Does your room need a little sprucing up? Are you trying to update an outdated living space? Consider using color to brighten up your rooms and highlight the best features of your home! Painting is a relatively cost-efficient way to change the style of a room and can be done over a day or two, depending on the size of the project. But how do you decide what colors would look best? Below are a few tips to get you started thinking about colors for your home. Keep these in mind and your house will be looking great in no time!
- Consider the room’s architectural features. Things like the molding, ceilings, built in bookcases, etc. can affect the appearance of the space. Choosing a lighter color can open up small spaces, while darker colors may make them feel smaller. You can also paint to highlight these features. Highlight crown molding by painting it a different, complementing color to the walls, for example a shade of green with blue walls. On the flip side, painting them a shade or two darker than the walls will detract attention.
- Choose colors you can live with. No idea where to start? Eliminate colors right off the bat by selecting colors from an existing object in your home, such as a painting, a pillow from your living room, a favorite tie or scarf, or your child’s favorite stuffed animal. The trick is to take colors from something that comforts you or that you have an emotional connection to. From here, you can choose one of those colors for your walls and use the other two around the room to complement the walls. Then you can choose a fourth accent color based on what you already have.
- Start from the bottom and work up. The giant wall of paint chips can make you confused and doubt your choices. One idea is to choose chips by looking at the darkest color on the bottom of the card. Do you like that color? If so, you’ll probably like the lighter colors on the paint chip as well.
- Consider the finish. The most common finish is a satin (or eggshell) finish for walls since it is easy to scrub and doesn’t draw attention to any imperfections. You can use different finishes to add accents or highlight certain features of the room. Consider painting three walls a matte color and use the same color with a glossy finish for an accent wall. Or highlight a high ceiling, fun nook or crown molding with a different finish than on the walls.
Do you have any tips for choosing paint colors? Have you used any of these ideas? Let us know by leaving a comment!
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