When you think of paint palettes, you most likely picture a painter with a splotchy board in his hand, but you don’t have to be the next Picasso to create a beautiful work of art in your very own home. By understanding how colors complement one another and influence moods, your next interior painting project will go a lot more smoothly.
The Color Wheel
Color Schemes
If you’ve picked out one color you like but are unsure how to coordinate it with other colors, there are many different color schemes based on the color wheel that you can utilize to help you.
Neutrals
If you’re finding it difficult to commit to a bold color choice or your room already has different colored elements that are hard to coordinate with one paint color, you’re not out of luck. While neutrals like white, gray, beige, and black are not on the color wheel, they are still perfectly acceptable paint choices. In fact, using neutrals as a backdrop can make any other accent colors in the room really pop. Choosing different paint textures and finishes can also keep neutrals from looking too plain or standard.
Test Before You Decide
The way a paint chip looks in the store is not representative of how it will look on your wall. Before deciding on a color, get a sample to paint a small area, or pin a large paint swatch to the wall. View the sample during both night and day and under artificial and natural light to make sure that you are completely happy with how it will look under all types of lighting.
Take into account how different colors transition into one another as well. Stand in different parts of your home where more than one wall can be seen to think about how the colors will interact with one another. For instance, if you are standing in a foyer that overlooks a hallway, dining room, and living room, it may not look aesthetically pleasing to have every single one of those areas painted a different intense color from random parts of the color wheel. Conversely, it may be too overwhelming or boring to have them all painted the same color.
Because interior paint schemes can have such a profound effect on the mood of a room and how your home is perceived, it is important to put a lot of thought into the decisions you make. While you can always paint over a color you don’t end up liking, painting can become costly if you have to constantly change colors. By putting a proper amount of thought into the process up front, you can save yourself time, money, and stress while ending up with a beautifully painted home.
