How to Choose Paint Colors: Four Simple Rules

I wrote an earlier version of this post, when we renovated our very first house.  And since it's one of my most popular Pinterest posts - and we are on house #10 - I thought maybe it was time to do an update!

So how do you pick a paint color?  

Rule number 1, don't start with the paint color!  Paint comes in any shade you want, so it should be the last decision you make.  It's easy to find a color  to match!  First you need to think about other colors in the rooms.  Do you have a piece of artwork or fabric that is your color inspiration?   Or maybe a pillow, with your favorite colors? 

For example, on this house, I was inspired by Acadia National Park.  Their 100th birthday was last year and people from all over the country came to celebrate its beauty.  It was an all-things-Acadia year here in Maine.  And as soon as I saw this poster, I knew it was perfect for the house.  

That provided a color inspiration for the house.  My initial thought was to use sea glass colors - but this confirmed it!  







Next, I saw this giant canvas at HomeGoods.  It didn't have a price tag and when I asked the clerk how much - he suggested $25.  Sold!!!  I love the beach glass colors and the way they all meld together.



















To build on the color scheme, I found this beautiful fabric for window treatments.  It's called Kashmira, designed by ECHO for Kravet.  The watery blue is perfect and finalizes our color palette.  

 

Rule number 2 - a cohesive color palette will make a home look and feel bigger, which is essential when you have an open floor plan like ours.  So you need to think about the entire space.  The fun thing is, when you start to pull it together, it gets easier, not harder.  As I layered the fabric, cabinet colors, artwork and tile, it starts to create a cohesive whole. 

But that doesn't mean everything needs to match.  Look at your rugs and fabrics and see if there is a unifying color that will tie them all together and provide a nice background.  In our case, since we will be putting this house up for sale, the majority of the space needs to be a neutral that will appeal to a lot of buyers. So I want the majority of the walls to be white.  But for your own house, go with what you love.  The all white look appears to be falling from fashion - color is in again!

Rule number 3 - Think about other elements in the room.  For example, our kitchen will have lots of white in the cabinets.  So we don't want it to be too pale, we want to provide a nice contrast.  I'll do that with a punch of color on the island.   Is your furniture dark?  You might want a light color palette, to make it stand out.  

With all those things determined, I armed myself with my color fans and started looking at options.  I came up with some ideas - but that brings me to rule number 4 - buy paint samples and put them on the wall.  I've ignored this too many times, and it's caused a lot of grief.   Why?  Because that requires me to convince my color blind husband that we need to repaint - he doesn't get it when that tiny chip of paint looks different in a whole room!  That taught me a lesson and now I always sample first.  And it's also helpful to see how the colors look during different times of the day - sunlight or cloudy days can dramatically change the look!

Sherwin Williams Blithe Blue, Tidewater and Snowbound

So, here's what I'm coming up with for this project.  I want it to be a light, bright beach cottage.  So white walls are a must.  But white can be tricky.  I gave some thought to Sherwin Williams Extra White (that's the primer color that you see all over the house), but I decided that might be a bit too stark.  Instead, we'll go with a slightly warmer shade, called Snowbound.  It's a bit hard to see, but it's to the right of the two blue samples!  It will give us a slight contrast with the moldings, but still keep the house bright.








I agonized over the shades of blue.  I really want to provide a pop of color on the island, and while I like both of these blues, at this point I'm leaning towards the middle color - SW Tidewater.  We can still tie in some of the darker shades in pillows and art.  And of course, it's already in the fabric for the window treatments.






We will also be able to integrate the colors with our feature tiles in the kitchen backsplash.  It's great when everything starts to come together!

What do you think??  Do you love the sea glass blues and greens as much as I do??

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