3 Common Paint Color Selection Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Picking the right paint color for your space is HARD. I get it. All the blues either look too purple or too green, whites look pink or yellow, and you aren’t sure if you should go a little lighter or a little darker. If you can’t tell what shade will look right in your space, it’s probably causing a little frustration (maybe a lot of frustration, let’s be honest!) I see a lot of color in this business, some good and some, well… not so good:/ So today I’m going to give you some designer insight into how to avoid some of the most common paint color selecting disaster scenarios! Now, no judgment if you can relate to any of these, I’m just here to let you know there is hope for you if you’re stuck!
Three Paint Color Disaster Scenarios and How to Avoid Them:
Ok we’ll start with the “it’s too bright, too much color and it kind of hurts my eyes” paint color. It may have looked like your favorite color in the paint store, but it turns out that it was just wayyyy too much color up on the walls. Maybe it would be a good accent wall color, but it DEFINITELY does not deserve to take up space on all four walls. Well here is a simple tip: go a several shades lighter (and maybe go with a shade that is more muted than your original paint swatch!) This will help the room breathe and be a little more calming, instead of so… in-your-face!
Next up is the “it doesn’t seem quite right for the space” paint color. Color psychology is a real thing, and if you haven’t looked into it, you definitely should! Color has a direct affect on your mood, productivity, energy, appetite and more! Did you know that painting your office blue could increase your productivity? Or that a red kitchen could increase your appetite? Green has a calming effect, while orange is an energetic color. So before selecting a color (or reselecting a color), you might want to check what colors are best for the type of room you are planning to paint!
Lastly, the “it didn’t turn out like the swatch” paint color. Every color will look different in your home, up on the walls, than it did in the store or on the fan deck of paint swatches. It is difficult for most people to envision what the whole room will look like painted the color of a tiny swatch when you hold it up to your wall. Some tricks that may help you here, are ordering a bigger swatch (I’ve got connections for that) and/or getting the smallest paint can size of one or several swatches that you really like, and paint a section of the new color(s) on your walls. If you know you are going to paint, this isn’t a problem because you will just paint over it with the color you end up selecting! Another tip: you may want to paint a sample swatch on a few different walls or even a piece of poster board and move it to see how it looks at different angles with different lighting. Painting a sample will also help you see the color at different times of day and the different lightings of your room.
Not sure what to do next?
If you find yourself in any of these paint color scenarios, or one of your own, and navigating the color spectrum just isn’t your thing, or the thought of it all overwhelms you, DON’T WORRY! Just click below to fill out my contact form to see if I can help you with your paint color selections!
Blessings,
