You went to the local box store, felt good when you saw the wall of color chips, went to the blue section because that is your favorite color, chose a chip, looked at it, ordered a few gallons, went home, painted, finished painting, looked at your room - and were horrified! What happened?
So many things went wrong from the time your left your house. I'll tell you what probably went wrong and how to make it right.
1.
The first thing that may have been the best place to start was never to leave your home. I know you love color and it's fun to take the family out and look at all those glorious paint chips and pick the one you think is best but this is like letting a kid run wild in a candy store.
What would I recommend? Call in a pro. I would have called a Color Expert, Color Consultant, Color Specialist - whatever you want to call us - to help you with your color journey. You wouldn't attempt to install your own carpeting or build your own pool or even re-shingle your own roof would you? Well maybe you would if you were a true DIYer but for the most part, it really pays to let the professionals do what they do best.
Ok. Now you're at the box store. Eenie meenie miney - Blue! Blue seems to be the #1 color choice for most but with hundreds to choose from, how do you know your are picking the right one?
 |
| Sherwin Williams Blues |
2.
We all know lighting is a color killer and this should be your #1 consideration when choosing ANY color. So right than and there you should just leave the box store. If you're bound and determined to choose color from the wall and don't want to work with a Color Specialist, at least grab just a few colors you think you like, purchase some paint sample boards, and the ONLY brand I recommend is Small Wall, and try them out on the boards in the correct lighting. This is a really, really good way to start your color journey.
 |
3.
Another HUGE factor that is probably the #1 culprit of choosing the wrong color is how you hold your paint chip.
Why? Because of the way the light hits it. Your paint will be viewed VERTICALLY on the wall so that is the way you should be holding your paint chip - not horizontally or flat. Trust me when I tell you it will make a substantial difference.
“DON'T EVER HOLD A
PAINT CHIP HORIZONTALLY
WHEN DECIDING ON A COLOR. ”
Why? Because of the way the light hits it. Your paint will be viewed VERTICALLY on the wall so that is the way you should be holding your paint chip - not horizontally or flat. Trust me when I tell you it will make a substantial difference.
I took these two photos in the same light, minutes from each other. The one on the left was viewed flat and the chips on the right were viewed vertically. Look at the first three colors. Same color, same light but they look very different. This is a classic example of what can go wrong. What should you do?
“Hold the color vertically,
the way it will be seen on the wall,
when choosing paint colors.”
Next time when you need color for your home, think about these points. It's the small changes in what we do that will make the biggest difference. Email me if you need help!
The horizontal vs vertical tip was excellent! What a difference it makes! Thanks for sharing more insightful color tips and of course TYSM for the Small Wall® shout out!
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts and advice Donna!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you will visit my site and let me know what you think of my Autumn decor, so far.....
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
As always, excellent post, Donna!
ReplyDeleteOne more thing to consider is the ceiling. Obviously this is a time to view the sample horizontally. When someone is considering painting the walls and ceilings, I like to wrap the sample at the corner to see the dramatic change in value. This is often when we need to go 50% less formula.
Thank you!
Good point EB! I forgot to mention that for the ceiling. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteGreat points, Donna and Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteEach surface has its own point to make, especially relating to how light hits it. Is your wall opposite windows? In an alcove?
Please don't paint multiple little brush strokes on your walls, since it just creates confusion and is not an accurate way to view color.Using Small Wall is the perfect way to actually experience seeing the way your lighting changes how you/we see color. That's something I always recommend.
In fact, even better is to use two small-walls with your selected color, place them in a corner--and even on ceiling + wall, together, and you'll get a better picture of how your room will look, since when colors meet at a corner, the color is 'amplified.' You can also re-paint these re-positionable color sections.
That's why I offer my own EcoHues color samples on Small Wall!