These days it seems as if selecting the perfect color palette for your home is nothing more than choosing shades of grey, usually no more than two, and slapping the paint all over your home. Glance through any home decorating magazine or tour any new home construction in Omaha, and you’ll see everyone is using the same paint colors.
Now this method may work for the builder when building a model home, but when you’re building your own custom home, you want to have a little more say in the color choices. Color can affect not only the other furnishings in the room, but it can affect your mood as well. You want to choose the colors in your home based on other furnishings and personal preference – yours, not your builder’s.
Selecting the Perfect Color Palette for your Home
Inspiration
You can find inspiration anywhere. Whether it’s from a favorite work of art, a picture in a magazine, or images of home décor you’ve found on Pinterest, start by collecting these inspiring images in one spot.
Once you’ve found your inspiration try to determine why you like certain images or color schemes over others.
Definition
Think about what mood you’d like to create in each room. Whether you’re trying to create peace and tranquility in a room or productivity, proper color choice can help achieve these moods.
Key Elements
Make sure to consider the items that already exist in your home. It’s highly likely that you already have some items that you’re planning to put into the room you’d like to paint. When choosing a color keep these items in mind. Look at the colors of rugs, pictures, upholstery, and statement items, and when you’re choosing your paint, try to choose a color that flows with these items.
Consider the Whole
It’s important to consider how each room of your house flows into the next, especially if you have a home with an open floor plan. In open floor plans, carefully selected accent walls are your best option.
Lighting
The same color can look very different under different types of lighting. When choosing your paint color you need to consider the type of light that is already in the room, and the type of lighting you’re going to be adding to the room.
If you’d like to make a room have a warm feeling, an incandescent bulb between 2700k and 3000k will work best. If you’d like to make the room feel cooler, a bulb between 3500k and 4100k will work best. Or, if you’d like to imitate the sun’s natural light, a bulb between 5000k and 6500k should be your choice.
These general guidelines are a great starting point to help you choose the perfect color for your home. The color you choose can have a huge effect on your mood throughout the day, so make sure you choose a color that you enjoy!
