Last Updated on September 6, 2022
If you’re designing a new build, renovating a space in your home or just ready for a change, listen up!
Paint is one of the cheapest (and best) ways to freshen up a space, but it’s also one of the hardest to do without a designer.
Many people agonize over paint colors for weeks and weeks, only to pick a color they don’t love in the end.
Ready to stop stressing and pick the best color for your home? Here’s how!
Pick the paint color last
This piece of advice typically blows people’s minds, but it’s one of the best ways to ensure you don’t pick a paint color that doesn’t work for you.
Go ahead and outfit the space first, making sure everything coordinates well, and then, and only then, should you move on to paint colors.
Many people shop online for home decor, and you can easily make sure everything flows together when you use online tools like Canva.
By taking screen shots of items and then using a tool like canva to remove the background, you can easily lay out a mood board to make sure all elements in a room cohesively go together.
Once you’ve finished the design concept stage, it’s time to order fabric samples and match your paint colors.
Pay attention to the undertones of the paint colors
When your fabric samples arrive, begin by assembling them on a white poster board. What are the undertones?
In the photo above, navy is the main color used, but you can also see cream, greige and light blue tones in the rug, too.
In sticking with this example, you’d want to test out paint colors in color families that are observed by the fabrics and elements of the room, making sure the undertones work.
Get samples from the paint store and paint a large square on a white poster board so you can easily compare with your fabrics.
Remember there is no true color–every paint color has undertones and these will be brought out depending which color you choose, and the lighting and the elements at play in your room.
The easiest way to make sure you don’t select a gray that is too blue or a beige that is too brown is to test out multiple hues in the same color family.
Ready for more help with painting? Keep reading: 5 paint color mistakes to stop making right now
