subject: How To Make Sure You Choose The Right Paint Color [print this page] There are a lot of factors to take into consideration when choosing the right color and shade for your room. I recently saw make over show on TV with a top interior designer managed to get this wrong. You see she put together a great design scheme and as her team began the makeover and started to paint the walls, she realised that the two colors she had chosen were all wrong. This was not because they clashed or anything but because there was more light in the room than she anticipated and the colors were not dark enough to create the effect she wanted - they just looked a bit "blah" to be honest.
You are probably wondering if a professional interior designer can get it wrong, how are you going to manage to get it right. I assure you I am not going to recommend some expensive high tech solution to this. In fact the solution is so simple a 3 year old could do most of this on their own!
Now we often select paint colors in the hardware store, from very small color swatches which we look at under harsh fluorescent lights. It can be really difficult to judge how this will actually look in our rooms. So, when you have narrowed down your color choice or even decided on the actual color you want, I would advise you to get a little sampler pot of the paint. Now you could go an paint it directly onto the wall if you wish, but you mightn't want to live with the messy look that will create. This is fine if you know your room will be repainted in a day or two, but if it is likely to me more, you may want to take another approach.
As an alternative, I recommend you take out some sheets of paper, printer paper is fine. Paint them with your sample pots until you have good solid coverage. Then just take some masking tape and hang one sheet on each wall you are planning to paint in that color. Leave the paint swatches on the wall for at least one day and take a look at it at different times to see how the shade you have chosen appears as the light in your room changes. You will be able to better judge whether you have the right shade or if you need to go lighter or darker in color, by completing this simple test.
I have done this in my own home a number of times, especially when I am deciding between a couple of color choices. I am sometimes amazed at the differences I see in the colors after completing this simple exercise.
