Setting the Mood: Choosing the Right Paint Colors for your Home

Picking which colors to paint the interior of your home can be a stressful venture. Following trends can make your home look fashionable one season, but completely outdated the next. What you want is to choose colors that will satisfy you now and in the future.

So how do you choose? In reality, there are no right or wrong colors, but there are poor color combinations. Pairing lime green paint with red accents would look terrible, whereas combining lime green and white looks cheerful and clean. One place to start is to look at what colors and textures are already present in the room, and go from there.

After looking at what you already have, consider what function the room will serve, and how you want to feel when you spend time in it. Don't be too limited by so-called color rules. If you read a magazine article that you should never use red for a bedroom, you're going to miss out on a rich array of options. Go with your gut, and select shades that make you happy.

Colors affect us. They can lift our spirits, make us feel tense, or make us feel at peace.

The kitchen for instance, is typically a place where family and friends gather, snack, and engage in friendly conversation. This is a great area to use bright, cheery colors that promote feelings of well-being. Yellow has long been a popular choice for this room, but be mindful of the shade you select. Lighter shades of yellow are associated in our minds with happiness and freshness, while on the other hand, a dull shade of yellow reminds us of sickness and danger.

The bedroom is your place of refuge from the rest of the world. If you want to give the room a sensuous feel, light red paint can envelop you in feelings of passion. Pink is the classic color for romance, but can be too feminine and overpowering for many people. Blue is a great choice for the bedroom if you want to create an area of stillness. The color blue promotes feelings of tranquility and has a calming effect on the mind. Blue also acts as an appetite suppressant, so be mindful of this when painting your dining room area!

When you've decided on what mood you want to create as well as the color family you want to use, be sure to paint a fairly large square on your wall. Don't rely on paint chips, as the color can end up looking different on your walls. A paint chip also can't give you an accurate idea of how the room as a whole will mesh with the new color. Your furniture, the amount of natural light in the room, and the type of flooring you have, all play a part in how color will look in the room. So you need to have a fairly large sample area to properly judge.

Selecting paint color can be intimidating, but remember to go with your gut. If you love a color and it evokes the feeling that you want, then chances are good that you will be happy with your choice for many years to come.

About the Author: Matt Barker is a real estate professional specializing in Saint Paul real estate. For information on buying or selling Saint Paul homes, look to Matt Barker, an experienced Saint Paul Realtor for more information today!