With the vast array of colour palettes available, trying to choose a shade to paint your home with can be a daunting task. Fret not, for we’ve got you covered with a list of the most common mistakes to avoid, to ensure that the colour you end up picking is right for your home.
Settling on a paint colour first
Your first instinct might be to jump right into picking out paint colours, but if you don’t take the time to think about what your space will look like as a whole with your furniture and belongings, there is a high chance that your space will look like a mismatch of colours. You wouldn’t want to paint yourself into a proverbial corner and force yourself to choose decor based on your walls instead of the other way around. Instead, focus on picking out your desired furniture and overall decor look, and then search for potential paint colours.
Picking colours that are inappropriate for the room
By default, many people will choose similar shades of the same colour for their home to ensure there is cohesiveness between the various spaces. However, there may be times where you might want to paint different rooms in differing colours. But before you do so, you’ll need to think carefully about how you want each room to make you feel, and what you want to accomplish in each space. A general rule of thumb is that cool colours tend to make people feel calm and restful, while warm colours are energetic and exciting. As such, you might not want to choose a bright red colour for your bedroom if you want a space that’s relaxing, and a dull colour might not be so suitable for places with high activity.
Ignoring the effects shadows have
You may not realise it, but shadows are an important factor to consider when it comes to choosing paint colours for your home as a specific colour may not look the same in the morning as it does in the evening. If your room experiences a lot of shadows throughout the day, you might want to choose a brighter colour because the shadows will naturally darken the appearance of the colour. If your room doesn’t get as much sunlight, then you might want to opt for a lighter paint colour to avoid creating a claustrophobic atmosphere. As such, always make sure you assess the room you’re going to paint at different times of the day before you actually narrow make the commitment.
Relying on swatches alone
Because paint swatches are usually no bigger than 5x5cm square, it is actually quite difficult to determine a paint colour for your home using only these swatches as it is unlikely you’ll be able to get a real sense of how the colour will look when it’s actually painted on your walls. Instead, you should paint colour tests on your walls in large swathes, as well as in areas with both shadow and direct light. If you’d rather not sample paint on your walls, painting a few poster boards with your desired colour will work just fine.
Choosing a colour because it’s trendy
Decor trends can be a great inspiration when you’re making over your home, but you shouldn’t ignore your preferences in the process. Although they are useful in suggesting a new colour direction, let’s say, for example, if you find grey cold and depressing, then don’t choose that colour for your home! The fact that a colour is fashionable at that moment won’t make you feel better if you personally don’t love it. Trends come and go, but you are the one staying in the home permanently, so you should only choose colours that you’ll love for years to come.
