Three Common Paint Mistakes to Avoid
Last week, I shared my personal home paint color palette as well as some design trends we’ve included and are loving in our new home. I’ve been sharing snapshots of our design inspiration and progress on Instagram over the last year.
I put together a detailed post outlining how and why we selected each color. As I mentioned, I stressed out over paint colors while building our house. I painstaking considered each and every shade, how the worked together and with the entire design of the home. Throughout that process I identified three common paint mistakes you’ll want to avoid. Because I believe my mistakes don’t have to be your mistakes, I’m sharing those tips with you today.
Let’s jump in!
Paint Mistake To Avoid No. 1
The first common paint mistake you’ll want to avoid is making a quick decision about paint colors. I have a theory that the more you stress out over paint colors, the happier you are with the end result. Mark my words—a hastily selected paint color will never end up well.
Take your time when it comes to selecting paint colors. Look at your options and think about colors for each room as a palette for your entire home. While each room doesn’t have to “match,” selecting colors that mesh together (more on undertones in common paint mistake number three) will help your home design feel cohesive.
Paint Mistake To Avoid No. 2
Another common paint mistake you’ll want to avoid is making a decision purely by the paint chip card. I need to type the rest of this in all caps: DO NOT TRUST THE CHIP. Dear, sweet, friend, please, please, please NEVER look at a paint chip and say, “This is too ___.”
While there are multiple reasons this is making a big mistake, here is the first and main reason why: Color is only color in the context of other colors. What does this mean? It means that the colors next to something, or the light in the room, will influence the color you are looking at on the chip. Get paint samples and try them out on the walls or furniture in your home. Review them in various lights at various times of day to give you a clear picture of the colors you are selecting.
Paint Mistake To Avoid No. 3
The third paint mistake I commonly see is not looking at the undertones. Maybe this is why hastily choosing a color or making a selection from a chip can take you so south so fast. The undertones HAVE to match. When the undertones match, everything “sings”, complements each other, works together. When the undertones are off, nothing works, everything seems to clash.
Did you ever go to a department store makeup counter and have them tell you if your skin undertones were warm or cool? Using makeup with the same undertone as your skin is a principle that applies to home interiors too. Warm undertones have hints of yellow or gold, while cool undertones have hints of blue, pink or red.
That’s it — my top three common paint mistakes you’ll want to avoid! Do you have anything to add?
