Disclosure… I have a bit of an obsession with paint colours.
Knowing them. Naming them. Researching them. Recommending them for my friends. And painting them on my walls, my doors and my kijiji finds.
Paint is a relatively inexpensive and quick way to completely change the look of a space. I love seeing it instantly transform something. And I think that’s why I love it.
But if you have ever tried to choose paint colours for your home, you know this can suddenly become an impossible feat!
There are endless strategies on how to choose paint colours and you can google and read about it forever. I know this to be true because I have.
Thankfully, I’ve found a few favourite professionals that I tend to look to online. So before I get to the Tips, here are some of my go-to sites.
How to Choose Paint Colours – My Favourite Experts
Maria Killam has an amazing blog, Color Me Happy. Her posts are direct, honest and she has strong opinions on what works and what doesn’t. I learned about the importance of identifying and considering undertones when choosing paint colours by reading her articles.
Unfortunately, her blog is also what made me realize my beige walls were actually kind of pink. And so I needed to re-paint them. I painted them a beige that doesn’t look pink. My husband was so confused.
Kylie M. Interiors is another great paint colour resource. She shares paint colour reviews, favourite paint colours and other painting advice. I always love her Best of… posts because you can get some great paint colour ideas in those articles, such as this one, The 9 Best Benjamin Moore Paint Colors – Grays (Including Undertones). She also does helpful comparisons of similar (and popular) colours such as this, Paint Color Review: Colonnade Gray vs Revere Pewter.
For general design, decor and paint colour inspiration, I also enjoy a read through John and Sherry Petersik’s blog, Young House Love. I love their DIY spirit and aesthetic! They have made over a lot of homes so there is lots to check out on their blog. I chose my main floor paint colour based on photos they posted of their home.
I love how BM Moonshine looks in my home, especially against my favourite white paint colour, BM Simply White.
Along the way, I’ve learned that it’s nice to have a few helpful tips in your pocket when you set out on that search for the perfect paint colour. So keep reading for simple tips you can follow to help you find paint colours for your home that you love. 🙂
Tips on How to Choose Paint Colours For Your Home
Tip #1 – Decide How You Want Your House To Feel
I’ve decided that rather than considering what my style is, I’d rather think about how I want the spaces in my home to feel. Styles and looks follow trends, and incorporating trends can be risky. Because, well you know, my perm in the 80’s.
I actually have a rather long list of styles and looks that I’m drawn to such as:
- Minimalist
- Modern
- Rustic
- Farmhouse
- Beach Style
- Cottage Style
If I was to use this as my guide, it would be tricky to keep things cohesive.
However, if I consider how a colour or look feels, then what I choose for my home is not tied to a style or trend.
So to do this, you need to be clear on the feeling you want. Keep it brief and write it down.
Then use this as a guide when you are choosing colours, fabrics, decor, etc. for your home.
For example, here are my guiding feels (new use of word here!):
- Airy
- Light
- Simple
- Natural
- Cozy
If you check out some of the pics of my sunroom in this post, 9 Simple Sunroom Decorating Ideas, you can get a pretty good idea of how I’ve tried to achieve this.
Someone else might choose something completely different like:
- Bold
- Energizing
- Eclectic
- Unique
- Creative
It’s your home so create the feeling you want without worrying about trends.
I’ve found that having clarity and confidence in how I want my house to feel, helps me to make decisions relatively easily and quickly. If something I’m considering doesn’t match the vibe I want, I just don’t bother.
Have I messed up along the way? Oh yes. My beige carpet? I think it’s pink. Husband still confused.
Tip #2 – Consider Dominate Colours in Your Home You Can’t Change
Excellent, so you’ve made note of how you want your home to feel. Now it’s time to take a look around at some of the dominant colours and pieces in your home that you can’t easily change.
Perhaps it’s flooring that has to stay or maybe a large piece of furniture that you’ve inherited that’s a colour that doesn’t match your vision.
Side note: I’d likely paint that sucker but maybe that’s not an option for you.
Anyway, some things must stay, or are on the list for another time, but just keep them in mind and give them some consideration when choosing your paint colours. This doesn’t mean you can’t follow your vision but it does mean that you need to do a quick check in to be sure you won’t have a situation where something is completely clashing.
It may just mean that you have to change to a different shade of a colour you love, or maybe you need to consider a few other options that will help keep things cohesive. I’ll explain a bit more in Tip #5 – Do Google Searches on Undertones and Reviews.
Tip #3 – Brainstorm One Main and Two Accent Colours
I’ve found that to keep things simple, manageable, and cohesive, start by choosing one overall colour for your home and two accent colours. Keep in mind that this is meant for any main or open areas.
The idea is to carry these colours throughout your home for a space that looks bigger and flows more naturally.
The rule of thumb from designers is a 60-30-10 ratio. Basically this means having 60% of one main colour in a space, 30% of a second colour, and 10% of a third color.
However, I prefer not to do math calculations when I pick out pillows so I just think of it as a most-some-least ratio instead.
Here is how this ratio looks in my home:
- Most (light grey or white)
- Some (blues)
- Least (greens)
Adding in a touch of coral or pale pink with something really small every now and then (like flowers) adds a bit of brightness and looks cute too.
However, bedrooms and bathrooms are free game in my books for any look you want and your kids would like! They are behind closed doors so anything goes.
When brainstorming your possible main and accent colours, keep in mind the list of descriptive words for the feel of you home. As I listed above, mine are:
- Airy
- Light
- Simple
- Natural
- Cozy
Here is a reasonable brainstorm:
Main: White (I know, some of you may be cringing but you can do so much with it when it comes to decor), Light Gray, Greige, Beige, Pale Pink, Pale Violet
Accents: Blues, Greens, Pale Yellows (be careful with yellow… it always looks much brighter and bolder on walls than on a paint chip)
Once you have some colours in mind that match your vision, you can discover specific paint names by doing Google Searches, selecting paint chips and speaking to paint store staff (some stores will provide colour selections for you if you purchase their paint), asking friends for recommendations, and if it’s in the cards, you could even hire a decorator or colour consultant to select for you.
I’ve found most of my colours by spending time with Google. A simple search for best white paint colours or best blue-gray paint colours will give you some great suggestions.
If you are interested in colours that are currently on trend, you could do a search for most popular white paint colours or most popular blue-gray paint colours.
One word of caution. If your vision is to have a space that is vibrant and energizing for example, you might be considering oranges, reds and yellows, because those are good colour matches for that vibe. However, keep in mind that they can end up a bit overwhelming as a main colour. You can still achieve this type of vibrant space by using a more neutral overall paint colour and adding in your energizing colours as accent colours. I think white makes a stunning background for bright and colourful palettes and actually makes those colours pop brilliantly.
Tip #4 – Choose a Colour From a Picture or Fabric You Love
Still having a hard time with your colour brainstorm? Just look to a picture or fabric you love, and that you plan to use, in a space. You’ll be able to find some great ideas right in front of you!
In fact, although I’ve listed this as Tip #4, I could just as easily have listed this as Tip #1. It is easier to find a paint colour that matches wall art, for example, than to find decor to match a colour that is already on the wall (unless you have chosen a good, neutral colour).
Years ago I was looking for a paint colour for my son’s room to match a comforter I had purchased. I just dragged it with me to the store and they were able to put it right in their colour matcher. Who knew you could do this with a comforter?! I ended up with a perfect paint colour that matched one of the colours in the blanket.
Finding a few inspiration photos (I like Pinterest or Houzz) also gives you a great place to start if you are feeling stuck.
Tip #5 – Do Google Searches on Undertones and Reviews
When I am considering a paint colour, I always google two things… undertones and reviews.
These two searches will tell you a lot about what the colour looks like in people’s homes, not just on the chip.
For example, my open space kitchen and living room is painted in BM Moonshine. I googled BM Moonshine undertones and BM Moonshine reviews before choosing it.
Why Paint Undertones Matter
All paint colours have undertones and these often appear when a paint colour is on the walls.
If you’ve ever picked out an amazing gray, and then discovered you unexpectedly have a new blue or purple room, you know what I’m talking about! That’s because gray has three possible undertones – green, blue and purple – and that’s why it’s soooo hard to find the perfect gray colour.
Knowing a paint colour’s undertone helps in two ways.
One is that you know what colour your paint selection will lean toward once it’s painted on the walls.
For example, I chose BM Stonington Gray for our office and it is a cooler gray that leans toward blue. I knew this beforehand so I wasn’t shocked to find that it looks a touch blue at times. Blue is an undertone I like and that works with other paint colours in my house.
The second reason that knowing a paint’s undertone is helpful is because it will help you keep a cohesive look in your home, not only for paint, but for furniture and flooring too.
For example, beige has three main undertones – green, red/pink and yellow. The best way to see this for yourself is to put different beige paint chips beside each other and all of a sudden you’ll see that beige can look very different.
This relates to Tip #2 (Consider Dominate Colours in Your Home You Can’t Change) because if you have a beige tile floor that has a pink undertone, and you paint a beige colour on the wall with a green undertone, they won’t work well together.
Like my husband, you may have thought beige is beige, but now I’ve just confused life and everything you thought you knew to be true about beige. The beige (pink) carpet I mentioned above was bought years ago before I knew anything about undertones. Bad timing.
Ultimately, your spaces will look more cohesive and flow together more naturally if the colours and undertones aren’t competing with one another.
When you google a paint colour’s reviews, you’ll be able to see what actual homeowners say about how a paint colour looks in a room. This also helps you discover undertones because you’ll see things like, I painted my room gray and my husband asked why I painted it purple! There you go… purple undertone discovered.
As well, you’ll often see comments about how a paint colour compares to the paint chip itself.
For example, before my main walls were painted BM Moonshine, I had painted them BM Thunder. BM Thunder has a bit of a greige look on the chip but many reviews said that it looked more gray on the walls than on the chip and the reviews were right!
Maria Killam is the queen of identifying and explaining undertones so I’ll often read her take on paint colours before taking the plunge with a colour.
Tip #6 – Buy a Paint Sample and Paint it on Poster Board
The best way to really see what a paint colour will look like in your house is to try out a sample. You can go ahead and paint swatches on the wall but a great way to check it out in different places is to paint a swatch on a foam board instead.
Just buy a piece of foam board from a dollar store, paint it with your sample colour, and then you can move it around the room and see what it looks like in different places and different lighting.
Don’t use bristol board/poster board because it’s too floppy and will just annoy you as it slides down the wall onto the floor. The foam boards can lean without falling down. Small victories.
Tip #7 – Use a Whole Home Paint Colour Palette
And after reading this, if you are still left thinking you’d rather watch paint dry than choose it and paint it yourself, you can always look to whole home paint colour palettes put together by a professional designer because the decisions have been made for you and you can be certain the colours will work well together.
Check out this lovely A More Colourful Farmhouse Country Paint Palette, by Kylie M Interiors.
You’ll find great colour combinations on palettes such as this. Easy and helpful!
Summary
Tip #1 – Decide How You Want Your House To Feel
Tip #2 – Consider Dominate Colours in Your Home You Can’t Change
Tip #3 – Brainstorm One Main and Two Accent Colours
Tip #4 – Choose a Colour From a Picture or Fabric You Love
Tip #5 – Do Google Searches on Undertones and Reviews
Tip #6 – Buy a Paint Sample and Paint it on Poster Board
Tip #7 – Use a Whole Home Paint Colour Palette
So if you’ve been thinking about painting a fresh, new colour on your walls, why not give it a go? After all, it’s just paint. 🙂
While you’re at it, paint the inside of your front door. It will look amazing!