Light is the greatest factor that comes into play when choosing a paint color.  The amount of natural light coming into a space will help determine your color choice as well as the ceiling height and the openness of a space.  Smaller, closed in spaces tend to call out for a brighter color to make it feel larger where as a large open space is generally ok for darker colors.  Remember when choosing a wall color it must contrast well with the base, trim, doors and cabinet colors as well.  Be consistent with your color palette.  If you plan to use cool colors for your flooring and wall tile, use cool colors with paint.  When using warm colors through out the home,  use warm colors for paint as well.  In most cases, if the home is an overall contemporary style use a cool color palette.  If the home is traditional, warm colors work best.  It should all fit together like a puzzle.  As a general rule of thumb, we always recommend buying small bottles of paint samples and applying the color before committing to it.  “Small Walls” are blank sample boards that are great for a larger preview with out the mess.   Starting with a blank canvas is essential when painting.  If there is already color on the wall, it needs a coat of primer in order to get a true match to the swatch sample.  Without a coat of primer your new color will blend with the old color producing a completely different color than the one you are trying to accomplish.

In this photo we see how the cool color palette of paint works very well with the chrome/brushed nickel fixtures and white cabinetry.  There is also a very light “brushed-linen” color of flooring that flows as well.

In the above photo is a beautiful example of a warm color palette.  There is a soft khaki color on the wall that flows well with the baseboard color the soft brown flooring, cabinetry, granite and lighting and plumbing fixtures.

This photo and the photo to the right show how light and ceiling height, home decor and accessorizing all play a role in choosing in paint colors.  Each home has the same color of paint but the color has it’s own feel in each home.

Natural light and ceiling height as well as the openness of a space will always play a role in selecting your paint colors.  Photo Credit:  White Picket Realty

The finish that looks the best on walls for open house is a nice flat finish.  Flat is always preferred over glossy or satin finishes on the walls.  It is important that you gather all your final color selections for the walls, trims, doors, and cabinets and lay out the swatches side by side to be sure there is a harmonious contrast and flow in all of them.  Doing your homework before purchasing paint could save you hundreds of dollars on a paint color mistake.  Another very important factor to consider is that some colors such as yellows, tans, reds peaches and other darker colors will make a room appear very dark when photography is done even with a professional real estate photographer.  Light and neutral colors always look better when photographing a room so be sure to keep this in mind when choosing colors.  Whenever possible,the colors on the interior should flow well with the colors on the exterior.  Cool colors inside with cool colors outside and vise versa.  Finally, do not have your contractor choose your paint colors for you.  Contractors tend to use leftover colors from previous projects that may have worked well in other homes but won’t necessarily look great in yours and sometimes they know very little about interior decorating.  Feel free to share your ideas and stories regarding paint colors.

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