Deciding on the colors to use for an interior home painting job can be more work than doing the actual painting. There are so many different combinations of color and so many theories on color matching coming from every imaginable source. Here’s an idea you might not have considered: paint your home to match your family.
No, that doesn’t mean to match everybody’s eye color or the color of their hair. It means consider your family’s style and attitude, and add colors with paint that seem like a good fit.
Describing your family
What words could be used to describe the people who live in your home? Some examples:
- Adventurous
- Calm
- Intense
- Thoughtful
- Boisterous
- Studious
- Playful
Of course, this list is just a start. Once you decide on the characteristics that best describe you and your loved ones, you’ll have a guide sheet of sorts for choosing the colors that will make your home match the people who live in it.
Color basics
The “general” rule of thumb when painting interiors is, paint most of the larger sections such as room walls and the walls of connecting spaces like hallways, foyers, etc., with colors more on the neutral side, and then use more brilliant contrasting colors on trim work, doors and the occasional wall.
You may wish to follow this pattern, or you may wish to paint with a completely different approach. It’s your home, so you choose what will lead to the most satisfaction.
Color ideas
Many psychologists believe that colors have meaning, or that they relate to certain personality types. In deciding what color scheme to use in your home to match your family’s style, consider the following:
Red: energy, passion, action, ambition
Orange: optimism, social communication
Yellow: mind, intellect, optimism
Green: balance, growth, self-reliance
Blue: trust, integrity, loyalty
Inigo: intuition, idealism
Purple: imagination, creativity
Turquoise: communication, mental clarity
Pink: love, nurturing
Varying shades of these primary colors likely will relate to the listed traits to some extent. Most families that place a high value on loyalty and integrity, for example, wouldn’t want all their walls painted deep-blue, but a very pale blue might be perfect when surrounded by stronger colors on doors and window frames.
Fortunately, there are no right or wrong methods to choosing the colors that fill your home. Picking colors that match your family’s stronger characteristics can be a good way to go about developing your color scheme. It can be a project everybody gets involved in and adds input to. This way the finished product will truly have your family, lifestyle and personality written all over it.
A final note: with any painting project, remember the basics:
- Quality brushes and rollers
- Plenty of protective drop cloths
- Paint from top makers such as Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore
- Proper preparation of surfaces – cleaning, sanding, scraping as necessary
- Keep painting areas well-ventilated
Franklin Painting of Farmington, CT, is ready to help with any size painting project. If you want a super result but prefer not to do it yourself, give us a call at (877) 646-7774.
