Adding a new lick of paint to your walls is an affordable and effective way to transform a room, but it's vital that you choose the correct paint colour as it will act as the backdrop to your entire design.
01. GET INSPIRED
Home decor magazines and Pinterest are both great places to find paint colour ideas for the home, leading paint brands will often have information on their website showing you different ways of using colours in your space.
02. COLOUR THEORY
Understanding the basics of colour theory can help you generate colour ideas quickly and it will help you pin point the colours that you are drawn to.
Get you hands on a colour wheel to see how colours will interact with each other, while you probably won't be painting your home in the exact colours shown on the wheel, you can choose shades of those colours at the paint store.
03. NATURAL LIGHT
Consider which direction your room is facing and how much natural sunlight the space gets.
North-facing rooms will generally make paint colours look a little darker as the light is flatter, think about opting for a shade or two lighter of your chosen colour, use paint colours with red, yellow or orange undertones and for south facing rooms, colours with blue and green will create a soothing, calming effect.
04. COLOUR DIFFERENCES
If you choose paint colours based on a retail display or showroom sample, be prepared for them to look different when you get them home as the light and scale of the room will likely differ from what you have in seen in the shop.
POSTS RELATED TO CHOOSING PAINT COLOURS FOR YOUR HOME:
05. PAINTING WITH DARK COLOURS
If you are thinking of using a very dark paint colour, try painting one wall first to see if you like the effect.
If you use two bold colours in the same room, they might make the interior feel too intrusive and can come off looking dated, to avoid this opt for colours with the same undertone.
06. PAINT SAMPLES
As we know, paint colours look different when the light changes, in order to get an accurate idea of how the paint colour will look, paint A4 paint cards with two coats of your chosen colour and move these samples around the room and view them at different times of the day.
This will give you a good indication as to how the different paint colours will look on your interior walls.
07. LET IT DRY
Allow plenty of time for your paint sample to dry as wet paint does not show you the true colour.
Apply at least two coats of paint and remember that there will likely be a texture difference between your paint sample and your walls.
08. GO BESPOKE
Most paint retailers offer a bespoke paint mixing service, so why not match your paint to other interior aspects of the space such as the fabric you want to use or even artwork that will be hung on your newly painted walls.
Having your own paint colour mixed means that you must be sure to buy sufficient paint in advance as subsequent batches may be subtly different in colour.
09. THE OVERALL DESIGN
When shopping for paint colours, keep handy samples or images of the other elements of your interior design, such as furniture, rugs and curtains.
Having easy access to these visuals will help in deciding on the best paint colours for you walls that will work for the overall design scheme.
10. CONNECTING SPACES
Consider the transitions that will meet your newly decorated space and how the paint colours that you've chosen will interact with the decor in the adding room.
You will need to decide if you want a colour scheme that is different to the rest of the house or a cohesive colour scheme that flows throughout the house.
GRAB OUR EBOOK GUIDE TO CHOOSING PAINT COLOURS
If you would like a new colour scheme and aren't sure which interior paint colours to choose, drop me a line on hello@studiojeandre.com for help and advice on paint colours.
