​                                     Tips for Picking Paint Colors

 

Think About Your Mood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When selecting a color, consider the mood of a room. In a bedroom do you want the feeling to be restful and soothing or dramatic and intimate? Soft, cool colors and neutrals usually create a quieter feeling while stronger colors are for drama.

 

Do you want a dining area to feel sociable and stimulating or appear formal and quiet? Warmer, contrasting and somewhat brighter colors add to a sociable atmosphere; deeper blue-greens and neutrals will give a more formal ambiance.

 

Do you want kid's rooms to create an active and exciting energy or an orderly and restful feeling? Be careful not to overstimulate your children with intensely bright hues. You may not know it, but some brighter colors can lead to unrest and irritability.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pay Attention to Lighting

 

The reason why paint stores have light boxes for you to test paint chips:

 

• Natural daylight shows the truest color;

• Incandescent lighting brings out warm tones and yellows;

• Fluorescent lighting casts a sharp blue tone.

 

So, a strong color might be too bright and overpowering when used on all walls or next to a large window, but it might be effective when used as an accent wall with indirect light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn the Color Terms

 

It helps to understand the terminology used to describe color.

 

• Hue is what we call a color. Red is the hue; blue is the hue.

• The value of the hue is how light or dark it is.

• Saturation refers to how dominant the hue is. As we go from red to pink, the red hue becomes less dominant.

• Intensity is the brilliance of the color. The pure colors such as red are more intense than the combined colors such as yellow-green. A stronger intense color usually has a more dominant hue.

 

If you want a more active space, consider introducing stronger, more intense color. Even if you want a light-colored room, choose colors that are slightly more saturated than off-white or light pastel. Very light color can feel bright and stark when it appears on all surfaces in a room. However, two or more medium-light, closely related pastel colors can create a luminous effect when used in the same room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walk Into Another Room

 

Consider walls as planes of color, and see how they interact when viewing one next to the other in adjacent rooms. Approach it like a composition: You're in one room, but you're going to see a piece of another room through it. So as you're choosing colors, consider how they will flow from room to room to create your picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Help from the pros is more accessible than you might think.

 Many designers, decorators and color pros do color consultations, and the wisdom you glean from them in your sessions can be worth its weight in gold. Don't be afraid to reach out,