This Is How Joanna Gaines Picks a Paint Color for Any Room

Picking the color that you’re going to paint a room can feel like a daunting task, especially with so many options out there (literally thousands). It’s comforting to know that hey, it’s easy to paint the walls again, but it’s still time and money. So if you want to get it right the first time, Joanna Gaines revealed the simple method she uses to decide what to paint the rooms of her clients. 

In a recent interview with Apartment Therapy — tied to the Magnolia Network launch happening on July 15 — Joanna Gaines mentioned that the first thing she asks “Fixer Upper” homeowners is, “how do you want this room to feel?” That answer helps her decide what color to go with, because picking a color that is related to how you want to feel is crucial when wanting to feel fulfilled in your home. 

During the pandemic, Joanna said she noticed herself and a lot of others leaning into saturated colors that delivered comfort — a sensation that so many people yearned for. “When you look into all the psychology of paint, a lot of it is stability, and as humans, we’re needing some stability. Our worlds just got rocked, and now we’re coming back and we’re kind of resurfacing, and what we’re needing is stability, and paint is a unique way to use that,” Joanna told Apartment Therapy. 

If you want to create an energized kitchen, for example, you might want to lean into a red; or if you want to feel inspired in your home office, opt for a vibrant green wall. As long as you lead with intention and purpose when picking a paint color for a room, it’s hard to go wrong. 

When it comes to picking out a color for a child’s room, who might not be able to communicate what they want to feel, Joanna says it’s best to select colors based off of their personality. With Crew, Joanna went with a dark gray because “his personality is so layered in beautiful ways” that she wanted to allow his colorful books and stuffed animals to pop against the neutral color.

So whether you’re picking a paint color for you or for someone else, keep in mind the personality that you’re designing it for and the function that they want the room to serve. As cheesy as it sounds, just follow your heart and don’t overthink it.