Tips For Selecting The Right Wall Color

If you are considering changing the wall colors in your home, you may be overwhelmed by the number of paint choices at your local hardware store. Even though your options may be practically endless, there are ways to narrow your selection. Nevertheless, you have probably seen a few decorating disasters where the wrong wall color devastated the look of a room. Here are a few questions to help you select a wall color you can be proud of:

What feeling are you trying to create?

When you choose a paint color, don't disregard the ambiance you are trying to create in a room. If you want your room to feel soothing and relaxing, choose soft hues and neutral tones. On the other hand, if you want your room to be bright and dramatic, bold primary colors can intensify the mood. 

Kids' Rooms

If you are working with a child's bedroom or playroom, you may be tempted to use only bold, bright colors. However, you can unintentionally overstimulate your child with your wall color. Intense hues can sometimes make a child feel irritable. Few people want to be completely surrounded by sunshine yellow or neon orange at bedtime. 

Combining Colors

When you use multiple colors in a room, you can use the contrast of the tones to help build the mood of the room. Combined neutral tones, such as taupe and white, work well in settings that you want to feel more formal. However, bright wall colors paired with warm hues can build a sociable, entertaining climate.

What type of light is in your room?

If large amounts of sunlight flood your room, a bright color may look even brighter, but if your room has only artificial lighting, the same tone may look warmer and more subdued. The fluorescent lighting at the paint store may cause your paint to look different than it will in your home, so test your selection on a wall before painting a whole room. 

What are the wall colors in adjacent rooms?

There should be a natural flow to the wall colors as you move from one room to the next. Often, you can see the wall of an adjacent room when you are standing in a different one. If there is no connectivity between the interior painting, your wall color may only look good when all the doors are closed. A monochromatic color scheme that allows different shades of the same color to flow from room to room can create a cohesive look. 

If you have decided to paint a wall in your home, consider the mood, lighting and color palette you are trying to create. If you are uncomfortable with choosing paint colors on your own, schedule an appointment with an interior design expert for help.