How to Choose House Paint Colours

When you have completed the construction of your new home or if you have decided to revitalize your home with new colours, you need to keep some key points in mind.  It is important to take your time when deciding on house paint colours because you will need to live with them for an extended period of time.

Choosing a Colour Scheme

Before you start picking out new paint for the rooms in your home, you need to consider the type of colour scheme you want to implement.  There are four main types of colour schemes which can be used with any colour in the colour wheel.

1. Monochrome
   This colour scheme will use the same colour in different shades and blend them to create a subtle but beautiful effect.  A simple example would be to use different shades of blue in a room with a view of the sky and large windows to create the illusion of openness.

2. Analogous
   This colour scheme uses colours that meet on the colour wheel to create a soothing palette for the room.  An example of this would be yellow with green, or blue with purple.

3. Contrast
   This colour scheme uses contrasting colours to give a feeling of power and vibrancy in your rooms.  Using colours like green and blue or red and purple are examples of a contrasting scheme.

4. Complementary
   This colour scheme is used when you put two opposing colours in a room to create a bold and dramatic feeling such as blue and orange.

Testing

Before you decide to implement a colour scheme in your home, you need to get samples of your selected colours and paint a section of a wall with them.  It is a good idea to leave the paint for 24-48 hours to see if you still like it after you have seen how it looks under natural and artificial light.  This is crucial because you will have to live with the colours in the rooms for years, so you need to be comfortable with them.

How Lighting Affects Paint

When you are choosing paints for your home, you need to view the colours under three types of basic lighting conditions.  Natural light that enters your home throughout the day will show the true colours of the paint.  Incandescent lighting will emphasize the warmer colours and yellow tones.  Fluorescent bulbs tend to give colours a sharp bluish tone on paints.

It is important to choose paint colours that will work well with the lighting in each room.  If you have a kitchen with light blue paint and fluorescent bulbs, the blue may become overwhelming.  White or a light yellow may be more appropriate since the fluorescent lighting will create a paler yellow or greenish tinge because of the mix of colours.

The Flow

When you choose colours for a room and you are happy with them, you need to view them from the next room to see how the colour schemes will blend or clash.  Depending on your personal style, you may want the colours to clash and create a distinct feeling in each room, or you may want to choose similar colour tones to create a feeling of continuity throughout your home.  Moving into another room will give you perspective on the colours of the previous room.

Exterior Colour

When you decide to repaint the exterior of your home, you need to think in different terms.  Unless you want your home to stand out in the neighbourhood, it is a good idea to walk around, see the colour schemes being used by your neighbours, and pick something similar.  You should not mimic their styles exactly; instead you should use a similar colour for the walls and use a vibrant colour for the accents and window frames to blend in with the neighbourhood, but give your house its own unique flair.