While there are countless colors to choose from, choosing paint color for your home can be a daunting challenge. Fortunately, learning the basic rules of color selection can make it very easier to choose the color of the interior wall paint. This guide will teach you how to choose paint colors like a pro, as well as provide tips and tricks to help you make quick and smart designs for your home. Once you learn the basics of choosing colors for a room, you can experiment and find paint colors that reflect your unique personality.
Understanding The Color
While choosing paint colors does not require you to be an expert in color theory, understanding the following terms can make color selection easier.
- Primary colors: Red, yellow and blue are the primary colors.
- Secondary colors: obtained by mixing two primary colors. Green, orange and purple are the secondary colors.
- Shade is the transition between colors.
- Value is the degree of color depth.
- Warm colors: Shades of red, orange and yellow.
- Cold colors: Shades of blue, purple and green.
In interior design, colors are selected and defined according to the moods. Mood of a color is how it makes a person feel.
- Passive colors: Give a calming effect and allow for mental focusing and relaxation. Blues, greens and purples are often considered passive colors. Passive colors are cold and soft colors. Passive colors are popular options for bedrooms, as they make small spaces look more spacious.
- Active colors: Give a stimulating effect and excite the mind. Reds, yellows and oranges are considered active colors. Active colors are warm and bright colors. Active colors are popular choices for kitchens, offices and attractive walls.
- Neutral colors: These are shades that do not fit into either of the primary or secondary color families. Neutral colors include black, white, brown, gray and cream. In interior design, many shades can be called “neutral”, as long as they are less saturated than the accompanying colors. For example, light pink can act as neutral when paired with vibrant and rich colors such as emerald, navy, or red.
Creating a Color Scheme
Choosing a color scheme for the entire interior of your room, including furniture and decoration, also helps with the color of the wall paint. A color scheme is the color arrangement or combination you use for decoration. For beginner designers, choosing three colors is enough to get started.
Tips for choosing a color scheme:
- Look at the color wheel to understand the color harmony. The colors that stand side by side on the wheel are called similar. The colors opposite each other on the wheel are called complementary.
- For a monochrome scheme, choose shades of the same color. Neutral colors are perfect for creating an elegant monochrome layout.
Reflection of paint
The next step in choosing a paint color is to decide on the desired brightness. The brightness of a paint refers to how much light the paint reflects. The paint that reflects a lot of light will look bright and make the room more vibrant, while the paint that reflects little light will look smooth and flat, making you feel comfortable. When choosing paint colors, you should also consider how the finishing will affect your room.
- Matte paint: Absorbs most of the light, creates a smooth and matte appearance. Matte surface paints are most often used for ceilings. When dry, matte paints may appear lighter.
- Eggshell paint: It is less glossy with a soft and smooth finish that resembles a real eggshell.
- Satin paint: It has a soft and pearl-like surface, which makes it a very popular choice for interior walls.
- Semi-matte paint: It has a bright and stylish appearance, illuminating a room by reflecting light naturally.
- Bright paint: Reflects a lot of light. Glossy paint is used on doors, frames and cabinets instead of walls.
Testing Paint Colors
Having narrowed down the options for painting the interior, it is important to understand how the color will look in your house. The easiest way to do this is to take sample paint cans and test the colors.
- Apply the sample color on your wall in the form of large squares. If you don’t want to paint your wall yet, you can paint a white cardboard and hang it on the wall. Remember that painting on the wall will give you the better idea.
- Paint at least two layers and/or apply it over a primer so that the previous wall color does not affect the test.
- Make sure that the test squares are at eye level and visible from afar.
Transition Between Rooms
When working with different colors for each room, it is a practical rule to use a darker or lighter color in adjacent rooms. For example, if your dining room is light gray, you can paint the adjacent living room dark blue.
- Decide on a color that will be your main color all over your home and use it as a wall color for your hallways, foyer and living room.
- Think about all adjacent rooms that you can see while standing in one room. The color of the rooms that are visible at the same time should be harmonious.
- Choose colors with the same temperature (i.e. all warm colors or all cold colors)
- Add a single wall that will attract attention with a shade that is warmer or colder than your main color.
- You can make high-ceiling rooms cozy by painting the ceiling in a darker color.