Asked on Feb 11, 2019
How do I choose a paint color for my house?
by
Sandra Sorg
+43
Im painting one wall benjiman mooreCaribbean Blue watet I'm having a hard time deciding what to paint the rest of the house it's an open floor plan the kitchen living room is all one here are some pictures of the house and paint sample.
Caribbean blue water the other color is valspar pool tile
This is the wall I'm painting Caribbean blue water
For that layout I would go vanilla or cream everywhere and keep any paint and color to Decor. The reason? It's easier to take down a Spring Coordinating Paint by Number painting out of season in the fall than it is to paint for each season 80 times over the next 20 years.
Have yourself ever coordinated a Christmas Tree with Caribbean Blue?
Good luck finding Carribean Blue Balls or Lights...
I have no idea what the above comment means. A bold color like the blue is enough for one wall. Use neutrals like shades of grey and white on adjoining. If it is an open plan you don't want clashing colors on adjoining walls.
Nice space! Looks like good natural light too. Use the Caribbean blue on the accent wall and the Pool tile on all the rest, with crisp white accents. Me, personally, I am over all the grays other than for an accent here and there. Looks like you have some work ahead of you too, no appliances - they even took the faucet . . . Have fun turning it into a gem.
Sand color.
I tend to look online for other uses of the color and find palettes I like. Then I mimic the colors used there!
In addition to paint colors, a great piece of patterned wallpaper/material on that half wall would look great. Match it up to the wall colors you chose. If you do use material you can pull all together bt making a few throw pillows.
Thea 's idea is the best one! helps you see what really works
You could also try other blues from Ben Moore. Try lighter colors on the same blue color wheel your kitchen color is on.
I love a neutral tone such as Valspar's Oyster Pearl in a satin finish. Its a beautiful light sandy color, not white, not tan, more like beach sand. It will complement all of your other choices yet not overwhelm the areas you choose to paint. Best of luck.
Can you go to the Benjamin Moore website and make up a color palette that gives you the coordinating colors to your Caribbean Blue? Or does it tell you on the back of the paint chip sample. That will give you a good direction to begin and take out the tedious work of trying to figure out the underlying hues because that can get confusing! Same with your Valspar color. Ship lap on the half wall would look great!
Look at tis possibility:
https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-ca/colour-overview/find-your-colour/colour-a-room/1575/living-room-4?color=2055-30&source=%2Fen-ca%2Fcolour-overview%2Ffind-your-colour%2Fcolour%2F2055-30%2Fcaribbean-blue-water&combination=OC-24,2125-70,2125-70&room=1575
You are lucky because it looks like you have a lot of natural light coming in your windows so in my opinion I wouldn't go too bright, cream is neutral and will go with any décor you put into these rooms. White or pearl is just too bright, at least for me it is. If your rooms were dark then I'd say paint the rest of walls with a white. You have grey in your flooring. I like that blue you picked out for one wall then incorporate it even more with certain décor like pillows, cloth napkins, vases, etc.. Then if you want to add shades of grey to go along with your blue there are so many ways to do this. Check out different websites like Pinterest, better homes and gardens that will give you ideas on how to incorporate color.
You mentioned in the comments trying to pick a gray. Check out Sherwin Williams' Light French Gray. If you like it but want to stay with the same brand, Benjamin Moore can color match . I went through about a dozen grays before I landed on that that one because all others seemed too dark or had weird undertones.
Regarding the Christmas Tree in the comments, I wouldn't think you would want to try and match your lights and ornaments to the accent wall but rather a small amount or none at all. The last thing to consider is your tree. Top of the list on decorating and choosing color would be theme and style. For example, Farmhouse would be a difficult style to pull off with that accent wall color.
Good luck and I hope you find something you love.
OMG, use colors that give you joy and make you happy. I loooove colors. No pastel shades for me. Deep red, mustards, denim blues, dark greens......sky is the limit. That is a beautiful blue. If you like it, use that one. It's your house after all. Do whatever you want and as said above, what makes you happy. We did our master bedroom using Night Watch (2018 color of the year Home Depot) and every time I look at it, I just love it more. Elegant, sophisticated and a little dark. You picked that blue for a reason. Sometimes asking for an opinion makes you doubt yourself and gets things more complicated. Do what you want. Be happy with your choices.
Many years ago I watched a show that suggested finding a piece of fabric or wallpaper that you love and pulling colors out of it since a designer has already done the work of putting those colors together in a pleasing combination. Whether it is fabric, wallpaper, a piece of pottery, a poster or something else, the idea of using colors from a source really works well. I once did a whole room in the accent colors from a piece of fabric and then reupholstered the seats of my dining chairs in the fabric. It looked great without being overly matchy.
One caveat - take the inspiration source to the paint shop to match color samples, but then do test swatches of the colors in your own home before painting. I didn't do that in my current home and ended up having to buy white paint to mix into the colored paint because the lights are so much brighter at the paint store than at home that every color I bought was a bit too intense. (And I LOVE color - so too intense for me is seriously intense.)
It is hard to say without knowing the color of the cabinets and what your furniture style and colors are.
So with that said, light neutral colors that compliment the blue.
Get swatches and put them around the blue swatch. You will see the contrasts yourself and choose what suits your taste, as that is what your goal is.
Keep in mind you will want to live with this for a while unless you like to paint ; )
Editing as I just saw the charcoal color couch...... place swatches on the couch!!!
In my third house and I would definitely go with a neutral. Gray is the rage now but I prefer muted off white. The two colors my family uses...me Sherman Williams Medici Ivory and my daughter Sherman Williams Linen. Both have a slight tone that offsets white woodwork Because it is neutral that bright wall takes center stage (which is what I think you are aiming for). But in keeping things neutral you can choose any colors to change your look with pillows, paintings etc as your mood strikes.
Important thought when the blue gets "old" first paint over it with a light gray flat then put your new color. This will save you painting over this multiple times.
I myself have one red wall in my entry (open LR and DR) that adds that spark in a confined area.
Use the same color only several shades lighter , I love color , why have boring white ? Pick your favorite color and put it EVERYWHERE . It will make you happy , every day when I walk into my house it makes me happy.
Cashmere Gray by Sherwin Willams
Using a white paint with your blue will tend to brighten the color and increase the impact. A warm, soft beige or off white (not yellowish or greenish or even blueish) would tend to soften the blue and warm the space. It just depends on what look you you want.
According to p Allen smith if you have windows and a great view paint the walls a dark color your eye goes out to the scenery. We did a mint forest green & it is fantastic. We did 2 window walls in that color & 2 non window walls in a whitish. Love it.
When in doubt about colors, take a cue from the colors in your closet. Your clothing is a dead giveaway as to what colors you love and feel comfortable with.
I love the blue. With the open floor plan, I would do my backsplash in the same color blue. For coordinating colors, white, and a pale pink or coral, to make it "beachy".
Check out Ben Moore's White Down. Very light slightly beige in my townhouse, not a lot of natural light. My is open concept went with the white down in living room and morning dew in the kitchen. The white down will look perfect with your blue.
I like Sherwin Williams Swiss Coffee. It is a great neutral color that goes with everything.
yes a lighter tone of creams would look nice. the swiss coffee was good suggestion from Dee. I thot bout using it. Worsted wool is nice too....Sherrington Williams. Pick up samples and do swatches on wall. 😉
Hi, I love the blue, you need to paint the house house in colors you love, I tend not to go with trend, I guess if you are selling you would, but you live there, you want it your colors right? Use the blue for a feature wall, and may a few other little items like a vase or something, and use it in the bathroom or bedrooms. Enjoy your colors in your house!!
I like the suggestion saying to use the color of sand for the other walls after all that's what nature did. Beautiful blue water and sand on the beach, very relaxing and welcoming. I'd stay away from grey, it can be depressing after a while.
If you go with sand, get a white sand color, like a beautiful tropical beach, not the muddy beige that is often called "sand."
Check out some cool house decorating magazines at barnes and noble and find more inspiration. I love that Caribbean blue. It's awesome to have a bold wall. Definitely keep other walls simply white or a sand color. My favorite thing I did to our living room was made a wall of inspiration. Its framed sayings and canvases. My husband was against a bold colored wall because we have an open floor plan too. My house is mostly tans,rusts and grays. Some people say white isnt warm and welcoming like my rust color. It's all in how you decorate and accessorize. Everyone comes in and sees our inspiration wall and smiles. Add a little wall of inspiration. It will make you smile.
Here are some samples I found on Pintrest. Depends on the style you are goin for. Furniture you may already have... I suggest getting on Pintrest and looking up rooms with a similar color to get ideas.
I think you need to chose a color pallet first and then decide where and how you want the colors.
My first step would be to go to Pinterest and look up that color and kitchens/open floor-see if there is anything you can copy. bold colors are usually best in accents like curtains-chairs-artwork or other things easily replaceable. The room is beautiful and you are seeing it empty-try to think of the paint as a layer to the whole effect the THE WHOLE ROOM. the floor and countertop are beautiful on their own-if you want good advice on color choice go to Maria Killam website -she is a color specialist