When selling a home, many experts recommend painting walls a neutral color so prospective homebuyers can see the space as blank slates for their décor. While this is helpful when selling a space, many new homeowners are left clueless as to what color to paint their walls after all the moving boxes are empty.
Choosing a wall color can be intimidating. There are so many options and finishes that the possibilities are endless. When feeling overwhelmed, here are some basic rules that will help make the selection easier.
First consider your décor as a whole. Wall paint will be a part of the entire look, so it must match or compliment the colors in your furniture and accessories. Choose a favorite fabric from your room and examine the colors. By selecting a paint color from the fabric you are guaranteed the wall color will work in the room.
When considering the colors from the fabric, also study your room. Does the room get a lot of natural light, or is it in a dark basement or shaded area of the house? In darker rooms, it is best to go with a brighter shade of wall paint to lighten up the room. However, if you are painting a shaded bedroom or dining room, you might consider a darker hue for a dramatic and elegant look.
Having narrowed down your wall color selections, it is now time to test some paint colors. You can always purchase paint samples and brush them on the wall. However, those spots will need to be primed before painting so the final color does not look uneven.
Mythic Paint retailers offer a great solution over having to buy several sample paints. For a small fee, they provide paint swatches of the lines’ best -selling colors, which are 7.5 x 11 inches paint chips of one color. You can tape the swatches to your wall to test several colors at once, and then return them to the dealer for a refund once you have chosen your color.
When testing the paint colors on your wall, make sure to look at them at different times of day and under different lighting. Take notes about which color you like best and when, so you can review your notes and see if there is a true winner. If you are still undecided, choose the color that works best under the lighting situation that will be most used in the room, such as a dining room while it is intimately lit.
Whenever in doubt, you can always confer with the paint specialist at your local hardware store. They are experts and can give you the best advice. Happy painting!
Christine is the Content Marketing Coordinator for Homes.com. She's a small town girl at heart, who currently lives in Norfolk, VA with her husband and their fur baby. When she's not working, she enjoys cooking, decorating, traveling, and binge watching Netflix. As a proud Virginia Tech alum, she also loves cheering on the Hokies!
