With thousands of colors to choose from, selecting a paint color can be an extremely daunting task. After a recent move, I put together a step-by-step guide to picking paint for the chic Vixely woman in every abode.
1. Get Inspired
When choosing a paint color for your home the best way to begin is by looking in magazines and books. Flip through the pages and mark what appeals to you. I recently repainted my apartment after feeling inspired by Chinese blue rooms. Upon ear marking many blue rooms, Aerin Lauder’s Hamptons dining room stood out as my favorite and became my color inspiration.
Lauder’s Blue Walls in East Hampton make a bold statement, especially when combined with a graphic zebra rug!
Photo Credit: Elle Decor
While I adored the idea of saturated blue walls, the color isn’t well suited for more than one room. A bold colored room works best when it stands in contrast with a more neutral palette (hence why blue and white is so chic!). With this in mind, I decided to paint only the dining room blue and the rest of the apartment a soothing pale gray. This allowed the blue to sing and made the apartment feel larger by creating distinct spaces.
2. Narrow Down Your Palette
After you’ve determined the palette(s), pick up a few paint decks and mark shades and tones that appeal to you. The best paint decks to have on hand are Benjamin Moore’s Classic Colors, Farrow & Ball, and Fine Paints of Europe. It is impossible to pick a color from a paint deck alone, so selecting a few different options to test will improve your odds of finding a color in the first round of testing.
3. Test Patches of Paint
Colors always appear darker once applied; the difference in shade is shocking! Once you’ve selected two or three potential colors, buy small test buckets of paint at your local hardware store. Using a foam tip brush (which is easier to use than a bristle brush), paint 1′ x 1′ test patches on the wall where to color is to be used. Live with the colors for a few days so you can see them in different lighting conditions and then make your choice.
Apply two coats of paint to each test patch and be sure to label each color with a post-it for easy reference.
If you’re painting multiple rooms, it’s a good idea to do a series of small test patches comparing the colors for the entire apartment. This allows you to see how the colors influence each other. For example, some of the grays I was considering became very dirty or purple next to the blues. Doing test patches spared me from making a big/expensive mistake!
Be sure to compare colors you are considering for other rooms as they should compliment one another.
4. Consider Finishes
Paint is not just paint. Just as there are loads of colors options, there are loads of finish options. While there are degrees of each,paint basically comes in five finishes: flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and high gloss (see chart). Flat paint will give you the most saturated color, but is hard to maintain as it easily scuffs. The shinier the paint, the more durable it tends to be. As such, semi-gloss and gloss paints are an excellent choice for moldings and trims as they experience more wear-and-tear. Glossy paints are also a great choice for ceilings as the reflectiveness of the finish bounces light around the room making it feel larger.
5. Hire a Good Painter, and Pray it Turns Out!
Ideally, painting should occur before moving into a space while it is furniture free. If already living in the space, be certain to protect your furniture by moving it to the center of the room and covering it with drop cloths. Paint takes a few days to dry and the fumes can be quite strong, so plan a stay-cation/vacation while the work is done!
The finished product!
Shop CeCe’s Blue Hues Here:
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