“What were they thinking?!”
That’s a thought that has likely crossed your mind when first moving into your home. You (and significant other.) stand in awe at the choice of colours. You can’t help but shake your head and comment about how “blah” or tacky it looks.
The good news: a simple paint job can fix the problem.
The bad news: now you’re stuck in an endless debate about the colour choice.
After all, you don’t want to make the same mistakes as the previous owner. You want to claim your own style and make it pop. This problem of finding the right colour combos gets solved thanks to colour swatches.
Colour Swatches and Theory
The perfect blend of colours can bring it all together. It creates a pleasing look that adds to the “feel” of the room. The feeling one gets that bubbles up due to colour combinations.
Your brain associates colors with different emotions:
- Red: Love and rage
- Black: Power and death
- Green: Growth and healing
- Orange: Enthusiasm and stimulation
- Yellow: Cheerfulness and energy
- Blue: Trust and faith
- Purple: Nobility and ambition
- White: Purity and perfection
From a base color comes a colour scheme. These schemes use a harmonious selection typically through complementary, triadic, or analogous selections. It’s a way of selecting colours that are either close or opposite.
The swatches don’t always look like they match but trust the selection. The paint companies understand colour theory, after all. Also, examine the swatches in different types of lighting as this will create a different look and feel for the colours.
When in doubt: take a sample of the paint you like to the paint department and ask for suggestions. Browse the aisles until you’ve found your match and other colours to compliment the main selection. Ask for a small sample to bring home to brush on the wall for a real world example.
It’s a toughie making the selection once you begin playing with the options. The combinations are endless which is why you’ll want a dozen or so swatches to get a good start.
Where to Find Colour Swatches
All paint departments in the large home improvement stores have a trove of colour swatches you can pick and bring home. There are hundreds of colour combinations available in small strips. Booklets that highlight the main product line of major paint suppliers are also available.
Other ways you can find swatches include:
- Supplier\’s website
- Pinterest boards
- Interior paint galleries
- Designer blogs
- Colour generators and pickers
You could also refer to expert, designer opinions on colour combinations to get a starting point when selecting your colour swatches. Magazines like Better Homes & Garden or shows found on HGTV are excellent sources of inspiration.
Switch Up the Swatches
A new paint project is both fun and financially forward thinking.
Take some time to let the choice in colour swatches rattle around your brain. Post them on the walls, keep coming back, and note how you feel. In a day or two, you’ll have the perfect pick for the project because the colours are irresistible.
Though… if you’re having trouble then don’t hesitate to get in touch! We’ve been painting since 2007 and would love to give you our take on colour combos. You’re an online quote away from doing away with the “blah” and making it your own.