Tips for Choosing Paint Color

This endless fascination is due in no small part to the fact that choosing a paint color is so DIFFICULT!! One of the most common decorating questions I get is: what color should I paint my walls? Ironically, perhaps the most difficult decision is which shade of white to choose. Even the most subtle differences between shades can be quite noticeable when painted on an entire wall. But I wouldn't recommend that you rely solely on a magazine article to tell you which color to choose!!

So how does one choose a paint color? Here are my suggestions:

Rebecca's 5 Tips for Choosing Paint Color:

1. Buy a Fan Deck. The first step in any project is making sure you have the right tools. A fan deck gives you all the paint colors of a particular vendor in a very compact format. Dunn-Edwards and Sherwin-Williams are two of my favorite paints. (I also like Benjamin Moore, but it tends to be a bit more expensive because it is shipped from the Midwest.) A fan deck costs about $15.

2. Visit model homes with your paint deck. It's always helpful to see a color in an entire room so you get the full effect. Sometimes the model home sales office will have the paint colors available, sometimes not, but you can find a close match if you have your paint deck with you.

3. Ask your friends. When visiting friends, family, or neighbors, look around and see if there are any colors that appeal to you. Bring your fan deck in case they don't remember their paint colors.

4. Visit the Pottery Barn website. Pottery Barn got so many requests for the paint colors in their catalogs that they are now providing selected Benjamin Moore colors in their catalog and on their website. Go to www.PotteryBarn.com and do a search for Benjamin Moore. Then click on a color in the color wheel to see that wall color in a room setting.

5. Paint a swatch. Once you have narrowed down your color choices to two or three colors, the last step is to buy a sample quart or tester and paint a swatch. There is no substitute for seeing a color in your room, in your light, and with your furnishings. Paint two coats on a swatch area of at least a 2' x 2'. You might want to use the wall that gets the least amount of light AND the wall that gets a lot of light. Better yet, paint your swatch on poster board or foam core, and then you can view move your swatch sample around to different areas of the room. And don't forget the ceiling! Although many people leave the ceiling white to maximize a feeling of space, sometimes you may want to paint the ceiling the same color as the walls to make a room feel more cozy. Observe the swatches at night and at different times of the day. Never, ever, ever commit to a paint color without painting a swatch! Shortcut: most paint companies provide designers and architects 8 x 11 color cards free of charge. Put four of these together and you have a 16 x 22 swatch. It's usually preferable to paint a swatch, but the color cards can be very helpful.

And of course, it never hurts to have a little help now and then. If you are a current customer, paint color consultations are included in my usual hourly fee. If you are not a current customer and would like to schedule a color consultation, you can take advantage of the coupon included at the bottom of this email and save some green! This endless fascination is due in no small part to the fact that choosing a paint color is so DIFFICULT!! One of the most common decorating questions I get is: what color should I paint my walls? Ironically, perhaps the most difficult decision is which shade of white to choose. Even the most subtle differences between shades can be quite noticeable when painted on an entire wall. But I wouldn't recommend that you rely solely on a magazine article to tell you which color to choose!!

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