Picking out paint colors, advice?

[southernbelle_amy]

We are building and hopefully will be moving in the next couple of months. I like color but want everything to flow throughout the house. Anyone have any ideas for a starting point. Thanks. By the way we will probably be using Sherwin Williams paint.

 

[mselly13]

My first piece of advice would have to be don't use Sherwin Williams. We bought our house almost 2 years ago. My parents wanted to do something to help but were physically unable to help with the actual moving. My dad is an excellent painter and said he would paint for us. My FIL HAD an account with SW...so he offered to buy all the paint. Well, we ended up spending more than double what we planned. SW paint just does not cover with one coat. My dad was so frustrated. He said go back to Home Depot...they have one coat coverage paint. He won't ever use SW again.

 

[BratTink]

I say don't go to Home Depot. I wanted a greyish blue for my bedroom. First gallon was too purple, second one was very light blue, third was blue with no grey. I just painted with the 3rd one but I won't use them again to mix colors.

On topic: what are you looking for shade/hue wise? I think I'd start with the living room and flow it out from there if that's the entrance to your home. Like I'd do taupe/tans/off white and end up with fall colors in the kitchen, but that's me.

 

[southernbelle_amy]

well, i think we can get the Sherwin Williams paint at a discount, but I will keep that in mind. Well first of all in the living room which is semi opened to the nook and kitchen, we have a poinsetta/brick red sectional. So with that I am thinking about either a tanish yellow or a silver gray, I am leaning towards the gray I just don't want it to look drab. So for the kitchen I am thinking of using that same tan or a purple that is a subtle mauve. The dining room a green. In the master bedroom a greenish blue that goes good with chocolate brown. The office either the mauve if I don't use it in the kitchen or a pumpkiny orange. And the future kids rooms, I don't know because I don't know what they will be. Probably sounds like I am all over the place, but I have some direction.

 

[golfgal]

I wouldn't worry too much about Sherwin Williams paint. Two coats is pretty standard if you want good coverage and true color. I think by now we have painted a hundred rooms with all of our rooms and we always use 2 coats of paint. It just looks better.

As for picking colors--the best thing to do is find an inspiration--a picture, fabric, etc. and find 3 colors from that whatever. If you use those 3 colors in various combinations throughout the house (main rooms, not bedrooms) your house will have a good flow.

I would find a good decorator and have that person do a consult for your home. Around here they charge about $50 for an hour consult, which is plenty to help you pick colors. Usually if you find one that has a store they waive their fee if you purchase something.

 

[Boo'sMom]

I've found the best paint to be Benjamin Moore...but it really depends on your paint contractor, most of them have a preference and it is what they use exclusively.
I'm in the process of repainting my entire first floor, so I know where you're coming from with the desire to have one room flow into another. I've found that www.myperfectcolor.com to be very helpful

 

[southernbelle_amy]

thanks for the website.

 

[Disney Doll]

well, i think we can get the Sherwin Williams paint at a discount, but I will keep that in mind. Well first of all in the living room which is semi opened to the nook and kitchen, we have a poinsetta/brick red sectional. So with that I am thinking about either a tanish yellow or a silver gray, I am leaning towards the gray I just don't want it to look drab. So for the kitchen I am thinking of using that same tan or a purple that is a subtle mauve. The dining room a green. In the master bedroom a greenish blue that goes good with chocolate brown. The office either the mauve if I don't use it in the kitchen or a pumpkiny orange. And the future kids rooms, I don't know because I don't know what they will be. Probably sounds like I am all over the place, but I have some direction.

I'd do the tannish yellow in the living room & kitchen, because it sounds like it will gove a better "flow" to the green dining room and greenish-blue master bedroom. Gray is a tough color to get "clear" and sharp and not drab and muddy. Be careful with mauve too....those kind of colors really have to have very clear undertones to not look "blah".

We redid our upstairs a few years back and put in a bathroom. I wanted a lilac bathroom in the worst way and got it, but it took a few tries of colors to get a lilac that was a real crisp color and not grayed out.

I actually think Benjamin Moore has a website that you can "paint" rooms different colors to see the effect.

 

[RUDisney]

The person who taught me how to select a room color was my friend who is an architect and interior designer. She helped me select colors for my dining room and formal living room, then my family room. We selected what she called "dirty" colors. They were more earthy or subdued colors. They aren't vivid colors. It's hard for me to describe what she meant without showing you color swatches. The formal living room is a grayish beige, the dining room is a deep and dark nautical blue/green, the kitchen is pumpkin and the family room is like a paper bag color. They all flow together not because they are in the same color family, but because they are all dirty colors.

I continued this strategy into my second floor. Everything flows nicely although no two rooms are the same color nor are they remotely similar in some instances. But, again, they are all dirty colors, so they work.

So, bottom line, if you want vivid colors, stick with vivid colors. If you want dirty colors, select all dirty colors. This has always worked for me.

BTW, I've just painted my master bedroom & bathroom, the kids' bathroom and the dining room and formal living room again. I used Valspar Signature Line paint from Lowes on the 2nd floor and the painter used MAB on the first floor. Both coated the walls equally as well and both paints took 2 coats.

 

[chris1gill]

Oh GOOD luck... it took six months for me to pick my colors

If I were to have to pick colors out for that number of rooms again, I'd hire a professional to pick my colors...

 

[OceanAnnie]

I was going to say something similar to RUDisney. I'd look at a color wheel (just me) and identify which groups I'm more drawn to; cool or warm colors. I'd try to keep to those colors somewhat. Maybe have some shade of neutral in between (or subtle cool or warm color) between the two groups as a transitional color if you want to mix it up.

Just my .02. HTH!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

My first piece of advice would have to be don't use Sherwin Williams. We bought our house almost 2 years ago. My parents wanted to do something to help but were physically unable to help with the actual moving. My dad is an excellent painter and said he would paint for us. My FIL HAD an account with SW...so he offered to buy all the paint. Well, we ended up spending more than double what we planned. SW paint just does not cover with one coat. My dad was so frustrated. He said go back to Home Depot...they have one coat coverage paint. He won't ever use SW again.

SW is really good paint - we've used it in our last two houses. The quality and durability depends on which level of paint you get. Most paints, even if they say they are one coat, will require two coats of paint for optimum results. Here is a helpful link to a message board for all your paint/paint color questions! I referred to it a lot when I was picking out colors for my home. Good luck - picking out paint colors is stressful!

http://boards.hgtv.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/7644077072

 

[southernbelle_amy]

even though I am thinking of alot of different colors, they are almost all from the fundamentally neutral group so I think they would work, perhaps like what the "dirty" color girl was talking about. I wish I could link it I will work on it but some of the Sherwin William colors are: Krypton,Mineral deposit, or Steely Gray (grays), Ramie (tan), Rainwashed (master bedroom), Halycon Green (dining room), Beguiling Mauve (kitchen or office), Chrysanthemum (an orange for possibly the office).

 

[aunties]

I am in the middle of the same dilema. I finally decided on Benjamin Moore paint because they have the $4 paint samples. And, everyone highly recommended that brand. At one point, it looked like I finger painted all over my kitchen walls. I think I had five colors. I finally decided on Iced Cube Silver. It is a beautiful shade of pale blue/gray. It definitely isn't drab. My counters are black, speckled with a bluish gray and my appliances are black. My living room is Summer Blue. I think my bedroom will end up being Hay Stack (yellow). After holding up many paint sample strips against furniture and accesories, I narrowed down my color choices and bought the samples. It was the best way to try out colors. Some of my favorite colors on the strips did not look the same once the color was on the wall. Some were much brighter, others just did not match the furniture. The BM paint went on very nicely but I did two coats.

 

[OceanAnnie]

They all sound nice! I like neutrals and warm colors too.

 

[crossfamily]

I say go with Alien Green..

 

[Piglets Mommy]

I say go with Alien Green..

I second that! And you have to stencil in some Hidden Mickey's in another finish!

 

[TaraPA]

Um, have you seen the paint thread with my Campbell's Tomato Soup Room pics? Be careful. Orange/terra cottas are just as difficult as deep reds - they look totally different in different light! You need to hang the paint chips all over, study for a few days in different light, then move them around. If not you'll end up with the Campbell's Tomato Soup room like I did!

 

[southernbelle_amy]

TaraPA, I actually like your tomato soup room, maybe it's just the pictures. I like the mixture of them all. Anyways thanks.

 

[krcit]

My family room is Benjamin Moore Shabby Chic. It's a really nice color....looks like tea with milk. I have chocolate leather couches and some brickish red accents.