7 Tips on Choosing Interior Paint Colors for Homeowners

Are you getting ready to paint the interior of your home? Did you know that picking a paint color is more than just picking a swatch?

The wrong paint color can ruin even the best interior design. But the right paint color can elevate a simple room and make it look worthy of a magazine cover.

By learning a few simple tips, you'll be able to choose interior paint colors that you'll love for years to come.

Read on for our seven best tips on how to pick interior paint colors to perfectly complement your furniture, style, and the character of your home.

1. Look for Inspiration

Before you go to the paint store and get overwhelmed with paint color options, look for inspiration outside and online.

Outside, you can look at anything that inspires you, from magazines to the showrooms of furniture stores, which often have great setups. You can take inspiration from current color trends as well.

Online, take a look at Instagram and Pinterest for color inspiration, especially from the accounts of interior designers. A huge advantage of Pinterest is that you can make a Pinterest board to keep all your ideas in one place.

2. Experiment With Light and Dark Shades

You might be stuck on a paint swatch, wondering why it doesn't look quite right. This could be because you need to go a couple of shades lighter or darker.

Paint swatches come in single colors, but they also come in swatches with several shades of the same color next to each other on a spectrum.

This will help you to see if you were simply looking for a different shade of your chosen color, or if you need to select another color altogether.

3. Learn About Undertones

Undertones can make all the difference with how a paint color looks, especially when it's painted over your old wall paint color.

An undertone is the color that's underneath your paint color. It can also make a color look cool or warm. For example, warm colors have beige, pink, red, or yellow undertones. Cool colors have purple, blue, or green undertones.

To determine your paint's undertone, you can use a color wheel to help you.  This is done by comparing what color you think the undertone is to its pure color on the color wheel, such as a true red.

Let's say you want beige walls. This color has a red undertone. If your home has cool-toned floors and furniture, like gray wood, then you can bet the undertones won't match. In this scenario, wood with a warm undertone like yellow would be a better match.

4. Use Neutrals to Your Advantage

Neutrals don't mean that your interior paint color is boring. On the contrary, neutrals can be a beautiful complement to your furniture and the design of your home.

If you have unique wooden floors that you'd like to showcase, then neutrals are a good choice to help them stand out. 

Neutrals are also an excellent choice for when you want to add a pop of color to one wall without adding too many overwhelming colors. 

If you want a more creative spin on neutrals, why not try combining them in interesting ways? This could mean using a darker shade of beige on one wall and a lighter shade of beige on the wall next to it, for example.

5. Match Color to Room Function

If you would like to add some pops of color but don't want the entire interior of your home to be too bright and colorful, think about how you can match color to room function.

For example, you might spend a lot of time relaxing in the living room, reading a book, or watching TV. If this is a relaxing space for you, consider a neutral color, a soothing green, or a deep red.

If you're painting a toddler's room, you might want to add a fun, bright color to add to the playful theme of the room.

6. Sample Interior Paint Colors

Getting paint color samples might start with sticking a few swatches on your wall, but you should also get some sample paint from the store.

Some experts suggest painting 2 coats directly on the wall, but if you're nervous about doing this, make sure to contact an interior painting service. You can also paint on a poster board at least 1 foot wide and move it around the room to see what the colors will look like.

Testing also involves checking how the colors look in different lighting. You might not think that this would make much of a difference, but the lighting can change the tone and color of the paint.

For example, a warm chandelier can cast a warm, yellow glow on a white wall, while peak winter daylight can cast a cooler tone on it. 

7. Consider Finish

Paint selection doesn't stop at color. Paint has 5 possible finishes, and each of them can make your interior paint color look different. 

These finishes are high-gloss, semi-gloss, satin, eggshell, and matte. High gloss is the shiniest, matte has no shine, and the other 3 are in the middle. 

High gloss is a great option for the kitchen, as it's easy to clean, while matte is great for bedroom paint colors as the paint's high pigmentation will save you money on paint coats.

If you want each room to look a bit different without having to change colors with every room, you can experiment with different finishes from room to room for a unified look.

Choose Your Perfect Interior Paint Color Today

Choosing an interior paint color doesn't have to be overwhelming.

By following these tips, you can make the paint selection process fun and full of creativity. And no matter what you choose, always remember to stay true to your style and design aesthetic.

If you still need help picking interior paint colors, our reliable professionals at H3 Paint can help.

If you're in the Longmont area, schedule a free estimate with our expert team today.