Tips for Choosing Interior Paint Colors

This past week I decided I wasn't a fan of the colors we had going on in our Master Bedroom. Therefore I was doing some research on some paint schemes and how to pick certain colors and I gathered some helpful tips!

1. Use Magazines and Catalogs for Paint Color Inspiration - When you go into the hardware store and go to the paint swatches section, there are so many different catalogs on paint colors that show many different rooms using certain colored paints. These are great to grab and take home to look through and really try and figure out the color scheme you are going for. It's always nice to see the colors you are thinking about in an example and how it looks in a certain room from a picture. Another place you could look for some inspiration would be social media on Pinterest or Instagram as they provide many different ideas and schemes.

2. Decide on a Finish - Most paints come in many different finishes - Satin, Semi Gloss, Eggshell, High Gloss, Matte, Flat, etc. - where each one has it's own different look. Flat paints have become very popular lately but it is known that Eggshell finish is what you would use on your walls. Reasoning for that is because it can be cleaned/scrubbed easily and it doesn't bring out imperfections. As far as the high gloss and semi gloss, those are usually used on the molding, trim and doors BUT you really can pick whichever finish you would like for anything in your home. Just remember - the higher the gloss, the more sheen, and the more attention you bring to the surface.

3. How to use Undertones to Find the Colors you Want - There are so many paints that have an undertone to them and when you look at the paint swatch at the store, you most likely won't be able to see that undertone. Therefore my advice to you would be - purchase some samples of the colors you are debating on purchasing. Go home and do some swatches on the walls you plan to paint and then look at the color. The issue with the undertones is usually once that natural light hits or if it is surrounded by darker tones or lighter tones, the undertones start to come out. So you might think you are purchasing a "white" color but if it has a creamy, yellow undertone to it, and it is in a room that receives a lot of natural light, chances are it will not look white but rather yellow.

4. How to make a Color flow throughout your Home - One way to make all the rooms flow in your home is to paint each room the same color. By doing so, you can create a more airy looking space and actually can create an illusion of the space being much bigger. A neutral color for the walls usually works best. Similar flooring from room to room and the trim being the same color as the walls also can make rooms look much bigger to the eye. To include some color, look to your decor and try to use the same accent colors in each room. If you want different accent colors, that is fine as well, because the walls will all be the same which will still make all the rooms flow beautifully.

5. Research your Whites - There are so many different "whites" and it's important to test them out before purchasing them. There are pure whites with no undertones and then there are many whites with undertones. Warm whites usually have a yellow, pink, beige, undertone and then cool whites usually have a grey, blue, or green undertone. Therefore - these undertones are important as mentioned above. Make sure you purchase the sample sizes and try the colors out beforehand so you can see how the natural light hits. Whites are also good to use for ceiling paint.

I ended this with "Research your Whites" because I was looking to make our room have a much more white and airy feel. When we moved in I painted the walls a Navajo White because my mom has that in her house and it looks so pretty. I followed that up with an accent wall with the color Revere Pewter.

As time went on I realized the Navajo White was coming through much more creamy, yellow than white because of the amount of natural light we get in our Master Bedroom. Therefore I decided to paint the walls a Simply White and keep the Revere Pewter accent wall. I purchased samples of Simply White and White Dove and painted swatches on the wall so I could see which one looked better. The Simply White looked more "white" next to the Revere Pewter so I went with that one. Check out the before/during and after from the image and video shown.

I hope these tips help when picking out your paint schemes for your home!