Did You Paint Yourself Into a Corner?
Personally, I love white paint! Did you know there are hundreds of paint colors that are considered “white”?
It’s true…
And just like any other color, white reacts in different settings in all sorts of ways. I once knew a designer who used 5 different whites in one room just to make them all look like they were the same color. Think about how the light hits a surface. It will be different on a north-facing wall vs. an east wall. It will also be different on a ceiling than on one of your vertical surfaces. Not everyone loves a white wall, if you’re thinking about choosing grey for any of your rooms click here first!
I thought what she did was so interesting and I never forgot about it. She really studied the room and its light sources before she made her selections.
Here are a few of my best tips on working with paint color.
1. Choose Only a Few Colors
In a lot of homes that I see, there is what we refer to as “Open Architecture”. This means there are fewer walls than the homes of the past. And because of this, it’s important to keep the number of colors to a minimum. Otherwise, you’ll end up having a home that looks like an Easter basket. If you feel you need variety, try using different shades of the same color as you move from one room to the next. This will create a cohesive look but still help to define the different spaces. In my home renovation series I pick the colors for my own home, click here to learn more!
2. Be Mindful of Paint Finishes
Paint finishes are varied. You’ll find flat to high gloss and everything in between. A flat finish will reflect the least amount of light so may appear darker than a gloss in the same color. Another consideration is the condition of your walls. If they are smooth and new, you can go with a higher sheen. If they’ve been patched a few times, or have a texture to them, you may want to stay more to the flat side to call less attention to imperfection.
Flats in my opinion look the most sophisticated but are not practical for families with kids or pets. But good news! Nowadays, we have finishes called Matte. These appear almost flat but are a more sealed surface and can be cleaned more easily than a flat can.
3. Test Your Colors
Be sure to purchase a small amount of the color you’re considering. This is because you’ll want to test the color in your room before you commit to it. Use some white poster board if you don’t want to paint directly onto your walls. Make your test boards or patches on your walls at least 2’ x 2’ in size and do two coats. Be sure to wait between coats so you get the full coverage. Then, place these boards on more than one plane. The reason you want to do this is that light will hit each surface in a different way and you’ll get a truer result this way.
Now… live with these boards or patches for a few days. Try to place the light sources you’ll use in the room next to them. Artificial light also reacts differently on different colors. Look at the boards at all different times of the day. Make sure you love it and make sure that it looks its best at the time of day when you’ll most likely be using the room.
I’ve created a new e-guide about how to create your color palette. Inside, you’ll also receive a worksheet for keeping track of your selections. It’s called Create Your Color Scheme.
