Color confusion

So, after weeks and weeks, maybe even months of deliberation you've made the daunting decision its finally time to redecorate your home. "Maybe some new furniture in this room, an area rug over here and some new curtains to take the place of these cold, bent up dusty blinds. Oh, and some fresh paint on these walls!" The moment is usually filled equal parts excitement and dread, especially once you're hit with the inevitable question, "WHAT COLORS AM I GOING TO GO WITH!?!?!"

Yikes.

Not an easy question to answer and this is where most redecorating missions end before they ever get off the ground. While choosing your color palate can be tough it doesn't have to cause paralysis by over analysis! Here are 5 tips to help ease your mind and make choosing your colors less stress and more fun!

1. BABY STEPS
Once you decide on  the spaces you plan on updating, start with the smallest areas first. Bathrooms, laundry rooms, hallways etc. . often times have far less square footage and wall space to worry about. This in turn gives you less to think  about and can help ease you into the full on updating you have planned.

2. FIND YOUR MUSE
What's your style? Are you more on the traditional side, modern, eccentric? Once you answer that question, find some pieces of furniture or must have decorative accents ( throw pillows, curtains, artwork etc.) and pick some colors out of those pieces to base your  primary and accent color schemes on. This works especially well when choosing your ooh so important wall colors!

3. SPIN THE WHEEL
Get yourself a color wheel. Trust me its a life saver. For just a few bucks you can have a tool  that makes choosing your colors a breeze! With just a turn of the wheel, you can line up complimentary colors, monochromatic, analogous, triads etc... It takes the guess work out off it.
GO GET THE WHEEL!

4. TAKE IT ALL IN
When designing adjoining rooms, or rooms that are part of one big open floor plan you must consider the flow of one room to the next. Using the right paint colors on the walls can create a visual separation between spaces and also add dimension to larger open areas. Make sure to take into consideration what areas are visible from one room to the next and find ways to seamlessly blend the two.

5. DON'T CHICKEN OUT
This process should be fun. I've done work for plenty of clients who start off wanting to bring some color into their space but, talk themselves right out of it and end up settling with some variation of tan or off white. Not that there's anything wrong with those colors, per say. There's absolutely ways to use muted neutral hues to get the same impact of bright lively colors, but if your heart is telling you to go with that turquoise green or that earthy shade of brown, then go for it! From light and airy, to dark and dramatic, there's a full spectrum of options for you. The right colors can completely transform your home and make your space uniquely yours. Now make it happen!


​

Mark Lynch

Owner WallPro Painting, part time artist, wannabe blogger

RSS Feed