Hello dear readers and welcome back for another post in my Interior Decor and Styling series! With summer in full swing at the moment, you may be doing more entertaining or you might even be considering listing your home on the market. If so, you’re possibly inspired to give your home a refresh. One of the best ways to do this is with a fresh coat of paint throughout. While this seems straightforward enough in theory, deciding on a color palette can be rather tricky and overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be however, if you follow a few simple design rules. Here are some tips for choosing the right paint colors for your hom *This post contains affiliate links and/or sponsored content.

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Choose Paint After the Furnishings

First, consider your furniture and other décor items. It’s easier to match the paint color palette to these accessories, rather than opting for a paint color you love and then having to go out and buy new furnishings to match. On the other hand, it is important to remember to paint first before brining the furnishings into a new space if you want to paint walls without ruining your furniture.

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Paint is one of the more inexpensive items in a home compared to more expensive décor pieces, and can be matched to virtually any shade in your furniture, so start your search for the right paint shades with the less flexible elements in a room. Consider key pieces of furniture (e.g., sofas, beds, shelves, cabinetry), plus tiles, wallpaper, rugs, curtains, and other fabrics. Base your paint colors on these elements and you’ll find the process easier.

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Think About the Fundamentals of Color Theory and Other Design Rules

If you find it difficult to know which path to go down with your paint shades, think about color theory and other design rules. You don’t need to study these for years, as simply knowing the basics can guide you. For example, look at the color wheel. The idea of this is that the hues next to each other on the wheel work well together in private spaces. Turn the wheel to see how colors relate to each other, and then choose shades from these colors in a paint store to test out at home. 

Also, consider the rule of 60-30-10. This rule refers to the idea that when decorating a room, it helps to divide colors into three components. Your major component, 60 percent, will be the dominant color used on the walls, while the next 30 percent will come from a secondary color such as that used on upholstery. The remaining ten percent stems from an accent color in your accessories. Use this ratio to keep colors carefully balanced, yet ensure there’s still enough “pop” in your space to create interest and energy. More importantly however, is to decorate with the things you love!

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If you’re still not sure about design rules, get advice. Speak with an interior designer or, more simply, search online for “interior home painters near me” and then ask your chosen painter for advice. Painters work with different shades day in and day out, and therefore have an innate understanding of what does and doesn’t work. 

Look for Inspiration 

As mentioned previously, it’s wise to pull colors from your furnishings and other large items to base your paint selections on. However, you can look for inspiration in not only large pieces of furniture or décor like tiles and rugs; you can also start with print fabrics. 

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Check out the bedding, table linens, pillows, and other accents you have in each room and look to the boldest colors in these for inspiration. If you need something more subtle for a large space, examine the shades used in the smaller details of print fabrics. Of course neutrals are still are the rage! To choose a neutral wall paint option, look to the whites and beiges, and other neutral shades used in your patterned pieces. These wall colors look fantastic in farmhouse style or chic homes with minimalist art.

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Don’t forget to consider your floor colors. If you are going to have carpeting, then make sure that your wall paint and furniture isn’t going to clash. Likewise if you are going to be doing any hardwood floor refinishing i  then you can choose a stain in a wood tone that will be beautiful with your furnishings and overall dcor. 

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Another idea is to look to your artworks for inspiration. Artists are masters at using light and color, so you can use their choices to inform your own. Select specific hues from a favorite piece, or select complimentary colors from the art and base your paint decisions on that. Plus, with so many wonderful interior decorating, design, and art magazines, catalogs, books, and blogs available these days, you should never be lost for inspiration. Check out these publications for ideas of how to use color in rooms, as well as visually-focused social media sites like Pinterest and Instagram to see what’s trending in color palettes. 

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Other inspirations might be looking at historical paint choices if you have a Craftsman, Mid-Century Modern, or other type of historical home to decorate, and looking to the outside landscape for options. Bringing the outside in is an increasingly popular choice, particularly when people want to bring the laid-back blues of the beach to their living zones, or go Zen with lush greens of the rainforest or garden. 

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Even though you might be chomping at the bit to start painting your home, take the time to think about the factors mentioned above. Doing this will make it easier to find the right paint colors for every space in your home, and more likely you end up happy with the final result for years to come.  If you are considering selling your home in the near future, painting everything a neutral color before listing may help your home sell faster. You want to get the best price possible so painting can really help. As realtor Doug Hopkins points out, going through traditional channels can take a long time. Hiring an expert real estate agent can be a real asset as they can also give you some tips on paint colors that tend to be popular with home buyers.

I hope you have found these tips for choosing the right paint colors for your home to be insightful. I personally prefer neutral paint for my walls since it allows me to play around with all of my vintage decor and accessories to easily change up the looks for the seasons, but I enjoy seeing bold wall colors in other people’s homes too. What are your favorite color choices for interior paint? I love hearing from you dear readers!

Best of luck with painting and refreshing your decor!

Amber

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