Okay so you have whipped your home office into shape. You’ve set up some great filing systems and you’ve established some good organizing habits. Now you are ready to freshen up your working space with a brand new paint color on the walls. Seems like it should be simple right? If only it were…I have many years of experience in this area and still find it challenging at times! Here are some tips to help you navigate through the tricky waters of paint color selection
1. Don’t even THINK of selecting a paint color in the Paint Store!
I have been in some pretty high end paint stores and still the lighting is substandard for choosing colors. Most often lighting in the typical paint or hardware store is cost effective flourescent tubes…great on the pocket book…terrible color rendering in which to select paint colors. So fight the temptation, rather select a BIG bunch that might work and bring them home to test in the actual space.
2. Check out the “relatives” of any light color selection!
Chances are the paper samples you’ve selected at the store has a whole “family” of related colors on the strip. They range from light to dark. Without getting into the science of paint formulas lets just say that all colors have a base color. This base color may not be apparent in the lighter colors however if you check out the darker colors on the same strip, it soon becomes obvious. For example, a pale gray color by itself may be just the color you are seeking however by checking out its darker shades you realize it has a strong purple base. In certain conditions, this base will become quite prominent even in the less obvious lighter shade
3. Get Testy!
In this day and age there simply is no excuse for not testing a questionable paint color in the space before commiting to the entire paint purchase. Most paint manufacturers offer small containers of paint at minimal costs. Ben Moore is now offering pint sized cans that cover 32 square feet of wall for just $6.99…just perfect to see if you like the end results. Remember to always paint samples next to adjacent trim or pertinent finishes such as stone, brick or wood. Test on several walls and view your test at different times of the day with different lighting to get a full spectrum of results.