5 Methods for Picking Out the Right Paint Color for Your Home

A new fresh of paint in your home can make it feel brand new.

Depending on the room, you’ll be looking to paint a new coat of color every three to five years. Styles and trends change, so it’s important to choose a color that’ll last.

But trends aren’t as important as what you feel is the right color paint for your home. Your tastes will guide your decision, but how can you build up a shortlist of colors you’ll like?

Let’s run through 5 methods to help you find the right colors of house paint to suit your home.

Create a Mood Board

We’ve already mentioned how trends in color change. Each year, the color matching company Pantone releases their color of the year which inspires artists and companies to develop new designs and products around it.

Trends like these can make the perfect addition to a mood board to help you brainstorm color choices. Your mood board should help to inspire you to find colors that not only suit your home but also feel modern and original.

Add photos, images, and fabrics you like the look of to help you narrow down your best house paint choices.

Test Lighting

Before you paint a house, you need to consider the environment in which the paint will sit. You wouldn’t use the same colors in a dark room as you would in a light room, or the same colors (necessarily) in a kitchen as a bedroom.

You want colors that look good during the day and night. If your room is naturally dark, you’ll want to focus on colors that brighten up a room. If there’s a lot of natural lighting available, you can experiment with some bolder, darker choices.

Here are five interior lighting ideas you should consider when you’re redecorating.

Use a Color Wheel

If you’re asking yourself, ‘what color should I paint my house?’ and you’re unable to answer, you need to inspire yourself.

A mood board, as we’ve mentioned, can help you narrow down choices, but if you don’t know your living coral from your coral pink, you need a color wheel.

It’s exactly as it sounds. A color wheel is a wheel of various colors you can choose to help you narrow down ones you like.

It can also be a useful aid in choosing colors that compliment each other when you’re decorating several rooms at once.

Experiment with Tester Pots

With some test colors in mind, you should look to start experimentation. A color might look good on a piece of paper or on fabric, but how does it stack up on the walls of your home?

Narrow down a few paint choices and get some tester pots. These are just small pots of paint to help you see what each paint color is like before you commit. 

Choose a small portion of your room and paint a few shades each. If you like any particular shades or combinations, you can then invest in these when you start painting or before you hire a home painting service to complete the work.

Try Colors with Your Furniture

You’ve got a set of colors in mind, what then? Well, what might look good on a wall might not look so good when you’ve got furniture in place.

A good idea is to get some cardboard or hardboard and paint it in your chosen color or colors, and then see how it looks behind a sofa, or against a table. Your house paint ideas need to suit their surroundings.

You don’t need exact matches here, but colors shouldn’t clash. It’s cheaper to change a paint color before you paint than it is to change your furniture.

Choose the Right House Paint for Your Home

The right paint for your home isn’t just a choice for today or tomorrow. You’re not likely to repaint your home for several years, so choosing the right house paint is important if you want it to look and feel like a home.

A mood board with photos, colors and fabrics can help you to narrow down colors that you feel positive about, as can a color wheel. Experimenting with testers and in situ with your furniture will help you see what might actually look good.

Ready to start redecorating? Don’t forget to check out other interior design articles for ideas and inspiration to help you get started.