Choosing Interior Paint Color

Choosing Color

Several factors figure into color selection. Personal preference, or colors a person feels comfortable with, is one of the biggest factors in color selection. Color can reflect a person's cultural heritage or traditions. Blue, for example, signifies stability in one culture, trouble in another.

Research shows that people react to color, with blue, blue-green, green, red-purple, purple, and purple-blue evoking pleasant feelings among participants, and yellow and green-yellow being least pleasant.

Colors also set moods that play a role in color choice. Warm oranges and reds may stimulate appetites, while cool greens and blues can appear calming. Orange-yellows seem welcoming. Color choices also offer cooler reds and warmer blues that cross traditional color-wheel boundaries.

Light Affects Color

Remember that colors look different throughout the day and in different light. A paint color that looked perfect in the store may seem drab or garish under natural or artificial light at home.

When comparing colors, cover up the other colors on a sample sheet or card so that they don't influence how you view each color.

When selecting paint colors, bring home color swatches and put them on each wall. Some paint manufacturers also produce sample paints. These small containers of paint allow customers to paint small sections on the wall to test the color.

Check how the paint or swatches look at different times of the day and evening over the course of a few days. Colors used in rooms that receive more northern light may appear darker while colors in rooms with more southern exposure can appear lighter and brighter.

Turn on the artificial light to be used in the room. Incandescent lights give a yellowish cast; fluorescents add blue hints; and halogens give off nearly white light. Each affects how the paint color appears.

Once you make a color selection, buy all of the paint required for the project to keep the color consistent. Write the batch numbers on the lids in case you need more at a later date.