Lately I’ve received a ton of questions on the one topic I absolutely DREAD answering: Paint Colors. Why does this topic pain me so much? Because choosing a paint color for a space depends on so many factors that it’s hard to choose one from just a picture, text, or email.
I wish I could sit here and tell you that I know what all the good colors are, and how easy it is to choose one. But unfortunately that’s just not reality. I can’t count the number of times where I feel like I put in plenty of research before finally deciding on a color, and still end up hating it once I’ve painted the entire space. Fortunately for you, I’ve made plenty of mistakes and learned enough things the hard way, so that hopefully you won’t have to.
So here are my top 3 reasons why choosing a paint color is so hard, and how to avoid my mistakes and choose one THE RIGHT WAY.
1) The Internet
I think we can all agree that the internet can be such an awesome resource for so many things. Unfortunately, paint color is NOT one of them. If you’re like me, you’ve taken screen shots of instagram photos, and pinned dozens of pictures on Pinterest solely because you like the paint color used in the photo. Let me show you an example of why that’s not a good idea.
Here is the photo on Pinterest I pinned because I loved the paint color. A perfect gray/beige, or “greige” as I like to call it.
It looks gorgeous, right? I think I’ll go to Lowe’s and buy SIX GALLONS of it sight unseen and paint the ENTIRE downstairs of my home. I mean, how could it go wrong? The picture looks so beautiful. {insert sarcasm}
Now, it’s not that I don’t love the result, but it’s just not the same as the picture, do you agree? Here’s the comparison.
Mine turned out much more “beige” and fleshy than the picture. I was hoping for more of a gray tint. But I’m still happy with it, so no worries. I think I’ll try this Pinterest strategy again for Ryan’s office. Ahem.
Here’s the photo I pinned because I thought it was the perfect smokey gray for the DIY Panel Wall I was building. So off to Sherwin Williams I went to buy TWO gallons.
Ummmm this looks really DARK. Am I sure I bought the right color? Why of course I did! I even took the screenshot of the paint formula from Pinterest to Sherwin Williams and had them mix up an exact match. Here’s proof:
So why does mine look so different than the picture? For goodness sake they’re not even close! Just look at this comparison.
The answer you ask? Brings me to my second point.
2) Lighting
The lighting in a space is THE MOST important thing to consider when choosing a paint color. Where does the window face, how much natural sunlight comes in, how big or small is the window, what kind of artificial overhead lighting? ALL of these things need to be considered when choosing a color. And NONE of them were considered when I chose the paint color for the Panel Wall above. Ryan’s office has a tiny window, with almost no direct sunlight, and faces the side of another home. Contrarily, the Pinterest photo has a large window, with lots of natural sunlight.
Here’s another example.
This was my Pinterest pick. The famous Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore.
Here it is in my tiny laundry room, at night.
And here it is during the day. It looks like a completely different color with the natural lighting.
Forget the fact that once again, it does not look like the Pinterest image I fell in love with. Here’s another difference in night versus day of the same space. Natural light vs. Artificial light.
So how could I have avoided these mishaps? That brings me to reason 3.
3) Samples
What you’re about to see here will blow your mind. The samples on the left are the actual color painted on the right.
This bathroom used to be a very dark turquoise color. When she painted the sample on, it looks almost white, right? But look at the right. It’s clearly a sky blue. The point I’m making here is that you can’t judge a color by painting it on the old wall color, especially if you are going from something dark to light, like this bathroom. The new color will only be seen in your eyes as how it compares to the existing color, not for what it actually is.
Here’s another similar situation. My friends just purchased this home on the left where the entire downstairs was painted a dark turquoise color (apparently this used to be popular). Again, it looks extremely white against the dark wall. But on the right it’s a very nice pale blue. So how do you properly sample, you ask?
Like this. You’re supposed to paint the color you’re sampling on a large poster board and hold it up to the wall. Having the color painted on a poster allows you to move it around the space and test it in different lights, shadows, and surfaces. Priming the wall white first also helps a great amount.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be very skeptical of pictures you see on Pinterest, Instagram, etc., and don’t fall in love too quickly. Know the lighting situation in your space, and don’t make the same mistakes I did. SAMPLE, SAMPLE, SAMPLE. The right way. I’m the first one to admit I have a severe stubborn side, but trust me when I say that spending $3 on samples up front will save you a LOT of heartache, money and time down the road. There are no perfect colors that will work for every home. Paint colors will look different in every single space so pick one that is right for you and your unique space!