3 Rules To Picking The Perfect Paint

Picking out paint is a huge decision and can really alter how your home looks and feels. I have three rules that I follow when picking out paint colors, which is basically dummy proof, so that you never pick the wrong color! I do this will all my clients and it's so helpful to them when trying to find the perfect color.

1. Paint A White Background

When deciding on a color, if you paint a swatch on what is already there, it may look a little different than it's true shade. Your eyes play tricks on you it's when butting up to the original color. When you paint the swatch on a white background, your eyes tend to focus on the color better so you can see it's true pigmentation. A color against a white background is going to show its true tones and hues versus being against a gray, beige or colorful background.

2. Have Lots Of Options

This may sound simple, but it's often overlooked. The worst thing is having to make multiple trips to the paint store or local hardware store because you need to get more paint. At the same time, you don't want too many options because then it can be overwhelming. I always suggest to my clients starting with 5 samples. Typically you can knock out 2 or 3 immediately and then you only have a couple left. Once you narrow it down to two, you can tweak what you don't like about them.

3. Paint As Many Swatches In Your Home As Possible

Don't be afraid to paint, it's just paint, after all! The whole point is to pick your favorite color, so you're going to want to see it everywhere before making a decision. Paint it in corners, near the baseboards, in different rooms, big and small swatches, next to your cabinets, near your built-ins. You're going to want to see the color as best as possible before making a decision. The tricky part is that all houses are not equal when it comes to light. It's super important to look at the swatches during all different times of day because the sunlight will effect how it looks. It can look like a completely different color at 7am than it does at 5:30pm.

Next time you are picking out a paint color for your house be sure to use these 3 rules! They make the decision a whole lot easier. If you want help picking a color, please be sure to reach out and we can help! Email McKenna at styleitstudio.mckenna@gmail.com for a consultation!