Resources for Helping Choose Paint Colors

Yesterday I explained my love of ALL colors and the dilemma I’m faced with when trying to narrow it down.  Here are some resources that help me with the whole “how to choose a paint color for my room” situation.

1.  Interior Decorators

Oh, how I love interior decorators.  I’ve dreamed of being one someday, but until then, I just love to learn from their wisdom!  Many of you are learning from them daily through tv shows like Divine Design and Sara 101 (two of my favorites!).

I found I needed some help a little closer to home, though.  Our local Benjamin Moore store employs an interior designer whose office is in their store.  As part of their services, you can ask her any question you want at the store…for free!!  I chatted with her one day, and before I knew it, I was taking in pictures of our house.  She offered invaluable assistance in direction of color choices.  Keep in mind, though, that in order for designers to really choose a color palette for you, they need to come to your house and see it in its natural light.  If choosing colors really stresses you out, you may find an interior designer is your new very best friend well worth the investment.

2.  Inspiration Photos

I feel like a broken record with this one, but I just can’t stress it enough.  It was through pictures that I found my “style” again.  They also help me immensely when it comes time to actually make decisions color-wise.

Take our Main Bathroom, for instance.  I’m slowly working on it {everything is currently on hold while I wait for a miraculous priced vanity…}.  I was thinking over the color choice thing when I pulled up my Pinterest inspiration Bathroom board:

As I looked through the pictures there was a common theme…blue and white.  Hmmm…Blue and white it will {probably} be!

3.  Once I get the color family (like blue) chosen, I collect paint swatches and tape them up in the room.  Leave them there and observe them in all light situations ~ day and night, sunny and rainy.  This is a very important step.  What a color swatch looks like in the paint store is NOT what it’ll look like in your house!!:)

4.  Free online resources now offer the option of downloading pictures of your rooms and trying out paint colors on the pictures.

Again, I recommend you to still tape those swatches up in your room before you purchase paint.  What it looks like on your computer screen may not be what it looks like in real life.

What have you discovered that helps you the most when choosing colours for your home?  I hope that those resources can be of some help to you in your own colour dilemmas.

{This is part of the “31 Ways to Make Home Uniquely You” series.  Click here for a list of each day’s topic.}