What about the paint...that IS the question

Feb 8, 2017
2 min read

The funniest dilemmas I face as a designer working with a client is the question of paint. Something that seemingly should be so simple. "What color should we place on the wall, on the trim?" Do I recommend an accent wall, and if so, what color? "Are you supposed to limit the number of colors in a room or house to just two, maybe three?" My general response is, this is YOUR HOUSE, do what will make you the happiest every time you walk into the room! If that's seeing an accent wall in a beautiful bold color, then do it! If that's seeing three different colors in one room (one paint color above the chair rail, another paint color below the chair rail, and the chair rail itself all different colors...which is my favorite!), then do it! After all.....if you have people walking into your home and giving you the "Have you lost your ever-living mind!!???!!" look on their faces and this bothers you, it's just the cost of another can of paint and a hour or two in time re-painting.

Generally, you need to think of several things:

1. If I were to resell this house, how would this paint color appeal to potential buyers? (Most people don't want to have to repaint just to sell a house.)

2. So okay, I'm not going to sell my house anytime soon so does this paint color work with several other accent color choices just in case I want to update or change to different accent pieces in the room in two years or so?

3. Does this make me go, "Ahhhhh, YES!! This is what I am talking about" every time you walk into the house?

4. There are no hard and steadfast rules that each person must follow in room design or picking out paint colors. There are literally THOUSANDS of paint options out there to choose from. You just need to pick those colors that YOU are the happiest with. Don't worry about anybody else.

So yes, the paint is very important but not so important that it can't be changed if you've made a mistake. So GO AHEAD and paint the room as you want to. Live with it for a couple of weeks or months, and if you still love it, AWESOME and GREAT JOB! If not, then choose another color scenario and get to repainting....... no harm done!

Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions or comments, let me know!! I'd love to hear from you.