Design Tip #3 Choosing the Right Paint Color

How many of you have ever brought home a gallon of paint, painted a section of the room, looked back and said "I hate it"? I know I have!! Now that you have a better understanding of the color wheel, and how colors can affect your mood, here are a few tips that I have learned along the way on how to choose the right paint color for your room. 


First and foremost: Bring it home. Don't make a decision based on how a color looks in the store. Take the card home, cut out the chip you like, and stick it on the wall to see it in your room's lighting. Glidden Paint (available at Home Depot) offers peel-and-stick color chips that work like Post-its, safely sticking to walls. If this still doesn't work, try the next tip.
 
Audition a color. The best way to choose a color is to try out a sample.  I was just at the Lowe's picking out paint colors for Dominik's room and saw that they now have sample jars you can purchase for less than $3.00. What a great way to test out a paint color before you purchase the gallon. Make sure that you apply the color to a two-by-two-foot piece of foam board and NOT directly to the wall. You will find that once you apply your chosen paint color over the sample, a sheen and/or shadow of the paint sample will show through. Also, make sure that you position the panel in several parts of the room at different times of the day to gauge the changing light. Benjamin Moore also provides sample jars at a relatively low price. They have great paint!!! 

Make it match. You can have paint custom mixed to match a piece of fabric, carpeting, or wallpaper at any Ace Hardware, Home Depot, or Lowe's store. 
 
Consult a computer. In one of Home Depot's Color Solution Centers, you can use interactive software to "virtually" paint a model room so you can see how different colors will look. Lowe's has kiosks in its Signature Colors Design Centers, where you can experiment with more than a thousand colors from six designer palettes. For an even better sense of how a color will look, both Glidden and Lowe's sell CD-ROMs that let you input digital images of your own room. 
 
Narrow it down. Find a store that works for you and go with it. There are tons of big name stores out there that sell paint, pick one and see what paint selections they have to offer. Keep in mind that when you are selecting a brand of paint, try one with zero VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds). If you don't know what this is its that nasty smell that paint gives off after you place it on the wall. Its not good for the environment and its also not good for you to breathe in. Benjamin Moore has one of my favorite Zero VOC products called: Natura Zero VOC Interior Paint, give it a try!!! Most of the big stores also offer similar zero VOC paint selections.