When we had our cedar home stained and had the main color picked, I thought I had plenty of time for the shutters. He called that a.m. and was at the paint store and wanted to know about the shutter color. I picked it quickly and amazingly I've been very happy with it but most times it take forever.

I must admit I have got it wrong on a few occasions.

I view the paint colour as a backdrop but I have learned that shades may look just right on a sheet but appear much stronger on the wall. Some colours I have used look almost white on the card but the shade is clear to see on the wall.

I do like to look through Houz and pick out some lovely rooms then shamelessly copy. Hoowever as someone said earlier the hard thing can be to find the exact colour and shade that you want.

Also colours which may look fine a bright room with loads of natural light will look much darker in a room on the north side with small windows,

I do love decorating and get a real buzz when it clicks together! Everything seems to harmonise like a musical chord.

Just seconds...after months of collecting chips, painting sample swaths on all the walls, and visiting every store in town that sells paint time and time again!

FOREVER:)

Not that long at all! I love pure white with wood and with a splash of colour. It depends on the room which colour that is. No orange, red or pink for me so I'm always into greens, yellows and my favourite blue. For me to much different colours in a room really doesn't work so I always choose 3 shades of one colour in a room. White, wood, grey or black and a splash of colour just makes me feel relaxed and will never get bored.

I start out knowing what I want, but then finding that one shade can be a chore. No not that one it's just "not it".....it's too dark, it's too light, that one is pretty close but only looks right on 2 walls at certain times of the day, etc. etc.

I don't mind waiting, just a good thing I don't repaint very often....haha!

Don't even ask how long it took to choose trim colors for the outside of my house.

I take strip samples of faves and tape them up against a trim section in the room. Then I look periodically, always moving the favored strip to the top, to see which one, over time, remains. Then the color intensity is zeroed in on; in doing so, the sample strip is torn with the fave square on top. After intuition and varied time of day lighting have helped determine the "top" color, we buy a quart and test a patch w the desired finish. Only then do we have our top choice. Thing is, we have nailed a couple colors we love so well, we have used them in subsequent houses; the orientation of each house determines color saturation. At our mod lodge, we re-used 2 colors at about 50% saturation and they are goldilocks --- just right.

B

Had to pick a "green" that would vibe off the certain "red" of the mahogany wainscoting in our vestibule. Took weeks. Ordered 7 samples that looked close, painted small swatches on center of opposite walls of vestibule & checked a various times of day. Nothing jumped out. Then tried cutting swatch of each right alongside the woodwork.. Wow! One color just "sang" in harmony with the reddish tones in the wood, like the right musical note, they formed a visual "chord": a pale, celery-like but gilded chartreuse. 5 years later, STILL loving the effect of those two colors together. Take your time.. It'll be worth it.

until i get it right

I think every one of those scenarios has applied to me at one time or another.

I have been in this position and I honestly took more than a month as the more you look into colours, you go into different tones of colours, then your minds plays with you, in the end you like/love/adore so many colours or colour shades that you no longer know what you want haha.

I kept crossing off the colours I least wanted until I ended up with 2 sets of two colours for the room- ohh, and it depended on hubby too, and then when family members give their thoughts, you will think over and over! Anyway, I went to the paint store , brought sample homes, made moodboards etc etc. then we came down to a crimson red and deep cream. I still love the wall colours and so no regrets.

If it helps, and you already have furniture and soft furnishings etc. pick a colour to go with them all. Take pictures of your furniture and match with wall colours you like on any online moodboard website.

Since all of you have been trying so many colors, what do you recommend for basement (no natural light...it will have LEDs, warm color). No furniture for now,,,modern, open plan..bar with walnut cabinets, quartz torquay counter...some cream floor tile that looks like wood (not rustic)...Any vanilla/cream color that you like?

Printesa - Here are some different basement projects that I have done, and if you like any of the colors I can get them for you.

Thank you for the suggestions! They are all beautiful. I am trying to find some kind of cream color that would go with a modern design and walnut cabinets. I know gray and light blue-gray are nice colors, but I am afraid they would be too cold for the basement..

How about "ivory tusk" Benjamin Moore color. And that color goes great with this gray-blue color.

Thank you for the suggestion. I will get a sample and see how it looks. Thanks!

I paint samples behind pictures that already hang on my walls. That way I can take down the art from time to time and see how the paint color looks. I like to see the paint at various times of the day, and during various seasons (I live in the Pacific Northwest where our summers are very sunny, but the rest of the year is cloudy. That really effects the color.)

I love a warm sage green (Divine Colors - Fescue). My kids call it my "neutral" ( I just CANNOT do beige!) - because whenever I can't make up my mind, I paint the walls Fescue. I am a gardener who believes that EVERYTHING goes with green. These days however I am enjoying shades of peach & coral. Peach and/or Coral really warm up a room and is such a "happy color". Reminds me of orange sorbet and creamsicles in the summertime. I bet coral would look really nice with Walnut cabinets in a basement. The nice thing about a basement is you can control the lighting! You don't have to worry about sunny days, sunsets, and cloudy days changing the color.

Thanks Jean! I am trying to wait for the electrician to bring the LED and see what kind of light I get there. Until then, I want to have at least some options so I can decide faster...not sure that is possible with me:) I love green (I would live in an English garden if I could; for now I changed my yard in a kind of English garden:)).

When you pick the LED lighting, remember there are various degrees of "warmth" available. You might want to have them bring a "cool" bulb and a "warm" bulb. I think the cool bulbs have a "clinical, operating room" feel to them. Don't pick the paint color until you have decided which kind of LED light you are going to have. It will make a HUGE difference as to how the paint color looks.

Having said that, I ended up using a "cool" LED light in a room that I had already painted Benjamin Moore Iced Green (a lovely turquoise blue-green). The "warm" bulb that I thoughI I would prefer completely ruined the turquoise color for me.

Jean, I know what you mean:) I was saying the same thing to my husband and of course, it doesn't matter to him..I tried showing him how different bulbs change the color of the paint (our bulbs in the house kept on burning and we couldn't find the same type of bulb with all these changes in lighting...we have bright, warm, daylight..etc...all different:)). Right now we have some generic bulbs in the basement that will not stay.
Thanks for the suggestion about the bulbs (asking to see both warm and cool). I am trying to find a balance between modern and clean and at the same time warm...Gray spaces, in basement especially, can look very cold..reason for which I said no to gray.. I even looked at a nice mauve/purple color....I like the color, but on a large poster it looked like too much:)
Love the BM Iced green, btw! It's so refreshing...I have a similar color,,a bit more mellow,,in one of the bedrooms.

If you are looking for nice warm LED bulbs that look like old fashioned bulbs (I hate the squiggly ones), I strongly recommend Cree light bulbs. They sell them at regular big box stores. The look like "regular" lightbulbs in every way.

Thanks Jen! I'll check

2 years and counting. Yes, you read that correctly.

I only look at three colors max for a space. You can really drive yourself crazy with too many choices.

Never make a rash choice! But seems like the first choice always wins in the end

Not long, as I have a specific look in my mind :)

if no one else was involved it would be simple, but alas there is a spouse. Takes negotiation skills and time.

Don't overwhelm yourself! Narrow your choices down to your favorites, and spend time deliberating over which to choose out of that smaller selection. If your selection is too big, you will drive yourself crazy!

Pick an inspiration and stick to it. Does anyone know the Pantone number of Red Dwarf?

A few days..... I always choose at least 3 samples and paint them on the walls in two places..... full sun and the darkest part of the house.... because they will absolutely look like 2 different colors.....need to know so you don't get surprises :)

Below is the color "Womb" by Frazee Paints ....goes gray in the top photo ( kitchen ) and green in the bottom photo ( living room )...... pretty interesting huh? Looks great either way.... but you need to know what you'll get.

@chookchook2 here is a website that might help you find what your looking for http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx

Thanks, Remodel, that was kind of you. Am retiring Tardis Blue at New Year, on the lookout for something else to recommend.

On a recent project the homeowner picked a color in a matter of minutes!

Anyone bold enough to choose a dark color?

Can't Choose? :)

Me?

Bold. Love it! @whynottryit

Who ever knew that choosing a paint color would be so difficult!

Amount of time depends on the project.

True... some rooms are more important to choose the right colors in.

When we built our current home three hours away I had so many samples that I say I could've painted the interior just with the samples☺️. I tried them out on different walls in each room, to understand the light, and at different times of the day. Getting the whole house "right" was a chore I do not wish to repeat. Only one room today that I would like to change, tho. Oh, and one I had the painter change as soon as I saw it in the room, and another I made him change because he used a BenMoore "match" to SW paint I spec'd. We knew right away it was wrong, and figured out what he did. I knew my husband would not be up for repainting☺️

:)

Check this out: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/poll-which-neutral-paint-color-is-your-favorite-dsvw-vd~4468860?n=18

If I can't choose in a week I blew the budget!

Yes! If the paint color doesn't get decided soon the whole design could be set back!

Well it took me many years to convert my daughter's bedroom from a pepto-bismal pink palace with a Laura Ashley wallpaper border to a "media room". When I finally took the plunge, I was rushed into a decision by my husband, picked a horrendous yellow and finally had it repainted a wonderful medium salmony orange with a darker shiny accent wall (an idea I got from Houzz) and I am thrilled with the effect. So you could say it took 12 years or so, then an additional 3 years to pick the right color!