I always feel inspired to update my home around the holidays. Every Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember I start painting walls, no matter which house I’m in. It creates a bit of decorating chaos, but it’s worth it. This year we’re finishing the hallway and starting our bedroom paint, and I’m thrilled to have those spaces feeling right before Christmas.
In my last post I talked about how the pinkish-beige color I nicknamed “swine” drained energy from our rooms. Paint colors, even neutrals, have a real effect on how a home feels. Many of us have an inner sense of what feels right, even if we can’t always name it.
Sometimes a room feels off and we blame the furnishings or accessories, when the true issue is the foundation — the wall color. The wrong paint can make a well-furnished room feel unsettled, while the right shade can bring everything together and make the space feel calm and intentional.
It’s tempting to copy a blogger’s paint color because it looks great in photos, but color behaves differently from house to house. Natural light, floor tones, cabinetry, adjoining room colors and regional climate all influence how paint reads. Even whites can look dramatically different depending on these variables, so there’s no one-size-fits-all color.
You might love a picture of an all-white space but worry it’ll feel cold in your home. Or you might avoid grays or browns because they look dreary in a photo, when in fact the right undertone could make them warm and inviting in your light and finishes. Conversely, a shade you dislike in your house might be perfect in another. The key is finding what activates the right mood in your own space.
Every paint option can be beautiful when chosen for the specific conditions of a room.
When I say a color “sucks the life” from my home, that’s a personal reaction tied to our lighting, floors and furnishings. I live in the Pacific Northwest, so my color choices might not suit someone in the South or Southwest. Even in the same region, slight shifts in wood tone or light intensity can change which shade looks best. Test paint in your space and live with it for a few days to see how it reads before committing.
Recently I visited Epcot® at Walt Disney World for the opening of Colortopia, an exhibit sponsored by Glidden at the Innoventions Pavilion. The exhibit makes color exploration fun for kids and adults. My favorite was a virtual painting booth where a fiber-optic brush let you “paint” a mural. It was a playful reminder of how color can be both scientific and joyful.
I’m still learning the technical side of color, but over the years I’ve become good at recognizing what works in real life, not just in photographs. While many bloggers might choose hues based on how they photograph, I choose what makes our everyday life feel better. After all, we have to live with it.
Inspiration for color can come from travel, a favorite fabric, a shop, or a room you admire. The success of a color scheme usually comes down to undertones and the balance of hues that suit your home’s specific features. You can use a beloved color on an accent wall, in textiles, or accessories if it’s not right for every wall — what matters is that the mix feels cohesive and intentional.
I’m heading back to Florida soon to tour the 2016 HGTV Dream Home and I’m very excited. I’ll share photos on Instagram as I go and follow up here with a post.
Giveaway
Visit the My Colortopia blog and choose which country’s featured color scheme inspires you most, then leave a comment to enter a giveaway sponsored by Glidden. One winner will receive a $100 gift card to The Home Depot. The winner will be selected at random on December 5.
As a MyColortopia team member, this post is sponsored by Glidden. All opinions are my own.
Related:
My Paint Colors
Shop My House