Choosing the Paint Color for Your House

Late last year, our family was finally able to purchase our own house. Although not brand new, we looked into many considerations in buying this particular property. Of course, there was the size of the house, the number of rooms, and naturally its condition. Other important considerations were the proximity to my husband's work, the schools in the zoning scheme of the school districts and the general atmosphere of the community.

The paint of the house is simple and nothing special. All walls are white, which I find a little boring and too traditional. So my husband and I have decided that come summer, we would do the painting ourselves. The main concern is choosing the colors that we want to make the house look newer, fresh and interesting.

I have a preference for pastel colors and to use darker shades of the same colors as accent for the ornate moldings or trims and doors. My husband's taste is quite different. He wants to go at once with the darker hues on the walls and go light for accent.

Since we have been arguing for several weeks now, I have consulted some people on the important considerations in choosing the right color of paint that we should use inside our home. Here are some tips we have gathered:

1. Consider the over-all look of your house. It is a must that you have to constantly remind yourself of the style and look of your house. Do you want a country-inspired house that might require light stains, simple cabinet and door styles? Do you want a Victorian appeal with mostly oak and cherry cabinet woods and antique pewter? Or is it the contemporary or modern style that you want most of your things in stainless steel, metal tubings, with chrome and black accents? Most definitely, the colors of the walls, floor, doors and accents should blend with the furnishings, and that total image of your interior.

2. Consider the size of the house. As in most occasions, darker shades tend to make rooms smaller, while lighter ones can create an illusion of space.

3. Choose a color range that complements the permanent colors in the house. We bought a townhouse which means we are not allowed to touch anything outside. Basically the shade of all the units are green. The roofs are dark green and the outside walls are pale green. Therefore, it is advisable to make the colors inside the house blend with what has been used outside. It would not look too appealing if there would be a very drastic and dramatic change from outside to inside.

4. Consider the colors from the landscape. We have a patio at the back with a small garden. The former owner put lines of red bricks outlining the entire place, and have placed some red tiles as well. The other colors in the area are mostly green because of a few plants, and the pale green shade of the storage on one side. It would look nice if we pick up from these shades also.

5 Check out books, magazines and stores. We first went to the public library. They have a big collection of books with pictures of many houses. They have plenty of color combinations that are so appealing. These books give many suggestions of painting techniques and even provide color wheels that show colors of different hues and shades. Magazines and books and on-line websites provide hundreds of pictures of interior of houses. You could definitely pick up many ideas from these.

Once you have narrowed down your choices to a few, you can go to the stores like Home Depot or Orchard Supply Hardware and other stores. They have a rack similar to a color wheel. They have mini-cards of each color which you can mix and match with other colors. The very helpful thing about these cards is they have numbers and names of each shade so you won't go wrong. It is advisable to view sample colors at different angles and times of the day. When light bounces on certain surfaces, they have an effect on different shades.

Bear in mind that color defines space and function. Many say that pastel colors, for instance in rooms, would mean pleasant sleep because of their calming effect. Some shades like red stimulates conversation and appetite.

Put all these tips in mind, and of course give it your personal touch in choosing the right color for the interior of your house. Remember, you would want that special, personal appeal for this special abode that you would always go home to.