We think Marilyn and Peter got it just right when they chose this shade of gray-green for their accent wall, but as winners of the 2006 Fall Colors Contest, they've got a natural knack for color. Not everyone is so adept at picking out paint, so we've listed a few tips below for choosing paint colors...
Just to kick off the conversation, these are ideas we've collected (especially over the last couple weeks, as we've been choosing paint colors for all the rooms in our new apartment). Add your tips and tricks in the comments below.
• Choose a color that works with your furniture. It's much easier to change your walls than buy a new living room set, so use what you already own to guide your choices.
• Consider a room's natural light when choosing whether to go dark or pale. Generally, rooms with lot of natural light can handle dark colors better than a poorly lit room. Pale shades will usually reflect natural light.
• Choosing the right color is all about balance. If you have colorful furnishings or accent pieces in your home, try balancing them with more neutral walls. If your all-neutral furniture feels bland, use a bold color to give the room some kick.
• If you see a color you like in a photograph, try to match it to a color chip. Although colors aren't reliable online, a photograph of a whole room gives you a better idea of a color than a swatch on your screen. For rooms that list color sources from AT, see NY's Color Therapy posts.
• Collect chips in a range of colors and look at them against any upholstery, rugs, and wood tones in the room.
• Pair wall colors with a complimentary trim, or paint trim and baseboards the same color as the walls for a modern look. When choosing trim, remember that colors change in relation to one another. Collect chips and samples for both your main and accent colors.
• In our experience, paint almost always looks darker on the wall than it does on the chip. If you're working off a chip, choose the color you want, then consider going a shade lighter.
• Choose the type of finish you want for your room. Flat finishes hide imperfections, while glossy finishes reflect light. Flat finishes are harder to keep clean (so they're not ideal for a kitchen or bathroom), but glossy finishes can look cheap if the walls aren't in top form.
• Even if you have to pay a little, invest in a small sample pot and paint a few swatches in your room, near the windows and in dark corners.
• Although painting can be stressful, it's one of the least expensive changes you can make in a room, so don't get too upset if you make a mistake. You can always change it later.
Related Resources from AT:
• Clip File: Best of Paint Color Questions
• How To Paint Your Room: Best Tips and Tricks
• AT:NY's Color Therapy Posts
• AT:CHI's Color Combo Posts
• Color Therapy: The Worst Colors for Interiors
Photo: AT Book Alert: Update on Marilyn and Peter
Copyright © 2007 Apartment Therapy
And, as shown in your second photo, you should always choose paint that looks good with your pet.
view Cassis's profile
No joke, Cassis! I kinda wish my carpet and tiles matched my Golden Retriever-Irish Setter mix. And all my clothes and furniture, and the backseat of my car, too, for that matter.
view OneWallKitchen's profile
I really want to know what that gray-green color is, but no one seems to be answering! (It was asked before in another post.)
view fiona's profile
Fiona, I just bought a new apartment and that gray green colour looks very similar to one the previous owner used. It's called Benjamin Moore- Horizon Grey # 2141-50. She says she had them cut the colour in half half to lighten the look, but that may serve as a good starting point.
view sdnyc's profile
No kidding about colors not being reliable online! I was all set to paint with Silver Fox based on the ColorTherapy post, but in my apartment it looks totally brown which is not what I want! I'm very glad I decided to do the sample pot first.
Now I have to find a color to match what I thought it would look like.
view jennifer in sf's profile
Benjamin Moore sells large squares for $4-something, in a limited range of colors of course. You can bring it home and live with it for a while moving it around to different walls and different types of light. If you bring it back you get the $4 back. It's so awesome.
I just went through an agonizing paint-selection process, finally ended up with BM Covington Blue - the perfect "Tiffany" blue I was looking for. I used all of the tips above as well as the extremely helpful BM staff. Oh, how I love them. I'm SO happy with my living room!
Also - eggshell for durability.
view mjoe's profile
Ugh, I was just battling over this yesterday! Unfortunately, our Lowe's does not have the machine for the smaller paint pots (it's coming this week, hopefully) so I went for the $10 can. I went darker than I think will work because the person whose room it is is a stubbon ass. The room gets NO light because he never rolls up his shades, and it's a pigsty. I'm thisclose to just doing it in white (it's bright ugly yellow now with bright ugly orange trim) and saying "WHATEVER!" His furniture is ugly dark fake wood too and so bulky. It's just a bad room, everything will look bad in it. Some boys are just p-i-g PIGS!
view That70sHeidi's profile
I've so far painted 2 rooms in my place & the colours I settled on were not what I was expecting. Oh well, though. Good enough!
view jenny!'s profile
I had my apartment painted last year. I brought home seven samples of off-white. That way lies madness.
view swerve's profile
Some boys are just p-i-g PIGS!
Ha!
Ain't it the truth, sister.
view Henrietta the Terrible's profile