“Hmm. I like Samoan Sand, but Malaysian Mist has that nice sheen.”
“Or I could go for something completely different, like Far East Fuchsia. What do you think?”
You hold a bottle and an unpainted toe up to the light.
“Definitely, Far East Fuchsia,” your trusty pedicurist replies.
Choosing just the right colour, whether it's covering one-square-inch of toenail or 500-square-feet of wall space, is a challenge, primarily because there are just so many colours to choose from. Where do you start?
Steven Sabados and Chris Hyndman, interior designers and co-hosts of Designer Guys on HGTV, make it easy. “Mood, match, sample,” is the mantra they've created to make the process of selecting just the right wall colour an easy one. “Just keep saying that to yourself-mood, match, sample. It's that easy.” Well okay then, here goes.
Mood
The first order of business when choosing colour is to stop thinking and start daydreaming. Before you do anything, determine the mood you hope to strike in the room.
All colours can be categorized as either warm or cool and by determining which of these overall moods you wish to create, you can effectively edit your options by half. Warm colours are any that incorporate hints of red or yellow, while cool colours have blue or violet undertones.
Next, says Steven, “find a family of colours you are drawn to, choosing from either pastel tones, earth tones or jewel tones. Within each of those shade ranges there will be warm and cool choices.”
Image courtesy of Pottery Barn
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4 Comments
I have a friend that wants to choose the perfect blue for her walls that would go with white furniture and a dark floor. I like the blue in the picture above does anyone have any idea what that colour is?
I am planning on painting my appartment, which is fairly old. I have not quite decided on the shades of yellows that i would like to use. The lower part of the kitchen has a pannelling which is seperated by a base board. The cupboards are also very old and i would like to paint them as well. I am open to suggestions. If you have any ideas please let me know.
I am so cautious about colour. I have decided to do my tiny new west facing apartment in cream plus trim and the kitchne area in a deeper shade on the same pallette. (open concept). I am struggling with the bedroom - north facing, and the bathroom - south facing. I like tuscan i.e light olive in bathroom and mauvy blue in bedroom or should I do all three room in same cream/darker hue combo? I love colour accents - blue, green, rusty red. Help
Maybe 'Buxton Blue' - its in the Benjamin Moore Pottery Barn Summer 2009 color pallet. I was wondering the same thing myself and I just happened to pick up the color swatch thing from PB today.