Pick designs from calendar pages, magazines, catalogs, panoramic photos, postcards, and fabric swatches—these all have great, aesthetic layouts to choose from. Try narrowing down your options and choosing 3-4 colors that really speak to you.
Complementary colors: Colors that are direct opposites from one another on the color wheel (red and green, yellow and purple, blue and orange) Adjacent colors: Colors that are neighbors on the color wheel (red and orange, orange and yellow, yellow and green, etc. ) Monochromatic colors: Different shades and color values from the same color family (light red, bright red, dark red) Triadic colors: Three colors that are the same distance apart along the color wheel (red, yellow, and blue or orange, purple, and green)
If you have a big green sofa in your living room, you could narrow down your paint selection to green, blue, purple, and neutral tones. If your dining room has an orange area rug, you might stick with red, orange, and yellow colors for your paint.
Red: Stimulating and passionate Orange: Energetic and conversational Yellow: Happy and stimulating Green: Calming and serene Blue: Peaceful and reflective Purple: Relaxing and mystical Pink: Nurturing and tender White: Purity and creativity Brown: Stability and dependability Black: Elegance and mystery[5] X Research source
Light neutral colors add a lot of brightness to a space, and are a great way to make small rooms seem bigger. [7] X Research source
East-facing rooms tend to be brightest in the morning. Warmer, more energetic hues might be the best call if you’ll only be hanging out there in the evening. West-facing rooms tend to be brighter in the evening—if you need to head to bed early, you might benefit from cooler paint tones. Not sure which direction each room is facing? Download a compass app on your phone to check.
A dark, saturated teal could be a great option for a warm, well-lit kitchen. A light, yellow-white could add a lot of brightness and warmth to a naturally dark office space.
You might choose a burnt orange paint color to accent a room with peach-colored walls. You could choose a deep purple hue to contrast a room with off-white or neutral-toned walls.
If you have an off-white sofa in your living room, you might play around with a bold purple or blue wall to add some contrast. If the desk in your study is a deep, rich brown, you might balance it out with a lighter, neutral-toned paint color.
A home with neutral-toned, gray shingles might look good in a light green paint color. A brick house with dark shingles and dark brick flecks could look good with white trim and dark blue shutters. It’s hard to go wrong with neutral-toned paints, but feel free to play around with different colors and see what looks best for your home. [13] X Trustworthy Source Consumer Reports Nonprofit organization dedicated to consumer advocacy and product testing Go to source Take a look at the exterior color scheme of your neighbors’ homes before settling on one for your own house. You don’t want to end up clashing with the rest of the neighborhood![14] X Research source
Save the accent paint for your shutters and trim, not your air conditioner and gutters. A home with a beige base color could look beautiful with teal- or coral-colored accents, while a blue-painted home would look amazing with white accents.
Play it safe if you don’t have a lot of plants in your yard—in this case, a neutral-toned paint might be the best call. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box with your color scheme! Sunny yellows, gentle greens, and rustic reds all have the potential to be beautiful.
Glidden (iOS and Android) Lowe’s Paint Visualizer Project Color (iOS and Android) ColorSnap Visualizer (Computer, iOS, and Android)
If you’re renovating an older home, you might choose a flat finish paint to hide some of the wear and tear on the walls. If you have kids at home, you might opt for a semi-gloss or eggshell paint that’s easy to wipe down. If you’re focused on aesthetics, high-gloss or Venetian plaster might be the best options for you. Exterior house paints come in 3 main finishes: satin/eggshell, semigloss, and high gloss. High gloss paint is shiny and good for accents, semigloss is great for windowsills and trim, while satin/eggshell works well as a base color. [19] X Research source
To test exterior paint, apply the paint to different sample boards and set them around the outside of your home. Take a peek at the boards when it’s both sunny and cloudy, so you can get a feel for how the paint looks overall. Some paint stores might offer stick-and-peel paint samples of different paint colors, which are super easy to apply and test out.
