Whether you’ve in the middle of a full renovation or just freshening up a room, choosing paint colours is the fun part of the project. The options are endless – go bold? classic? on trend? or play it safe?. We take a look at how to choose paints that won’t date…
How to choose paint colours for your home
When you are picking paint colours, should you go for trendy or classic colours? While some paint colours might be fashionable they’ll only be in style for a year or two. That will leave your decor looking unappealing. Before you go looking at paint colours, you need to decide if you want something classic to last a few years or something more ‘now’ that may need updating sooner.
Let’s say you’ve decided on a green bedroom, but there are hundreds of green shades to choose from. How do you know what one is classic and what one’s trendy? You can be sure that a light sea foam or dark sage will be classic colours that will stand the test of time. But while a brighter apple green is cool, it may require re-painting sooner rather than later. If you don’t want to hire a painter again in a hurry, you may want to stick with a classic look. This lets you update your furnishings with more trendy colours when needed.
Choose paint colours using sample paint cards
It’s not hard to get overwhelmed by paint cards from your local store. Each brand of paint will have their own sample cards with fancy names and shades. You could end up feeling like they’re all starting to look the same! Don’t go around harassing your family and friends for their opinion on paint shades. You’ll find their opinions will vary more than the paint colours.
It’s worth considering basing your paint decisions on things you like that have nothing to do with paint but will still fit with the decor of your home. A good example is, maybe you love the colour of your favourite spring flower which is just starting to bloom. Whatever it is, take a picture of that and use it as a basis for picking out a great shade to compliment your room. That way you’re going to end up with a room that you truly love.
Don’t be too bold
The best interior decorators will tell you your colour needs to complement the entire room and not steal the spotlight! If you’re in doubt choose a shade that’s understated. It’s better to go bold and daring with curtains, pillows, rugs, accessories, and art.
If people enter your room and notice the paint colour first, then you’ve taken away from all the beautiful accessories in your room, and that’s not the best way to decorate.
Light reflectance value
A good paint store will be able to inform you about LRV. The higher a paints LRV, the better natural light will bounce off your walls, making your room appear more airy and spacious.
One final tip about paint colour
When you think you’ve found the perfect paint colour, get a sample pot and test it in the room you plan on using it in. Paint a small section in both the lightest and darkest parts of the room, and then you’ll know just how awesome it’s going to look when you’re all done.
