Paint Color Selection for Dummies

Please don't be offended by the title of this post, because I am including myself in the "dummies" category. I have no background or education in design. I am just an everyday gal trying to make my home a space I can enjoy.

I recently repainted every square inch of my first floor myself and found the most stressful part was selecting my colors. I didn't have enough money to hire painters, let alone enough money to hire a designer to select colors for me, so my first stop was the Sherwin-Williams Pottery Barn collection. Clearly, Pottery Barn has tons of people with professional design experience and expertise, so I trust that the colors in this collection are on trend or classics that will stand the test of time.

I find it is easier to pin point what you don't like versus what you do like. My last three homes were warm neutrals, beiges or golds. After trying to decorate those homes, I knew I wanted to steer clear of those color families. I also knew I didn't want anything too bold. So that guided me toward picking a cool toned neutral, SW 7634 - Pediment.

From there I used the Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap® app to find its coordinating colors. I picked up a Color To Go® sample of each color and painted them on various walls around the main floor. This step cost me an extra $50 or so but it is so worth it. Don't trust paint sample chips from one of those strips you pick up at the paint store. You really need to put some paint on the wall and see how it looks in different rooms, on different walls and with different lighting. I decided I wanted a little more contrast between two of the colors and selected one shade lighter than what the app had suggested.

I ended up going with a pretty neutral pallet, but selected Hazel for the dining room for a pop of color. While I ended up painting most of the house myself. I did have to hire a painter to finish up our foyer. Homegirl is terrified of heights. Here is a quick tour.

Family Room: Fashionable Gray with Special Gray accent wall

Kitchen: Fashionable Gray

Foyer: Pediment

Living Room: Pediment

Dining Room: Hazel

I am really pleased with how everything turned out. And contrary to what you might think, this is not a sponsored post for Sherwin-Williams. I just really like their products and all the tools they have to help you select the right paint for your home.

Do you stress as much as I do about picking paint colors? I hope my process will give you some inspiration to tackle it yourself. Any tips you can share with us?