Considering so many options, selecting the ideal wall paint colour shades for your home may seem overwhelming. But keeping the purpose of each room in mind, along with a few handy tips, will have you picking palette perfection in no time.
Read on for suggestions on choosing paint colours for living spaces, bedrooms, kids’ rooms, and more. Plus, get helpful guidance on testing colours, coordinating with existing décor, allowing for lighting differences, and creating cohesion throughout your home with your shade selections.
Table of Contents
Base Colour Choice on Room Function
The first step in picking the perfect wall paint colour is considering the room’s primary function. This provides direction on the overall mood you want to create.
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Living Rooms
As common spaces for relaxing and entertaining, living rooms benefit from warm, welcoming shades like beige, taupe, light sage green or muted blue. Avoid overstimulating brights and opt for versatile hues.
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Bedrooms
Cooler tones like airy blue, lavender, and soft grey are ideal bedroom wall colours that promote sleep. Or, introduce warmth with subtle tertiary shades of peach, seafoam, or buttercream yellow.
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Kitchens
Look for stain-hiding white or durable washable finishes in kitchens. Acrylic Paint can be an excellent option for its smooth finish and durability. For accent walls, stimulative reds, oranges, or sunny yellows can energise without overwhelming.
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Kids’ Rooms
Make kids ‘ rooms fun with vibrant primary shades of purple, green, red or yellow. Use brighter colours sparingly and ground spaces with neutral accents.
Test Paint Colours First
Always consider choosing wall paint colours before seeing them in the space first. Lighting conditions can dramatically alter tones.
Test out samples over several days and at different times:
- Paint large swatches directly on the walls
- View colours in natural daylight vs. night lighting
- See how the colour pairs with existing furnishings
- Hold samples up to various sections of décor
Testing allows you to judge both independently and with family members’ input.
Coordinate Wall Colours with Furnishings
Interior wall shades should coordinate pleasingly with existing furnishings like sofas, rugs and accent pieces for a cohesive feel.
Choose wall colours with undertones similar to woods, fabrics, and other materials already in the room. Accent walls in bolder companion shades can beautifully highlight furnishings.
Consider Lighting and Room Size
The intensity of natural and artificial lighting impacts how we perceive shades. Lighter, brighter rooms can handle deeper, more saturated colours. In darker spaces, opting for lighter wall colours helps to keep the room feeling open and visually spacious.
Additionally, smaller rooms feel cramped with intense brights. Softer neutral and pastel wall shades prevent closed-in feelings. Bold colours can shine when used judiciously as accents.
Create Whole-Home Cohesion
While allowing unique colour schemes in separate rooms, maintain cohesion in wall paint choices from one space to the next.
Use a standard neutral base wall colour throughout, then introduce bolder accent shades and décor in individual rooms. Or opt for complementary colours in the same tone families. This helps spaces flow together more harmoniously.
Conclusion
Choosing the perfect wall paint colours for your home involves considering practical elements like room functions, lighting, and personal preferences. Test potential shades first, coordinate undertones, and create whole-home cohesion for interiors you’ll love coming home to.
With some strategic planning and testing, selecting winning wall colours for every room is achievable even with endless options. So take your time, and don’t be afraid to sample shades to find palette perfection.
