Choosing Colors

Proactive Painting is one of the only companies that offers free color consulting. A color expert will come over with many different sources of inspiration for your home and help you with this process. We know it can be daunting at first, but we like to make this process as easy as possible for you. However, if you want to pick colors one your own here are some tips that will help you make your decision.

1. Find the existing dominant color you like, or want to keep, in a room or on the exterior of your home. On the exterior this would be like your stone, brick, aluminum or vinyl windows, and roof color. For the interior this would be the color of your furniture, flooring, trim, or even the sheets and pillows on your bed.

2. Think what kind of mood or ambience you want a room to have. Warm colors, like red, orange, and beige, can add a comfortable feeling to large spaces. Blues, greens, and violets add a serene feeling and can add spaciousness to small places.

3. Find inspiratation by observing houses in your neighborhood, and other neighborhoods, as well as other places like restaurants, or any other businesses you frequent.

4. Consider all the parts of your home: The siding, trim, windows, and entryway.

5. Areas where there is a significant amount of moisture like kitchens and bathrooms, need to be painted with semi-gloss sheens.

6. Never use dark colors in small spaces.

7. Always remember that on the exterior of your home white trim goes with almost any color.

8. Two colors next to each other on a color wheel go together, like blue and green, or red and orange.

9. Think about places you like to go. Often it is because you like the ambience that the colors produce in that place. Then simply inject some of those colors into your home.

Want help on-line? Try the Sherwin Williams Color Visualizer or the Behr ColorSmart Tool