The most indecisive part of designing your room is choosing the perfect color palette.This step could be very exciting for some people and daunting for others. In this post we'll try to simplify the process for you and help you customize a palette where you feel most comfortable.
Get Inspired.
There are a lot of places to find color scheme inspirations. You can get inspired from a rug, a cushion, a piece of clothing, etc... Artists know their way around colors the best, so look for a piece of artwork that you love and source all the colors to use from this piece. Another way to find a palette is to choose a patterned cushion or rug that you know you want to use in your room and start complementing it with colors that match,use Designseeds to find matching colors.
Our Favorite inspiration item is the rug, because it's very hard to find a rug that you love and that also matches with your furniture and decor so I always start with that.* Tip: If you're creating an accent wall, choose the boldest color in the pattern you got inspired by. For the rest of the room choose a color that is more subtle or neutral, it's probably going to be the one used for small details in the pattern.
Notice what attracts you.
Think of a color that you love and makes you feel happy and try to find inspiration to build a palette around this color. Go on Pinterest or Houzz and start saving all the rooms that you love and put them all in one board. After you're done, take a look at that board and notice which schemes caught your eye the most . Are you attracted to light and airy rooms or dark and moody ones?
Try to fight the urge of choosing the paint color first. Instead, choose the furniture and decor colors and then choose a paint color that complements them.
Distribute your colors.
When you're choose upholstery colors, try to use the neutral one for the sofa so you can always change the cushions and throws whenever you get bored, and keep the accent colors for chairs, decor items, artwork and cushions. Another simple way to build a palette is going Monochrome and choosing different hues from the same color. The best formula to divide your colors is: 60% on the walls, 30% on upholstery, floor covering or window treatments and 10% on accent pieces, artwork and accessories.
Choose the paint color.
After deciding on your color scheme, it's time to choose the wall color. If you love color but you're not quite ready to commit to adding it to your walls, then pick the most subtle shade from your palette and that should be your paint color. Don't worry you can still add color in plenty of ways other than on the walls. There are a few things to keep in mind though when you're choosing a paint color:
-Always sample your paint.
-When you're sampling your paint, try a large test area to get a feel of it.
-Leave the test area for two days and observe it at different timings through out the day, so you can see how the color reacts to different lighting.
-Test it at a corner, to see how it reflects the light and the color adjacent to it.
-Understand the undertones of the color, the darkest color on the paint swatch strip is the origin of the color, so keep that in mind so you don't end up with a paint color that's too green or too pink for example.
-Test the color against fabrics or furniture you're planning to use.
-Keep in mind adjacent rooms that can be visible from each other, their paint needs to match.
If you want plain walls, instead of using paint, use a simple textured wallpaper, this will add a lot of depth and texture to your room. It's also a great way to add color to your walls but in a subtle way.
If you have an accent wall, try to paint it one shade lighter or darker than your wall paint, it will add some interest to the space.Choose the Paint finish.
The general rule is, the more sheen there is in a paint , the more it will accentuate the flaws, so if you want to hide flaws choose the least sheen. Here are some guidelines for choosing the finish:
-High and Semi-gloss: Easy to clean, and resistant to dirt or stains. Good for high-traffic areas or to make a decorative statement like: Kitchens, Bathrooms, Doors,Ceilings and Moulding.
-Satin:Has a pearl-like appearance, easy to clean and slightly reflective. Good for moderate to high-traffic areas like: Kitchen, Laundry room, Bathroom, Family room, Doors and Mouldings.
-Eggshell: Has a velvety appearance, somehow easy to clean. Good for moderate traffic areas like: Bedrooms, Living room, Dining room, Hallways and Entryways.
-Flat and matte: Non-reflective, good for low traffic areas like: Ceilings, Formal living room, Office or Dining room.
If you're going for a monochrome look, add an accent wall in the same shade of paint but different finish. It will give a more sophisticated look.Example Scheme.
This is an example of how to create a color scheme. The inspiration pattern is the cushion. Then we derived from it all these shades to work with, the two most subtle ones are options for paint colors. The other three are to be combined between upholstery and accents.We chose the lighter one for the sofa and the darker one for the accent chair. You can add the accent colors in various ways like in a rug, accessories, vases, cushions and flowers so don't be afraid to start with a neutral base and then build up your colors.
Hope this was useful! Try it out and don't be afraid to experiment with colors, just take it one step at a time and only choose colors that you love and feel comfortable living with. You never know what you can do until you try! If you have any questions, drop us a comment below. Happy designing!
*All photo credits go to their owners.
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