Are you wondering what color paint to choose for your room? Maybe you want an accent wall but you just aren’t sure what colors will work well together or how to pick which will be the accent wall? We run into this situation a lot since we are also paint consultants. The most popular color of the year has been in the grey family. You might notice that a lot of magazines are featuring mid-century modern homes with light grey walls. So in your journey of choosing paints, here are some fresh new paint tips for you to keep in mind before you jumping onto the color wheel.
1- Start Small
If you’re not sure where to begin with color, experiment in a powder room or bathroom, a small hall or area between rooms, or an accent wall. When remodeling your bathroom look into the frameless shower door. If you’re doing your own painting, pick an area that’s quick to do so you can see your results sooner, and be happy with it or change it. Look at the process as an adventure.
To get started, select a favorite color drawn from artwork, a rug, dishes and an accessory or furniture piece as a main color or accent.
2- Think About Your Mood
When selecting a color, consider the mood of a room. In a bedroom do you want the feeling to be restful and soothing or dramatic and intimate? Soft, cool colors and neutrals usually create a quieter feeling while stronger colors are for drama.
Do you want a dining area to feel sociable and stimulating or appear formal and quiet? Warmer, contrasting and somewhat brighter colors add to a sociable atmosphere; deeper blue-greens and neutrals will give a more formal ambiance. If you want to have an interior that looks incredible, spotless and beautiful, then you’re in good company with New Haven Painters LLC, see more at New Haven Painters LLC website.
Do you want kid’s rooms to create an active and exciting energy or an orderly and restful feeling? Be careful not to overstimulate your children with intensely bright hues. You may not know it, but some brighter colors can lead to unrest and irritability.
3- Pay Attention To Lighting
The reason why paint stores have light boxes for you to test paint chips:
- Natural daylight shows the truest color;
- Incandescent lighting brings out warm tones and yellows;
- Fluorescent lighting casts a sharp blue tone.
So, a strong color might be too bright and overpowering when used on all walls or next to a large window, but it might be effective when used as an accent wall with indirect light.
4- Become Familiar With Color Terminology
It helps to understand the terminology used to describe color.
- Hue is what we call a color. Red is the hue; blue is the hue.
- The value of the hue is how light or dark it is.
- Saturation refers to how dominant the hue is. As we go from red to pink, the red hue becomes less dominant.
- Intensity is the brilliance of the color. The pure colors such as red are more intense than the combined colors such as yellow-green. A stronger intense color usually has a more dominant hue.
5- Take Risks!
Paint color is not an expensive undertaking. If you have to repaint, repaint. Paint can refreshen a room up in no time and with little cost! Boost your confidence by testing colors on poster board or large areas of a wall. Don’t be afraid to go beyond your comfort zone: Consider strong, vivid colors or soft, deep neutrals like chocolate brown or olive green as main or accent colors. Or add drama with a stronger color on the ceiling. Tinted ceilings can dramatically change the whole look of a room.
6- Add Dimension & Texture
Find expert painters that can transform flat, dull walls into interesting and personal spaces with subtle or dramatic visual texture and broken color. Burnished mineral/metal finishes and layered colored glazes add depth. Some examples of softly reflective metals are mica, copper, pewter, bronze and, of course, antiqued silver and gold. Tip: You can also go buy some awesome textured wallpaper and put that on one wall to add depth. Have you installed an expensive stucco? How often should you paint it?
7- Be Paintsiderate
Consider walls as planes of color, and see how they interact when viewing one next to the other in adjacent rooms. Approach it like a composition: You’re in one room, but you’re going to see a piece of another room through it. So as you’re choosing colors, consider how they will flow from room to room to create your picture. If you’re looking for a trusted painter around New Haven County, Infinity Painting LLC’s Crews have the skills and experience needed to paint your entire space.
8- Look At A Color Wheel
A small color wheel is a great reference tool for modifying and intensifying two or more colors. For example, red and green, which are complementary (opposite) colors, are most intense when used together. You may be surprised at how many combinations function beautifully together, and you may even become attracted to entirely new color palettes. The color wheel also illustrates the visual temperature of a color. Draw a line from the yellow-green mark on the color wheel all the way down to the red-violet; you’ll see that all the colors on the left are warm and the colors on the right are cool.
9- Monochromatic
It is fun to use the same color way in one room. If you choose to go with grey, you can use the grey family (example of photo above). Creating a monochromatic feeling is very relaxing and calming.
10- Paint Finishes
A single color used on walls and trim takes on new significance when applied in different finishes. For example, wall and trim colors can remain the same hue, but use an eggshell (matte and less reflective) finish on walls and a satin or semigloss on trim. The color will appear slightly different on each surface. It’s a good way to create a cohesive look in rooms with many windows and doors, and relatively little wall area.
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