
Choosing a paint color can be very overwhelming. You think to yourself, “it is such a big purchase” or “there will be so much of it, I have to get it right”. Or the cop-out “maybe I’ll just go with white”. Just relax, take a deep breath, and realize that it is only paint. When I moved into my first little house after college, I painted the kitchen a horrible shade of bright blue. I managed to live with it for two days and then started slathering on the primer so I could start over.
Color is the New White!
One important thing to remember is that neutral does not always mean white or tan. You can choose a neutral color that will go with everything but is still a color! Most of the inside of my house is painted “Sea Salt” by Sherwin Williams.
Have a starting point.
When choosing a paint color, whether for indoors or outside, it helps to have a starting point, something for inspiration. Your starting point can take many different forms. It can be a piece of furniture, a pillow, a rug, bedding or even a painting for the wall. I have worked in situations where all of these are true. If you are not a person that feels super comfortable with color, then start with something that you are already in love with and go from there. In my bedroom, for instance, I already had bedding that I was in love with so I used those items to help guide my color choice for the walls.
When searching for inspiration, remember that there are endless resources available to you online, in magazines and at the paint counter. Pinterest is a wonderful place to find more color inspiration than you could ever imagine. If you can’t feel inspired by all of the beautiful pictures on Pinterest, then I am sorry, there may be no help for you! Follow our “Southern Color Palette” board on the Southern Mercantile Pinterest page to keep up with the color trends that inspire us.
Most paint suppliers sell small sample jars of their paints. Once you’ve narrowed down your search you can pick up a few samples to try out before making your final commitment. Of course, I do it the old fashioned way by taping the paint chip to the wall and “living” with it for a few days.
Listen to your Home.
My final tip (and maybe most important) is to let your home and your belongings help guide your color choice. Don’t try to make the house fit a color scheme just because it may be your favorite at the time. Make sure the color scheme fits the house.
I hope these tips were helpful! Now you are all equipped to go out and conquer the world of color and figure out what palette best suits your style and your home.