Tips on Choosing Paint Color

Color test samples may help you make a decision when choosing a paint color for your home. But how do you narrow down hundreds of thousands of paint possibilities to just a few samples to try? It doesn't have to be a daunting task.

Here are a few tips to make your decision process easier:

 

• Base paint decisions on the color scheme you already have in your home.
• Choose a color based on a pattern from something you own (such as a sofa or rug), then analyze it for the hues you can pull out to create a color scheme for your space.
• Starting from scratch? It's best to begin with an inspiration piece such as artwork, fabric, a rug, or a favorite clothing item. In general, the piece should have the overall style you like (contemporary vs. cottage, for example), as well as colors you like that can be incorporated into a room's color palette.
• Visit a Web site such as True Value's Interactive Color Grid, www.truevaluepaint.com, to find coordinating hues for a color scheme.
• Take a color personality quiz, www.bhg.com/sipcolorquiz,
  to gain insight about which colors will match your day-to-day needs and be compatible with your personality.
• Once you've narrowed down your choices to a color or two, choose a few hues to find the perfect intensity for your room.
• To mix-and-match various options for primary, secondary, and accent colors so you can envision what your color choices may look like on a grander scale, go to Benjamin Moore's Web site, www.benjaminmoore.com.
• Try BHG.com's online color designer at www.bhg.com/coloraroom.