Choosing Color Schemes for Interior Painting

Properly used interior paint colors can revitalize every surface of your home, from the paneling and trim, to the walls and ceiling. A plethora of combinations are available, with colors available in multiple paint sheens. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but there are a wide variety of resources available to help you!

Number one, consider what colors you’re drawn to. Determining which paint colors you like or should avoid is crucial to creating an environment you’ll feel relaxed an comfortable in. An understanding of color and its effect on your mood will help you make your choices. Developing your own paint color scheme and sense of style is a important part of this process.

Catalogs, books and magazines are a great place to start along with decorating shows on television. Watching professional decorators redesign other people’s houses can be like having a free consultation.  At friends’ homes, hotels, even doctor’s offices and restaurants, keep an eye out for paint color combinations you like. Seeing and comparing how others’ projects have come together can give you a feeling for trends and unusual pairings you may not have considered on your own before.

You can also find great examples of bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms online. Some sites are very specific, providing photos and product suggestions; others provide lists of interior paint colors that are complementary together.

Finding and using a manufacturer’s paint color fan deck is another great way to see all the colors available in a specific line. There’s no rule you have to stick to one manufacturer, either.

Another thing you can use is decorating software. Many programs (purchased or available online) allow you to upload a photo of your home or office and change the “paint” digitally to get a fairly good representation of what your finished room will look like.

With enough investment capital, consider hiring an interior decorator. They help guide you through your whole decorating project, or provide a home analysis, pointing you in the right direction and allowing you to work out the details on your own time and in your own manner.