interior design painting walls

Interior design painting walls

It is now time to paint…do not panic. Finding the perfect color for a room is a big deal. With thousands of colors to choose from where do you start? The ideal color will make your room amazing, just like you dreamed. You don’t want your room looking like a pumpkin, when you wanted a peach. Picking the best color for your room can be a snap with the correct tools. There is help out there.

Interior Designers use something called a sample board. It is a board that they keep their samples for a room they are designing. The large paint manufactures have already done this for you. Olympic paints have wonderful brochures with combinations of colors that work well together. They have 6-7 color samples and pictures to show the combinations together in a room. It is the next best thing to an Interior Designer looking over your shoulder. I highly recommend you use these they are very well designed and the colors all complement each other.

After you have narrowed down the search to a couple options get larger samples. The painting stores have finally heard the cries from designers, give us bigger samples. In most stores much larger samples are available. I still take 3 or 4 of them, tape them together and put on the wall. You can also buy a small container of paints, but the color selection is limited. I often go to the craft store where they have hundreds of colors in 2 oz bottles and they cost around a dollar. It is a great way to have many choices with little money spent. Don’t forget you can combine colors to get that special custom color.

interior design painting walls

I suggest putting the color on cardboard samples; make them large so you get the real feel it. Do a couple so you have choices. Live with them for a day, that way you can then see the color in different kinds of light. Remember color changes, early morning is much different that night with the lights on.

When using color in your rooms keep in mind the finish or sheen of the paint. It goes from flat to hi-gloss. There is a place for each one. Rule of thumb always use flat on ceilings, hi-gloss or semi-gloss in bathrooms. That leaves eggshell or satin. I typically use eggshell a little less sheen, but the choice is yours. Be mindful of the conditions of your walls, if they are old and have cracks use something with less gloss. Have fun, keep the stress out. The very best thing about choosing color is if you don’t like it…paint over it!