Painting a room starts with picking the best colors so you love the results. After all, you're either going to spend a lot of time painting your room, or pay someone to do it, so good planning is needed to insure you'll love the results.
Not surprisingly, people pick safe paint colors to avoid picking something they might not like once the room is painted. Vikki Foley, a California interior designer specializing in color, says about 85% of all paint sold is “off white” because off white makes spaces look larger and supports any type of room decor.
Vicky starts her video, How to Choose a Paint Color, saying your first decision when painting a room is to decide on your color concept. You have a choice: neutral or wow colors. Neutral colors which include beige, tan, taupe, gray and any off white colors. Wow colors any color that isn't neutral.
Painting a Room with Wow Colors!
While writing about kitchen decorating (Kitchen Decorating Means What?), it was surprising how difficult it was to find kitchens with a splash of color. They're painted in neutral colors, relying on wood cabinets, counter tops and backsplashes for color and texture. Even on Pinterest, there were few examples of colorful kitchens.
Painting a room is one of the least expensive ways to decorate, if you're doing the painting. It's great when you're a new homeowner buying furniture, as you don't really know your decorating style yet and there isn't enough money to buy artwork for your walls. Compared to the cost of furniture and window treatments, painting a room is also very cost effective.
You Know What Colors You Like! You Wear Bold Colors, Not Just Neutral Colors! Why aren't you painting rooms in the same colors you wear?
Ways to Experiment by Painting a Room Partially
Here are ways to bravely try painting a room with some “wow colors” and it's okay to start in one of your bedrooms, the laundry room, etc until you're more comfortable with your color choices.
Maybe I didn't know the rules (although generally I don't ask) so the green stripe below is what I painted on the living room wall in my very first apartment and you're right. You're right too, that I didn't get my deposit back although we painted 3 coats of white over the stripe. Still, I enjoyed my “decorated room” with this stripe and a few small plants for the year and a half I lived there. Now that I'm a homeowner, I'm still painting a room or several in each house.
When painting a room, what wow colors will you pick?
PS We've got lots of great articles to help you with your next painting project:
- Understanding Paint Finishes: Matte, Eggshell, Satin …
- Painting Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make
- Painting Tips for Homeowners … and Pro Painting Tips
- Best Painting Tools to Save Time & Money
- Painting Cleanup: Learning From the Pros
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