It can be interesting to give each room its own style and colors but always take into account that the interior of a house should be consistent from room to room.
Do you find that choosing the right color palette (among the thousands of choices) to paint the interior of your home is a complex and arduous task? Rest assured that you are not alone! It’s hard to make a final choice when you don’t know what factors to consider. In addition, the small color charts found in the store are not always representative of reality.
Learn the Terms Related To Color
Since research (internet, magazines, in-store, etc.) is the first step, it is important to know certain terms in order to be well informed.
- The hue is what we commonly call color (ex: the shade of red, blue tint).
- The intensity of the hue represents its luminosity (light or dark).
The saturation refers to the dominance of the hue. Going from red to pink, the hue becomes nuanced therefore less dominant.
The chromatic circle, in painting, organizes the 12 colors of the spectrum in a circle. Its main purpose is to explain the mixing of colors, to help you identify color families, and to visualize the different arrangements and harmonies of colors.
Start By Analyzing Your Room
Instinctively, your first instinct is probably to choose the color for your room from the start. It is much easier to choose a paint color that goes with your furniture and decor than it is to choose a decor that matches a color. If needed, most hardware stores can mix a unique shade of paint to match your furniture or reference decor.
If you choose paint first, you may find yourself limited to a few fabric, decor, and furniture options that match your wall. On the other hand, if you base your color palette on an existing product, you are much more likely to achieve a result that matches naturally. Patterned elements are particularly great options, as they often incorporate multiple shades and can serve as the basis for your entire color palette (for a neutral wall paint color, look at the whites and beiges in the pattern). Still, lacking the inspiration to start? Check out our Pinterest account, we have lots of ideas for you!
Apply These Few Golden Rules
Over the years, several interior designers have established rules that must be followed for a room to be painted to perfection. Try to apply at least one of these rules to optimize your results:
Decorate from darker to lighter, vertically. To make a space look good, it is advisable to use darker shades for the floor, medium shades for the walls, and light shades for the ceiling. The aim is to imitate the external environment and represent it in the room. The outside environment is generally darker beneath our feet (the earth itself), of medium value when looking straight ahead (buildings, trees, etc.), and lighter towards the sky.
The Rule Of Three Colors: A Well-Balanced Room Should Consist Of Three Colors.
The 60-30-10 rule when painting, divide the colors as follows: 60% of a dominant color (walls), 30% of a secondary color (doors, ceiling, windows, etc.), and 10% of an accent color (accessories and decorations). This ratio ensures that the colors are properly balanced and that there is just enough sparkle to generate visual interest.
Find the Perfect Color Scheme
To find three colors that go together when painting a room, rely on the colors in the color wheel. Try to opt for complementary, adjacent, or other layouts. To help you choose a logical and effective arrangement, check out the basic guide to color schemes!
Look At the Adjacent Rooms
Have you ever visited a house where the paint choices were very mismatched from room to room? Of course, this is not easy on the eyes. Usually, this feeling arises when owners try to overdo it with different concepts!
Painting can be this unifying element. Before choosing a particular shade, think about how it will look to your existing rooms. Colors should live in harmony.
Think About Your Emotions
It is well known that colors are often associated with different ranges of emotions. This is proven and can actually affect you when you spend a lot of time in a room with a dominant color. Soft, cool, and neutral colors generally create a feeling of calm while stronger colors are more dramatic. Be careful not to over-stimulate your kids with intensely vivid hues. Some brighter colors can cause irritability!
Don’t Get Caught Up In the Color Chart
The color charts provided in-store or online is very useful for selecting the right colors. However, keep in mind that the shade applied is usually darker than the shade seen on the color chart. This is due to several factors such as the lighting, the different layers of paint, and even the shape and orientation of the medium. Choose a shade below the one you want to avoid this surprise!
Test the Effect of Lighting on Your Color
Like it or not, the way a room is lit can have a huge impact on how it looks. This is why the rooms are often very different at night compared to the day. With that in mind, it is essential to make sure that you will be happy with your choice of color no matter what time of day.
