How to Pick a Paint Color

When choosing a paint color, many aspects come into play. Picking a paint color is determined by knowing your color scheme, finding the undertones in the room, the feeling or mood you want to portray, and the lighting in the room.

All colors have meanings. Depending on the mood you want to characterize the room you are painting.

White - purity, brightness, freshness
Red - passion, love, energy
Blue - peace, tranquility, serenity,
Green - nature, relaxing, renewal, harmony
Yellow - positive but can be overpowering, energy, creativity
Orange - warmth, energy, activity, socialization
Purple - royalty, balance, mystical/spiritual, calm, creative, uplifting
Brown - dependability, earthy, fresh, orderliness
Black - authority, power, timeless elegance

The next step is to pick a focal point. This can be a piece of furniture, a painting or other art object, a window (or the view), or even a rug. Take that focal point and look for the undertones. The undertones are the other colors used to make that particular color. The undertone colors will be complimentary to the primary color. There are only three primary colors, red, blue, and yellow. This means that no other color can be mixed to make them. Secondary colors are colors that only need two primary colors to make them. The three secondary colors are orange, green, and purple. Then there are tertiary colors which need a mix of primary and secondary colors to make them. Once you find your undertones, you have an idea of what colors you may want to use.
Next, get a color wheel. A color wheel is a circle with all of the primary, secondary, and a few tertiary colors on the outside, then fading inward with more tertiary colors. Red will usually be at the top and green directly opposite. Colors that are directly opposite of each other are complementary colors. Analogous colors are the colors right beside a color. These are color variations that you may also use in picking your paint color. Black, white, gray, and brown will not be on a color wheel because these are neutral colors.

Take your color wheel and use it to help you choose your paint color. Maybe your focal point is a rust colored red couch. On the color wheel, look at your green family. A sage green color would be a great way to make that couch really stand out. You can also go darker or lighter instead of opposite in choosing your paint color.

Be sure to use your color wheel in the room you will be painting. Lighting is different in the store. It may look good in the store, but not on the wall. Try all lighting variations possible to make sure you will like the color in any light. If your room is small or does not have a lot of natural light then go with a lighter shade when choosing your paint color to make the room look bigger, warmer, and more inviting.