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Whether you've just moved into a new home or are thinking of refreshing your home, picking the right paint is crucial to making or breaking an interior design look. Before you run to the store and buy that lovely blue colour you spotted the other day, however, there are some important questions to consider first.
For example, have you furnished your home? Interior design experts recommend furnishing before painting, because you have a lot more choice for paint than you do the colour of your sofa or carpet.
It may seem convenient at first to paint before furnishing so that you don't accidentally stain anything, but what if your beautiful purple walls make your red couch look small and dull? Going out and getting a new sofa is expensive, not to mention how much time you would have to spend finding one that is just the right shade. Repainting the walls is also an additional expense, and you'd have to cover up your furniture anyway like you were trying to avoid.
So your best bet is to paint after you've decided your furnishings. You can take a sample with you to the paint store and compare to see which paints will really make your colour pop. And if none of them feels quite right to you, you can just as easily experiment and mix colours around. Versatile, inexpensive and you could be saving yourself a lot of effort.
Now that you've chosen your furniture and you're feeling pretty happy about it, we've gathered more great tips on how to choose the perfect paint colour to go with your stylish home.
1. Get a few samples
You don't need to commit to a colour the first time you visit the paint store, nor should you. Get a few samples to take home with you first. They're cheap and there should be enough to cover a sample board with a nice, even layer of paint.
2. Opt for a sample board
You've looked at the paint chips and you've decided that that bright purple looks great. But a vivid colour on a small paper square versus an entire wall can give off a very different atmosphere, and that intense purple may just be a bit too much for what you want.
A sample board, on the other hand, will provide a decent area for your to cover in paint, and you can see how the colour would play on a larger surface.
3. View your paint chips in natural light
If you've taken any kind of picture before, you probably know how much lighting matters. A colour in artificial versus natural light can look quite different, so it's best to look at your paint chips or sample board near a window to get a more accurate idea of what the finished colour would like.
4. Look to the largest pattern in the room
If you have a large rug, painting or patterned upholstery in the room, picking out colours that you like from there is a good way to establish the foundations of an aesthetically pleasing colour palette.
5. Think about the atmosphere you're going for
Spaces that tend to be used for more formal entertainment can have a livelier feel with warm colours like reds, yellows and oranges. Too much, however, can make a home feel claustrophobic, so mixing it up with cool colours (blues, greens and purples) in more relaxing areas of the house can provide a nice, airy balance.
6. Follow the Rule of Three
When in doubt, limit your palette to three colours to give it a pop without overcrowding a room with colours. For example, this room sticks to a muted yellow, navy blue and grass green, giving it a light atmosphere.
7. Use accent walls
Having one wall with a bold accent colour while the others a more neutral beige can really help the colour pop and provide a beatiful contrast. You don't need to paint all four walls in the same colour, and often, not doing so can create a more stylish look!
8. Give it your personal touch
We've given you quite a few tips, but at the end of the day, painting your home to best suit your personal taste is what is most important. Have fun with it and make the space your own! If your put your character into it, your friends and family are sure to appreciate the home because it feels like you.
Hopefully, this has given you a solid idea of the do's and don'ts of painting your home. Whether you're just moving into a house or looking to spruce up the one you've lived in for the past twenty years, we hope you have a great time styling your home with your own unique flair! (ET)