4 common mistakes I see people make when they are trying to decide on a color for the inside of their home are:

1. Picking a color off of a paint chip.

2. Covering their wall with paint samples.

3. Assuming all colors are equal.

4. Picking the color before the furnishings.

1. It is challenging to pick just the right color for your home and trying to decide based on a two inch square paint sample is even more difficult. If you happen to have a fan deck of colors it quickly becomes overwhelming. I recommend using the paint samples as a general guide to narrow the selection down to various hues. What we like to do then is buy only a gallon of paint and after paint one wall to really see how that selection is going to work. We can make adjustments to that color on the jobsite to refine the selection even further. Once we have just the right color we then get more paint and proceed with the job.

2. Every so often I go to an estimate and am greeted with a wall covered with swaths of various colors. This is really not the best idea for picking a color. When you look a several colors our eyes and brains are blending those colors and you don’t get a fair representation of what any one of those colors will look like on it’s own and it gets confusing.

3. All colors have slight variations and appeal to people differently. For example, whites can have some yellow hues or they can lean towards the grays. A general statement like “I want beige” should be the starting point to further refining the selection down.

4. A good idea is to pick your furnishings and decor and then use the paint colors to highlight those selections. A accent is a great way to pull additional colors out of a piece of artwork or drapery.

These 4 common mistakes are easy to avoid. We have free color consulting and are happy to help homeowners pick the perfect color and sheen of paint.