SmartHomeOwners

Whether re-painting the interior of an older house or selecting paint for a newly constructed house, choosing the paint colours for your rooms can be a daunting task.  Here are some quick tips to make your selection a little easier.

Colour Deception

They say that "looks can be deceiving" and the same goes for colour samples!  When you pick a colour for a room, the colour might not look the same on your walls as it appears on the colour sample card.  This is due to various lighting factors as well as how it appears against other colours as well as the flooring in your home.  So you should definitely consult a professional painter before making your room colour selection.  A painter can help you compare the colours you choose against the lighting and overall design of your home.

What is Traditional Interior House Painting?

Many homeowners feel they want a simple, traditional decor in their home....none of this "modern day" bold paint stuff!  But what exactly is traditional when it comes to room colour?  For thousands of years, folks have used dramatic paint colours to create elegant, stylish rooms.  If you tour older homes, whether from colonial days or even earlier in history, you'll see that homeowners of long ago didn't shy away from bold colours.  They often used bright red or deep burgundy, dark blue, emerald green, and even bright pink or yellow to create a certain mood in each room.  They would offset the bold colors with exquisite furniture, paintings and window treatments.  So don't be afraid to go "bold" with your paint selection.

Creating Contrast

Some rooms are made for contrast.  Creating contrast with paint colours helps bring out the details of a room.  For instance, you can paint fireplace mantels, molding, wainscot, doorways, window trim, etc. with one shade darker or lighter paint than the primary walls.  If you really want to go "bold," consider using a contrast of colours on the walls.  Make one accent wall an entirely different colour than the others, or paint the top half of a wall a different shade from the bottom half and add molding to cover the seam where the two paint colours meet.  Paint the molding the same colour as the bottom half of the wall.  This gives the appearance of having a wainscot even if there's not one.

Ceiling Effects

Keep in mind that ceilings don't always have to be bright white to create a spacious feel in a room.  Dare to be different by painting your ceilings a lighter shade than the primary colours of the room.  This will still create an "airy" affect while keeping the overall colour pattern.  There are some rooms that you might want to appear a bit more closed in...such as the bath or dining area.  Perhaps your home has higher ceilings than you'd like.  You can use lighter colour instead of white to decrease the cathedral ceiling effect a bit.

Every room should be painted to create a visual effect.  The visual aspect of a room will set the tone for family and guests. Do you want a relaxing atmosphere, a cozy cottage feel, or a bold, luxurious decor style?  Ask yourself these questions before selecting a room colour.  Consider your style of furniture, window treatments, paintings, carpet, flooring colours, etc. and how each colour will blend with your overall interior design plans.