How to be Sure You’re Choosing Great Paint Colors
It’s time to repaint, whether the room needs to be updated, refreshed or you’re just plain tired of it…it’s time to paint.
The big question is how do you choose the right paint color? In fact, is there such a thing as the right color? Why does color even matter?
Color is an active component in life, if can affect:
- Our mood – it can be calming, agitating, happy or depressing
- Our energy – it can instill the feeling of cheerfulness or gloominess
- Our Productivity – it can either stimulate or calm you
- Our Creativity – color can be very inspiring
Color choice is a very personal thing, it affects each of us differently, there really are right and wrong colors.
Tips for Choosing the Right Paint Colors:
Consider the mood you want to create in your room – is it a bedroom that should feel restful and peaceful, or is it a child’s play area that you want to feel exciting and fun?- You can get inspiration from something you like that will be in the room; a piece of artwork, a rug or maybe a decorative pillow.
- If you’re painting a small space, you might want to consider light colored paint then choose furniture that either matches the wall color or is at least in the same color family.
- Choosing from paint strips can be a little bit misleading…You’re usually in an artificially lit store, and different types of lighting can affect how you see a color. Take the paint strip outside in natural light, compare it to something white, take it home to see how it looks in your room’s lighting.
- If you’re confused between shades or tones of color, your paint store may sell you small amounts to take home and test on your walls. One lady wanted to paint her walls red (which can be a risky color!), so she found 3-4 reds that she liked, bought samples of them and painted patches of them on her walls and lived with them for a few days. Once she had done that, she knew which red she wanted and was confident in her choice.
Effects Created by color
Red is a high energy color and represents passion and power. It can often be found in dining rooms because it is said to stimulate the appetite.
Green adds life to a room because of it’s abundance in nature.
Blue, if it’s dark adds dignity, while if it’s light can add peacefulness and calmness to a room and make it feel light and airy.
Yellow can be a cheerful color unless it’s overused, and then it becomes irritating and distracting.
Orange is a very cheerful color, but because it is hard to subdue, it’s typically best used as an accent color.
White could make your room look a bit sterile unless you have interesting color in your room’s furnishings.
Pastel Colors create a soft, comfortable feeling.
Neutral Colors can be wonderful background colors that you can add bright, bold accent colors, furnishings, patterns and accents to.
Remember,when you’re choosing paint colors, have fun, choose colors you love, look in magazines and in store displays for inspiration, don’t be afraid to try something a little different.
If you’re getting ready to make a change…
Claffey’s Painting is a full service painting contractor serving Western Washington, Chelan, Douglas and Kittitas Counties. We have painted over 7000 homes and would enjoy the opportunity to help paint yours. We can guide you through all the decision making processes so you get the right paint for the right job.
Give us a call for a free estimate – (425) 888-3634
