I’ll admit it. I have a history of picking the wrong paint colors. There was the Craftsman White, which looked completely neutral on the chip but turned a pale yellow in our foyer. The Irish Spurge, which turned our upstairs hallway into a dark, depressing cave. And let’s not forget Compatible Cream, which was a decidedly incompatible yellow-gold in my living room.
One of my most memorable paint mistakes was choosing Green Apple for my mudroom. Just as I finished painting it and stood back to admire my work, my son came in and said, “Cool! It’s the same color as Shrek!” Believe it or not, ”ogre” had not been the look I was going for. (It is now a mellow Tawny Green.)
Time after time, I have fallen in love with “the perfect color” on a paint chip, only to be stunned by the results on the wall. And even when I try those test quarts, I’ll like it enough on one wall to go back and buy a gallon, only to realize I really hate it when it’s everywhere.
As a result of all this trial and error, I have a “paint graveyard” in my basement where all of the unused gallons go. Neighbors will actually stop by to pick up paint for their weekend projects. I tell you all of this because I need Marni Jameson’s advice on how to pick wall colors more than anyone. If it stumps you, too, read on.
Click “more” below to read an excerpt from The House Always Wins:
Paint colors that create a room like the one at the top of the post are: 1. Crushed Velvet by Benjamin Moore, 2. Cranberry by Pratt & Lambert, 3. Venus Envy by C2. (Photo credit Howard L. Puckett) There’s no way I’d be brave enough to try these when I can’t even get my neutrals right on the first, second, or third try. But if you have the nerve, go for it!
When picking paint, keep these tips in mind from Marni Jameson:
Color is fickle and changes depending on your light. A wall color that looks great in your friend’s house could flop in yours. Don’t go from just the paint chip, which is actually ink, not paint.
When you decide on a general color, say a robin’s egg blue, or a marigold, get several quarts to test. Some companies, including Ralph Lauren, sell little test bags of color, which are cheaper than quarts.
Paints with low levels of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are environmentally friendlier than traditional paints and don’t cost much more. Although they sometimes go on a little runnier, they won’t give you a headache from fumes.
Consider using exterior paints inside. Their pigments are often more intense.
Test the paint in the room where it will go. Use two coats. Ideally, test the paint on 16″ x 16″ pieces of drywall that are the same texture as your walls. You can get these for just a few dollars at your local home improvement store (sometimes free). This is better than test patches on your walls because they can ghost through the final paint color and haunt you for years to go. Using panels lets you move the colors around so you can see them in different lights and on different walls. Panels also let you place carpet candidates near the panels to see how they go together.
Before deciding, observe the colors at different times of day.
Color forecast for 2008: They’re predicting that the hot colors will be earthy browns and brownish grays; more complex blues, like purpled navy; slick reds with names like ribbon and lacquer, which would be complicated reds, not simple ones like stoplight red; new greens emphasizing yellowed greens of nature; and yellow in all its hues (even whites will be buttery).
What’s out for 2008: Wimpy colors, including anything pastel (ditch the seafoam green).
To avoid dating your house with your color choices, Jameson suggests that you go with colors from nature: “Nature is always in style. Subtle earth tones such as green, brown, beige, and putty make a wonderful backdrop.” Then, she says, if you have nature-inspired neutrals on walls, countertops, and floors, you’re free to experiment with trendy colors and patterns with pillows, art, rugs, and accessories.
(This excerpt was from Chapter 6 of The House Always Wins. All rights belong to the author and Perseus Books. Photos courtesy Southern Accents.)
Not only are the paint chips deceiving, as she says, but so are the names they give them. I’m always swayed by the names, imagining something called “Craftsman White,” for example, will actually be white instead of yellow. It can start to feel like a conspiracy on the part of the paint companies. I can just picture of group of pranksters huddled in a room, cackling as they come up with increasingly deceptive color names. “Let’s call this canary yellow paint ‘Peachy Keen.’ That’ll really confuse her!” -
One of the best things I’ve done in the last five years is to meticulously catalog every paint color I’ve tried. I have an envelope for ones that worked and another for ones that didn’t. I always jot down the room I painted and, if it didn’t work, why not (”This brown goes a little purple,” for example, or “This is the color of a swamp creature”).
Now, when I bring paint chips home, it’s easy to compare them to ones I’ve tried before and didn’t like. For example, I routinely gather greens that really appeal to me in the store, only to find they are all almost identical to that Apple color that turned into Shrek in the mudroom. I’ve also gotten better at spotting the so-called neutral colors that morph into yellow-gold in natural light.
The other advantage? When I find one I like, I stick with it. Now that I know how much I like the Pecan in my family room, I just bought another gallon to paint the dining room with it. I’ll let you know how it turns out, but for once I’m not expecting any surprises.
To enter the giveaway: Leave a comment on the original post between now and March 22 and you are automatically entered. Bonus: 1) tell us why you want to win this book or 2) tell us why you’re hooked on this website, and your name will be entered twice.
Check out the other posts in this week’s series based on The House Always Wins:
If you’re contemplating bright or bold colors read how to Paint a Colorful Life!
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
You mention get a small tester to try colors on your wall first. Agreed, But,no stores have a large selection of tester cans and they force you to buy a qaurt which is wastefull and expensive. http://www.myperfectcolor.com lets you see all brands and they make a sample can for each and every one of the colors using Benjamin Moore paint. Can you say “Heaven” Anyway I finally found color search bliss. See for youself all the choices:
http://www.myperfectcolor.com/articles.asp?id=135
My favorite is the color comboniation by pottery barn:
http://www.myperfectcolor.com/Benjamin-Moore-Pottery-Barn-Paint-Colors-MPC-s/3287.htm
Dana
Thanks for the links, Dana! I agree about the problem of finding a large enough selection of tester cans. It also seems like the color samples I need are never in stock. The great thing with the Benjamin Moore/Pottery Barn paints is that you can see photos where they’ve used various colors and get a feel for how they’ll work in various types of rooms.
Paint can be hard, but I always take a cue from my wardrobe…chances are, if I like it enough to wear it, then I will likely be happy with it on my walls!
Thanks for visiting me!
Your blog is full of inspiration…
Linda
xoxo
This year is the first time I’ve really had a whole house to work on. We can’t afford to do it all at once, but have to do enough to raise our stress level through the roof. After a lot of dithering, we finally decided on a color palette - a watercolor print I’d purchased last year and both of us like the colors in it. We take that print everywhere with us now. We actually get title to the house this month, so now will be putting all our theories into actuality. I may come screaming for help someday!
That’s good advice all the way around. Some magazines (Cottage Living for instance) has a section in the backt that tells you what paint colors they used in a room and the brand- and where they got all the furniture and accessories too. I think it’s helpful to see a whole room painted as well.
1) I’m in love with your family room!
2) I too, am guilty of painting a room “apple” only to end up with a horrific “shrek” color. However, we referred to it as atomic green. It was baaaad.
3) There is good news and bad news for my color forcast for 2008. My entire living room is a beige-grey, but my my pastel office is on it’s way OUT. Doesn’t that figure?
I loooooove your blog. :o)
Linda–good advice. Now if someone could just tell me what colors I look good in.
Linda’s blog is beautiful, everybody. Check it out and then guess what colors she likes to wear:
http://restyledhome.blogspot.com
Momster–great idea to start with the watercolor you love. I wish I had something like that to go by sometimes. It would definitely make the color choices easier. As I said in an earlier post (Decorating in Black and White), I’m a commitmentphobe when it comes to color.
Amy–thanks for pointing that out. (Love Cottage Living!)
Marie–always enjoy getting your comments. Thanks for the blog love. I could use some this morning! I love your blue office, so who cares about the trends. Everyone should check out her blog and you’ll see what I mean:
http://watchthewindblowby.blogspot.com
One thing also to remember is to never look at the paint under flourescent lights as it completely changes the colors of everything. Natural light is your friend!
I must admit, I do interior design as a living, but choosing a paint color for my own house is a very long, very challenging task. I don’t have a problem picking out the actual colors, I know it will look good, but can I live with it? That is a question that seems to take eons to answer.
Laura–thanks for making the point about lighting. And I’m glad you brought up the issue of whether or not you can live with a color. This is my problem in a nutshell, which has been difficult to explain to my husband when I need a room repainted for the third time.
The color may technically work in a room and look fine. But if it feels “wrong” to me, I can’t live with it. I have a friend who says this is because I’m a “Highly Sensitive Person” (anyone else read that book?). Ha. I’m glad to have an excuse for my high level of persnicketiness! -Julia
I just read this older post. I always wanted to be the person who names the paint colors or even better the names of fabrics. Today I was working with a client and the fabric was named “Anas”. Now I am sure there is a “correct” way to say this that the person who named it in mind. However don’t slip up or you will indefinitely say something else.iwill give you a hint it ain’t a pretty thing)
The best part is that the fabric was over $70 a yard. How am I supposed to sell someone something for $70 a yd when it is named after a less than appealing body part. “You see here dear this fabric is called “Anus” which is french for perfect drapery. I know you were thinking of something else ,but this one doesn’t require toilet paper.
sorry for the typos. am of the creative mind not the technical one.. oops.