Landing Design & DevelopmentSaveEmail Always, always test it out. And use the exact finish you plan to use — high gloss will look very different from matte or eggshell. If you don't want to deal with test pots, look for a paint company that offers poster-size paint chips and tape them to your wall instead. Even with big paint chips, when you think you have a winner, it's still wise to test out the paint itself before buying all of the paint you need.
Pay attention to existing finishes. If you are seeking paint colors for your kitchen, bath or another room with existing finishes to consider, start there. For example, cool gray tile floors or granite counters beg for a cool wall hue like blue or gray. Bring a sample or photo of the finishes in your room to the paint store to aid in matching. This accent wall: Fresh Aqua
Ashley Campbell Interior DesignSaveEmail Skip the paint-rack confusion. Those paint racks at the hardware store are not the place to begin your hunt for the perfect color! It may be fun at first browsing thousands of colors, but it's not likely to result in the perfect hue for your living room. Do as the pros do: Start with a vision for your space instead. Consider what look you are aiming for, save room photos you love and take a picture with you to the paint store to help you narrow the choices. This room: Texas Leather
Test your potential palette. As you narrow down your color choices and think you may have some winners, bring home test pots of paint. Sample cards, even the big ones, can be deceptive. Painting your own swatches will allow you to assess each color in the room it's meant for and check that the colors in visually linked spaces work together.
Build your palette with shades of the same hue. Once you have a paint color picked for your first room, one simple way to move on is to choose shades of the same hue for adjacent rooms or walls. You can choose a hue from a nearby paint chip, pick the next color up or down on the same paint chip, or even have the same color mixed at the paint store with white added to make a lighter version. The beauty of this method is that, while it will give your home interest and depth, you also can rest assured that the colors will go well together.
Note which rooms are visible to one another. Walk through your house and note which spaces you can see from each room. Use a floor plan (a rough sketch is fine) to keep track. Adjoining rooms are part of this, but you may be able to see quite a bit farther — down a hall and into the kitchen, for instance. These notes will form the basis of your whole-house color plan, so keep them close at hand.
(I'm not done studying for my ChFC yet.) I like this color. Blue-sky thinking. Blue is often used to decorate offices, as research has shown that people tend to be more productive in blue rooms. In 2009 a study by the University of British Colombia showed that blue boosts our ability to think creatively, and that children tested higher on IQ tests in rooms with blue ceilings. This makes blue a perfect color choice for a study.
I might need a blue kitchen! Out of the blue. Blue is also known to suppress the appetite, possibly as an adaptation against eating rotten food, which can have a bluish tinge. Indeed, some weight-loss programs go so far as to advise eating off a blue plate. A blue dining room could be great for those wanting to slim down, but it may not be the right choice for foodies.
save me from high blood pressure! In 1932 Robert M. Gerard, a California psychologist, performed a study that determined the effect of light on blood pressure at a New England hospital. Staff members with normal blood pressure were exposed to blue and red light for half an hour each. Universally, the blue light resulted in a fall in blood pressure, while the red light resulted in a rise in blood pressure. Try using a cool blue for a calming bedroom but balance it with rich, warm woods to prevent a cold feeling. (Cold feeling may not be bad in AL.)
(I like this, but I'd probably switch the colors and have the Springtime be an accent color, or go with a bluer green.) the green glow this room gets from the fresh hue on the ceiling. We tend to associate green with nature, youthful vibrancy and good health. This green in particular feels clean and pristine — perfect for a guest bedroom. A green to try: Springtime SW6708, Sherwin-Williams
I don't like the teal w/the blue, but if the blues were teal or the ceiling was a blue, that'd work great for me. Another blue bedroom ceiling, this one a deeper teal. It looks supercrisp framed by the white ceiling trim. The light warm gray wall and floor offer a soft and subtle foundation for this modern palette. A teal to try: Middy Blue A1258, Glidden
You can go bold without necessarily going bright. A deep purple like this one is a terrific choice for a bedroom ceiling, since it's thought to be a restful, stress-reducing color. I don't think this palette would be as effective in this room if the walls were painted dark purple and the ceiling were left white. A purple to try: Tropical Dusk 2117-40, Benjamin Moore
This room: Coral Pink
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