Painting is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to transform any room in your home. It can create a completely different mood in a space. So often people are stopped in their tracks when it comes to picking a paint color. Here are some tips and tricks I use to find the perfect paint color.
Start with Inspiration
All of my projects begin with an inspiration. The inspiration could be a fabric, art, or an area rug. In the case of our basement, the new color scheme comes directly from the drapes fabric.
If you pick a fabric that has multiple colors, you get an instant color scheme. You know the colors look great together...they did put them all together in a fabric, right? The same holds true of a color rich area rug...it too gives you an instant color scheme.
DECIDE THE MOOD
What is the mood you are trying to achieve in the room? Do you want something warm and cozy? Maybe you want something energetic. The color you choose for the wall will go a long way in defining the mood of the room.
All of these colors are found in my fabric, however, each would create a completely different mood in our finished basement.
PAINT A SAMPLE ON THE WALL
There's no way around this one. I have tried a few times to just pick a color from a paint swatch at the store and it rarely works out the way I would like. The truth is the most beautiful color on a paint chip may be the most hideous color when actually on the wall in your space.
The primary cause - lighting. Does your room have tons of natural light, or do you rely solely on overhead lights and lamps? In the case of our finished basement, lighting is a real issue. We are working on trying different lightbulbs for our recessed lighting, and the paint swatches I have painted on the wall change each time we try a different bulb. I would suggest painting a sample on all walls as the lighting is going to change from wall to wall as well. I would also suggest living with the color for several days, viewing it during the day and at night. Trust me...the appearance of a paint color can really change based on the time of day.
Hope these tips help you next time you go to pick a paint color.
Have a great weekend.
The primary cause - lighting. Does your room have tons of natural light, or do you rely solely on overhead lights and lamps? In the case of our finished basement, lighting is a real issue. We are working on trying different lightbulbs for our recessed lighting, and the paint swatches I have painted on the wall change each time we try a different bulb. I would suggest painting a sample on all walls as the lighting is going to change from wall to wall as well. I would also suggest living with the color for several days, viewing it during the day and at night. Trust me...the appearance of a paint color can really change based on the time of day.
Hope these tips help you next time you go to pick a paint color.
Have a great weekend.
-Judy
1 comment:
Judy, it looks like you are going to be having some fun....will be interesting to see what color you choosa and how you put it together!
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