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Are you struggling with choosing a paint colour?
If you’ve had enough of staring at paint charts, are sick of wasting money on tester pots, and are done with the indecision. Then this paint-choosing process could be exactly what you need 😀.
Before we start…
- Grab yourself a paint colour chart. One that ideally only has around 100 – 150 colours. Choose a brand you like, where you are naturally drawn to the palette.
- Grab yourself a black marker pen.
- Ask yourself these three questions below 👇🏻.
- As you go, black out all the colours that don’t apply.
Yes. It’s that simple.
This process of elimination strategy will leave you with a limited palette that will make choosing a paint colour a whole lot easier.
Let’s go…
Question 1
Do you want a warm or cool colour?
Warm and cool colours have something different to bring to the table. So this is a good starting question for shortlisting paint colour.
Warm Colours
Warm colours will make a space feel welcoming, cosy and inviting. So these colours are great for rooms where you want to encourage activity and conversation. Ideal for living rooms, dining rooms and kitchens. They are also great for hallways where you want to create a welcoming first impression to your home. They are also necessary for any rooms that naturally feel cool, such as north-facing or a room that is physically cold due to poor insulation or because it never gets any sun.
Eliminate – If warm colours are for you, then use your marker to black out all the cool colours, these are pale blues, blue/greens, purples or whites and neutrals that have a blue undertone.
Cool Colours
Cool colours will make a space feel large, open, airy and calming. These colours are great for rooms where you want to create a sense of space with a calming atmosphere, perfect for rooms like bedrooms and bathrooms or a grand hallway. They are also great for very sunny rooms, particularly those that have a lot of glazing, where you want to enhance the feeling of light and space. Or rooms that can get very hot or stuffy in the summer like loft rooms or small, south-facing spaces.
Eliminate – If cool colours are for you, then use your marker to black out all the warm colours, these are any colours that have yellow, orange, red or pink pigments.
Question 2
Do you want dark, mid-tone, pale or white?
Darker Colours
These will make your room feel super cosy, enveloping, decadent and impactful. Painting your walls dark is such an easy way to make a statement in a small room. They are perfect for snugs, living rooms and any small or cosy spaces.
Eliminate – If dark colours are for you, then use your marker to black out all the mid-tone, pale and white colours.
Mid-Tone Colours
These colours are great for adding visual impact without being too attention-seeking. I love them in bedrooms, small hallways where there isn’t a lot of room for furniture, and rooms used mostly in the daytime such as playrooms or living rooms. Mid-tone colours are very versatile. You can keep it simple and use the wall colour to do most of the talking. Or you can add a lot of other colours through your furniture and accessories to create a playful and dynamic scheme.
Eliminate – If mid-tone colours are for you, then use your marker to black out all the dark, pale and white colours.
Pale Colour Colours
These can make a room feel very elegant but understated and can also help a busy space feel calmer. Use pale colours in a large open plan space where you have a lot of activity going on such as a kitchen/dining/living space. Or, use them in rooms where you want the view to be the focal point. Or try using them in a room where you have naturally elegant architectural features that you want to elevate.
Eliminate – If pale colours are for you, then use your marker to black out all the dark, mid-tone and white colours.
Whites
Whites will make a space feel as large as possible as it will make the walls appear further away. White schemes can look stunning when they are layered with lots of texture. Use whites in rooms where you are either adding a lot of colour, such as a kitchen where you are opting for dark cabinetry, or in rooms where you will be adding lots of soft furnishings such as a living room where you will have a sofa, rug, cushions, throws, blinds, curtains etc. Avoid whites in bathrooms, or other rooms with a lot of hard surfaces.
Eliminate – If whites are for you, then use your marker to black out all the dark, mid-tone and pale colours.
Question 3
Do you want a pure or muted colour?
Pure Colours
Pure colours are more vibrant and stimulating, go for these if you want to create a more cheery and energising feel. Use more pure and saturated colours in areas where you want to create high energy such as a kitchen, dining or playroom.
Muted Colours
Muted colours have more grey in them so they are generally perceived as more calming and relaxing, choose more muted tones if you find brighter, more engaging colours a bit overbearing.
Now What???
You should now have a lot of blacked-out colours which will have revealed your short-ish-list. The final step is to black out any final colours that you just don’t like or you don’t feel will work in your space for whatever reason. You can then start getting a few tester pots and seeing how these colours look in your space 😊.
This choosing a paint colour exercise can be good fun, and you can also do it even if you don’t have a specific room in mind. You can just think about your whole home and what colours you are naturally drawn to. It can actually be quite revealing and you could learn a lot about your colour preferences.
I’m usually drawn to warmer, muted colours as I like a cosy and calming vibe, and I’m not one for very bright, high-energy colours. I’m very happy with either very dark or pale colours, but you don’t see a lot of mid-toned colours in my own home, it’s normally one extreme or the other. I think I like the contrast of transitioning from darker to lighter spaces 💜.
What colours are you left with? Let me know how you get on.
And if you’d like any help choosing a paint colour remember I’m here for you! If you’re local to Southampton book an in-home colour consultation here. Or if you want to work online then book a Design Surgery session with me here.
I offer lots of online interior design services and resources for your next home project so whatever help you need get in touch and we can discuss your project.
Until next time,
Sarah x
