CHOOSING PAINT COLOURS ?!?
How is a regular homeowner to choose from thousands of colours?!?
First, why are you renovating? If it’s to create your dream home, or to update a home you plan to live in for a VERY long time, you can do anything you want! If you’re renovating with a plan to move in a year or two, then you’ll want to appeal to the broadest range of buyers possible. And if you’re renovating an investment property, you might already have a standard colour for all your properties; if not, you’ll want to pick a colour that you can easily find again. That way you can re-paint one room if necessary, rather than the entire rental suite.
Many homeowners want to follow the latest trends. Our best advice is to talk to the employees at the smaller stores: Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, etc… Or if you are hiring a painter, ask their opinions about the trendy colours.
It is currently January of 2022. This year many designers are thinking calm, serene, and centered. Sherwin Williams lists their colour of 2022 as “Evergreen Fog” which is designed to be “soothing and subtle.” The back story is also that green is a colour of nature, revitalization and growth – so they’re hitting 2022 with notes of optimism! Benjamin Moore lists their colour of 2022 as “October Mist.” Again this colour is in the green family (similar to a sage), and is intended to evoke harmony, and calm in a “gentle shade.” The beauty of both of these colours is how easy it will be to match and contrast other features in the room with this background paint colour.
In contrast, we have Pantone: a company considered a world expert on colours for design, fashion, etc…. Their colour of 2022? Very Peri: think of it as a bright violet with hints of blue. So sometimes, colour is simply an expression of your personality and style. Just a reminder that darker colours may need several coats of primer over them, if and when you decide to change the wall colour.
After you decide why you’re renovating, and do your research on the trends, we suggest you narrow down the search to a family of shades. Calming greens, off-whites, greys all have an astonishing number of different shades. Then try to narrow it down to 3. Most paint stores will be able to provide small sample cans. It is absolutely worth it to invest $30 in a few small cans of paint and some small brushes. Paint a test swatch of each colour on the wall or walls of the rooms you are considering. Now, look at the colour at various times of the day. Trust me. It will look different at sunrise, noon, and after dark when the house lights are on. Another tip is don’t put the swatches directly beside each other. Leave 6 inches or more between swatches, so your mind doesn’t get confused. You can also have a friend or family member block the other swatches with blank paper while you’re thinking.
A final reminder, maybe obvious, is to consider the furniture that will be in that room. Do you already have an area rug you love? Does the new paint colour go nicely with that rug? Does the furniture compliment the “feel” of the colour? Or are you going for a bold contrast? And if you’re selling soon, could new buyers or renters put their furniture into a room with that colour? Very Peri might be a challenge for many buyers – just saying.
Looking at all the colours in a paint store can be overwhelming! But when you start narrowing down your choices it gets easier. Then the trickiest part is getting all the key decision makers to like the same one!