How (and When) to Choose a Paint Colour
Several friends and family are redecorating right now, so I've had the "paint" conversation a lot lately! The best tip I can offer on "how" to choose a paint colour is actually WHEN to choose it.
Contrary to popular practice, you should be choosing your paint colour dead last. Not first, not even at the beginning — LAST. This allows you to pull a colour (or neutral) directly from your finishes and decor, rather than pulling one out of a hat. It ensures that your walls will actually coordinate with the rest of your room, and don’t end up looking or feeling "off". Of course you sketch out your colour palette early on and know you want “a” green or “a” white or "a” beige — just don’t try select the exact shade until all your other finishes and decor have been chosen!
My close-second best tip is to choose a colour that looks "duller" (less saturated) on the chip than you want it to look on the walls. Saturation (aka chroma) is THE trickiest thing about colour, but choosing a more muted version of the colour you're after is a solid rule of thumb. This is a complicated topic, and definitely the aspect about colour that trips people up the most! Stay tuned for a future blog post / video on this topic.
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Deciding how and when to choose the paint colour for your project can feel very daunting! Learn why choosing your paint colour LAST is the best approach.