Picking Wall Colors April 17 2015, 0 Comments
Color is responsible for 60% of our response to an object or a place, this is called “color psychology.” So, you can understand why it is so important to pick the right color when decorating your home right? To learn more about the color wheel and color schemes click here.
Vibe
What do you want people to feel when they step into a room? Calm? Excited? Social? Formal? Well your color scheme can have a deep impact on what you and your guests feel in a space. Bold colors, such as deep red, correlate with a more dramatic intense feel. While softer cooler colors, such as blue, give a calming relaxed vibe. If you want a welcoming cozy environment warm colors create the perfect atmosphere. Whereas deeper cool colors and neutrals give a room more of a formal feel. So it is important to consider these things when choosing a color for a room.
Lighting
Lighting has a huge impact on how your room will look because certain hues can look different depending on the light. Natural light would show the truest form of the color you choose. So if you’re looking for a color to paint a room that has a lot of windows and sunshine coming in you do not have to worry about the color looking different from when you looked at it in a store versus when you paint it on your walls. Incandescent lighting is your typical light bulb and tends to bring out warmer tones such as yellows, oranges and reds. Then there is fluorescent lighting which can be a bit tricky to deal with. Fluorescent lighting sets a bluer tone to a room, therefore it works well with cooler tones as when you use warm tones with this type of lighting you run the risk of it clashing.
Testing
Buy samples from stores of colors that you like and then go home and test the color on a small space of your wall. This is the absolute best way to see which colors you like the best This also gives you the opportunity to go beyond your comfort zone. Feel free to pick a bright daring color to test out, maybe you will end up loving it and going down a different path than what you had expected.
Finishes
There are plenty of finishes to choose from when painting your walls and they can add an interesting textured element to your design. A high gloss finish creates a shiny look and is easiest to clean and maintain. Semi-gloss is a less dramatic gloss and perfect for a bathroom or kitchen because it works well with moisture. You may also want to consider finishing your trim with semi-gloss as it works well in high traffic areas. Satin has a smooth velvety look and is easy to maintain and clean with a light scrubbing. An eggshell finish has no shine but is perfect for covering up a walls imperfections.