Do You Know Your Paint Finishes?

How to choose the perfect paint color

1. Create a color palette that pulls from your existing furniture and decor
2. Choosing paint colors for your home can be a creative and exciting process. One great way to start is by selecting three colors from an existing object around the house - a pillow, tie or scarf, or painting, anything that conveys comfort or emotional connection for you. This will provide you with a range of paint options, as each sample strip has typically up to six paint colors. After selecting one color for the walls, save the other two paint colors to introduce some vibrancy in furniture and fabric around the room. For adjacent rooms, find another paint color using the original three sample strips. Finally, pick a fourth color as an accent to give the room an attractive contrast and extra layer of personality.
3. Decide on the paint finish for the room it will be going in
4. With paint color in hand, deciding which finish to use is the next consideration. Though flat paint provides more stain resistance, satin (also called eggshell) is still often used on walls because it hides imperfections and is washable. Semi-gloss and high-gloss finishes work best for trim elements such as door panels or molding profiles, but can also provide interesting visual effects on an entire wall. For example, paint one wall in a flat or satin finish and paint the adjacent wall in a semi-gloss—same color—and the light will create an eye-catching corduroy or velvet effect. Flat paint on the walls with high-gloss paint on the ceiling can similarly make your room shine!
5. Use color to set the mood or "tone" of the room
6. Paint professionals have a minor obsession with the psychology of color. Thoughtfully choosing paint colors for each room is an important factor in making a home or office feel comfortable and inviting. The mood created from paint colors can help paint a picture of how a space is used and what to expect when entering it. For example: social rooms, such as living areas and kitchens, should be painted in warm colors like daffodil-yellow, coral, or cranberry; while more private spaces like bedrooms or offices should feature cooler hues such as sage-green, violet, or sky-blue. It's important to consider paint color selection when decorating any space to ensure you create the perfect atmosphere and accentuate the functionality of each room.
   
7. Understand your white selections
8. With paint color, the whites come in a wide range of options from cool to warm tones. One paint that is often used is a "clean" white with no tinted undertones, usually preferred by designers for showcasing artwork or furniture in the space. Warm whites have yellow, brownish, pink, or rust undertones while cool whites have green, blue, or gray undertones. We suggest using warmer paint colors in dark rooms to create a cozy atmosphere while cooler paint colors can open up a space. To choose the best paint color for a given room it is important to test out each paint option to see how they look with the other colors already present there.
   
9. Use color to create a flow through your rooms
10. Paint color can play an important role in creating zones within a large, open space. For continuity, paint the walls one core shade and then add vibrant accents in furnishings and floor coverings to help delineate areas. This could be a cool blue sofa in the TV room which acts as a 'visual wall', or full-length curtains hung between the dining area and the kitchen. You don't need to stick to single tone paint colors either - mix it up by layering warm paint colors with cooler toned furniture, or using bright green pot plants as living decorations. Color can help create exciting hubs within your home that are visually pleasing and inviting.
    
11. Color can make your room feel larger, smaller, darker, or lighter
12. Crisp whites are able to make a space feel larger and more airy. In contrast, warm colors create a feeling of intimacy. At the most basic level, large rooms can typically handle more color than small rooms, as small rooms can tend to feel closed off, or dark.
    
13. Bring in color as an architectural aspect
14. A paint color can be used in various ways to create a dramatic makeover of a room, especially if one wishes to emphasize its architectural features. For example, framing the walls with paint color that is just one shade lighter or darker than the primary paint on the walls can draw attention to doorway and window moldings, mantels and bookcases. A coat of paint with a metallic glaze can be applied onto an element such as a ceiling medallion for an added sparkle that will make it stand out even more. Such creative approaches can transform a room into one with special charm and liveliness.