Picking Paint Colors

Maybe it’s because I’m a girl, but one of my favorite areas of any home improvement store is the paint section. I love looking at all the paint swatches – it really can be mesmerizing! In our first house back in Columbus, Ohio, I really picked paint colors at random. It just depended on what mood or what color I needed/wanted for that particular room. There was no flow and consistency throughout the whole house.

This was a mistake I was determined not to make again. I wanted the whole house to feel light and refreshing. This would require picking a color palette and sticking to it throughout all the rooms. I decided to pick one neutral color and go from there.

The base color I started with was Glidden’s Water Chestnut. I heard this was the ultimate in light beige so I took a chance. I definitely planned to use this color in the family room, living room and guest room. According to various designers, repeating colors throughout the house is actually a good thing.

Next I needed a shade lighter from Water Chestnut for the hallways so I picked Glidden’s Antique Beige. And I had my heart set on a soft gray color for the dining room and it seemed like Glidden’s Smooth Stone would work. Then I started searching for a color in our master bedroom. Our comforter is a light green and beige strip from Crate & Barrel and I had a feeling Glidden’s Barely Jade would be a nice compliment. Plus, it was a great addition to the color palette I was building.

Finally, I knew all the doors and trim needed a strong white to make everything pop so I picked Glidden’s Dove White.

I officially have five colors picked out for the house. A pretty good starting point! I plan to add more colors to the mix later, but first I wanted to see how all of these would turn out. Stay tuned!