Tips for Choosing a Paint Color for a Room

26 April 2022
 Categories: Business, Blog

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Painting a room has a dramatic impact. A fresh coat of paint regenerates a space, and a different colour can transform the ambience. But how do you settle on a colour palette? Here are some tips to guide your choices.

Think About Natural Lighting 

A room's natural light affects how wall paint colours appear. Is the area you want to paint often bathed in bright sunshine? If so, choose a colour that won't look washed out. You could paint a sample area on the wall and check how it appears at various times of the day.

On the other hand, a room may be starved of sunlight and be somewhat dim most of the time. In that case, consider an intense or mid-tone hue that will hold its own in relative darkness. Avoid pale colours that will appear grey in low-light situations.

Examine Existing Furnishings

Another crucial factor is whether the room has existing furnishings. If so, you'll need to pick a wall hue that harmonises. A colour wheel is a handy tool for coming up with ideas. Complementary shades sit opposite on the wheel, such as blue and orange. An analogic colour scheme combines adjacent hues on the wheel, such as blue and green.

A patterned rug or a painting is another way to get colour ideas. Work out what shades are combined in the carpet or artwork and whether they would make a pleasing room palette. You then need to pick one of the hues in the design for the walls.

Consider Light and Dark

Colours have lightness or darkness, such as pale blue or navy. Do you want pastel colours combined with pale grey and light wood tones, like in a Scandinavian design? Or do you want rich, dark browns or charcoal in the room?

You could follow the principle of using the darkest hue on the floor and going progressively lighter within the space. This would mean the ceiling is the lightest shade. Whether the flooring was tile, carpet, or timber, you'd need to go paler for the walls. They could be pastel or mid-toned, depending on the floor colour.

Another aspect to mull over is whether you want to stick with neutrals. These shades may appeal to more potential buyers if you're selling your home soon. House painters will be able to offer advice on current trends. Though, in any case, walls are easy to paint over in the future.

For some advice, talk to a specialised painter.