Building or buying a new home is incredibly exciting, and either one comes with the need to add your own personal touches. When it comes to choosing colors, though, things can get a bit more difficult than you might imagine. Here are a few tips for making sure you choose just the right hues for your new abode.
#1 – Be Inspired
You shouldn’t decide that you want to decorate your home in a shade of purple just because purple is your favorite color. This makes it difficult to truly capture the shade you’re imagining. Instead, find a piece of artwork, a decorative pillow, or even a coffee mug that gives you inspiration, and use this to compare all of your other colors. That being said, if purple is your favorite color and you want to decorate your living room in that hue, check out some different photos and objects for inspiration. Pick things that you love and go from there. It’ll make the entire process easier.
#2 – Don’t Choose Paint First
It’s very, very tempting to walk into a home store, take home some paint color samples, and make a decision based on that alone. Don’t do it. Instead, think about your furniture or the furniture you’re going to buy, and compare some of your samples to that. Look into things like throws and even lampshades that will complement your furniture and design ideas, and then use that information to start choosing your paint colors.
#3 – Neutrals are Always Good Choices
Although you may be a huge fan of aquamarine or bright red, if you paint your walls in that color, then that is where the eye will be drawn from that day forward. That’s great if you want the walls to be the main focus of your room, but what happens if you want to display an amazing antique bedroom suite or even a gorgeous chandelier? In this case, you should go with neutrals for your walls and many of your large objects. This way, there aren’t multiple things in the room competing for the eye, and things appear far neater and more streamlined.
#4 – Test, Test, Test
Don’t choose a color and paint an entire room right away. Instead, make ample use of testers. Paint sections of your walls large enough that you can get a feel for the color out of the paint can. If that idea makes you nervous, paint large pieces of poster board and hold them up against your furniture and décor to ensure the undertones work together. It could save you a ton of frustration, time, and money.
#5 – Don’t Forget About Sheen and Texture
When it comes to choosing paint or furniture, it’s important to think about texture and sheen. For example, you wouldn’t want to use a high-gloss enamel paint on all four walls and then finish the room with shiny leather furniture. What’s more, you might not want to use a flat matte paint with neutral-colored furniture in a beige linen material. Think about how shine draws the eye, and keep it that in mind when choosing a texture and sheen for your paint.
Choosing colors for your new home should be about your inspiration and the colors that make your home feel like a home. Although you might have a favorite color, remember that your home’s color scheme is also about where you want the eye to go and how you want everything to tie together.
