (Valspar)
Choose colors that you like like favorite colors and choose shades that can easily go well with the furniture and things you use to decorate the room, for example I like really dark colors on the wall so I was thinking about painting my room black and using a bright pink color as a boarder or complimenting color its best to test it out on some scrap wood to make sure the pink works how you want because bright pink really stands off on black and then I wanted to paint some of my furnit
I choose by what I like in the world theme attraction hotel decor and color. One is the exterior color of the Bellagio in Vegas. There are other ways I choose colors, what are the colors that are in, these days in the home building and remodeling business. In that I only look at the colors that I like. For me it's sunshine yellow, types of light brown(also called tan brown, light desert sand, etc), peach, and types of white(candle white, very light, dirty looking white, cream white and ice white). There are also themes to look at, for me on that are the americanize mediterranean look(not the real mediterranean look) and a little bit of the mission and the americanize tuscan look(again not the real tuscan look) that popular are in California and Southwest suburb homes these days. Last of all you have to look at what works together, like say gray green do that go with what in that room you are painting.
If you are painting the outside of the house, I don't think any kind of green, pink, purple and red works, but that my view. Last of all don't forget to talk with the person that is going be doing the painting. If you have a look that you are going for, also tell him or her that. When I go to the hardware stores, look at all the color cards and pick the ones that look or matchs the color I like. Sometime with all the color cars they have, you might even find a color you didn't that could work with what you want.
Well good luck in picking your colors people for whereever you are painting of your house. By the way the best places to go for colors are Home Depot, Lowes and Kelly Moore.
I actually put together the artwork and fabric I want to use in a room, then choose a wall color that enhances those choices rather than overshadowing or detracting from it. The walls should be a backdrop to the furniture and personal items one chooses to showcase. When I'm doing adjacent rooms, I lay out the color palette from each on the flooring from each room, then look at paint chips to assure the wall colors I'm choosing will transition well, rather than be too abrupt.
Normally, I find the color wheels, bring them home. I find a book of design or architecture that features the color palette that I want to use and find a couple colors for different rooms that follow the same scheme. Then I hold it up against the wall and look at it for a couple minutes.
Once I've set my thoughts on a couple colors, I go to the hardware store and get a couple paint samples in the color I want and I paint a 1' x 1' square on the wall and look at it for a week. If I like the color, then I paint the room, otherwise, I break out the primer and cover the spot.
Over the years my room has been egg-white, golden bronze (with yellow hues sponged over), forest green and now, steel blue.
Choose colors that you like like favorite colors and choose shades that can easily go well with the furniture and things you use to decorate the room, for example I like really dark colors on the wall so I was thinking about painting my room black and using a bright pink color as a boarder or complimenting color its best to test it out on some scrap wood to make sure the pink works how you want because bright pink really stands off on black and then I wanted to paint some of my furniture with bright colors to match (I love to collect peoples furniture on bulk pick up week and then fix it up.) The bit of bright livens up the room some more, then for a bathroom because I also like really bright colors not just dark I would love to do what this one woman I met did- paint the bathroom bright colors like that really super marine blue pigmented paint and she used beach towels as shower towels and made her bathroom ocean themed. But to pull this off it may not work unless you want your bathroom tiles to resemble sand if there like a neutral white or sand color.
Once I have decided on a color family ( blue, red, yellow, etc ) I look at the paint chips and narrow it down to a hue. I buy sample jars of paint in a color that appeals to me and paint it on a piece of poster board. Once the posterboard is dry I attach it to the wall using blue painter's tape. I can move the sample around the room to see it in different light in the room, I can compare it with textiles in the room ( upholstery, draperies, etc ) and use it when buying other items for the room. This has saved me buying a gallon of a color that winds up looking different on the wall than on a small paint chip.
Natural light also affects color choice. For example, an east facing room will positively glow in the morning if painted with a bright paint color. A north facing room might benefit from the brighter color due to its' more subdued lighting.
Using the decorations that are going to be put into the room find the colors that are there but are not there alot (for examle I have a blue chair with pink legs then i would paint the room pink because it is seen in the decorations but not that much) sorry bad example but whatever or you could go by mood each color gives off a different mood. Find out the mood you want in the room and paint it a shade of that color.
Go to a paint store and get the swatches/samples. Some stores will even mix up a small bottle for you to test with. Stick with the larger name brands. The quality is more consistent and you are more likely to be able to come back later and get the same color with little problem.
Another trick is to measure the space you are painting, and tell the people where you buy the paint. This way you will get enough to do the job, without an extra gallon unused. Most people buy too much paint. If the cost of the paint is important, this will help you buy just enough for the job. Or you can buy a better paint, because you aren't buying too much of a lesser paint.
I prefer to have just enough to do the job. If I need more later, I buy a fresh mix which is also more likely to match than paint I've stored for 8 months. Storing paint for several months is not a guarantee that it will be exactly the same color, so that fresh mix usually works better. This is really important if the paint is stored in a non-temperature controlled room, like a storage shed.
I find a color I like, or use the color scheme of my room, such as curtains, bedding, etc. Then I get the paint sample cards I think would look good, and compare at home, limit down my options if possible, and go out and buy the different paints. I go home and paint at little on the wall and examine in different lighting before I paint the whole area. Usually I can make a decision by having a small portion painted, and make sure the color wont look hideous!
I bring home paint color charts from the store and I place them in the rooms where they will be to see how they look with that lighting at different times. Based on the use of the room, I think of furniture and what colors would clash, what rugs and curtains would need to be replaced, what accessories I could use in different places. After a few weeks of mulling it over, I go and get supplies to prime and prep. After it is all primed if the colors are still what I like, I go for it. I just re-did several rooms this way and it is really working. I also paint the ceilings the same color as the room. After long illnesses I have grown to hate white ceilings. Painting the ceilings the same color as the room makes the space look much larger and warmer.
I usually look at the room style, and brainstorm what colors would look good with this room. A kitchen's color is different than a bedroom's because different activities are done in different rooms. So, like I mentioned, I'd brainstorm, then I'd go to my local Sherwin Williams paint store, and look for something that was similar to what I had pre-thought. Then, I'd buy a sample. Lastly, I'd finish the paint with double coats and a good quality primer. Thanks Sherwin Williams for always having that detailed quality paint that I've needed!
I choose paint colors that are neutral and warm. I like these colors because it gives a cozy feeling to my home. I like the western rustic look and my colors that I have chosen in my home reflect that. Almost like a log cabin feel to the house.
Usually mid tones. I don't like really dark colors, not even for accents. I would rather have candles, window treatments or other accessories for really dark accent colors
If I were painting my home to sell it, I would go neutral so potential buyers could see it as a 'blank slate' that they could personalize. However, in our own home, for our own enjoyment; we use color.
We have a little blue porcelain basket/vase (trimmed with a white ribbon and bow). We love the color so much that we decided to base our living room color scheme on it. The top is blue and the bottom is white with a glossy white chair rail. The trim and doors are also glossy white. We've had it this way for a few years now and still love it.
So, my advise is to use colors that you love and that make you happy if you plan on living there yourself.
Of course I consider the room size and exactly how I want that room to feel. For example, I may want my bedroom to feel cozy while wanting my living room to be open and bright..maximizing the space. But, in the end I choose from a pallet of colors that I am comfortable with; colors that I can relate to in my life. After all, I am going to live there, everyone else will go back to their own home before they get sick of the color. I want something that I will enjoy, the heck with design and what everyone else thinks. It's my home, I am going to enjoy it.
I just selected a set of colors for my front room and dining room. They have not been painted since I moved in 25 years ago. Making this choice has taken lots of thought.
I actually took some fibers out of the oriental rugs in these rooms. I went to a local paint store in my neighborhood that has lots of color chips, a way to look at these under multiple lights and a big store window. (Sherwin Williams) I matched the fibers to the strips of color under the different types of light. It took almost an hour for that perfect match.
I came up with a soft sage with grey undertones for all walls in the dining room and 3 walls in the front room. For the alcove in the front room and the two story wall in the front room that goes up to the next level I selected a darker version of the soft sage. It looks terrific! Now I wonder why I waited so long to do this.
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