Choosing a paint color for a room in your home can be downright overwhelming. There are endless color palettes, and brands, and swatches (oh my), and it’s nearly impossible to pick a color off the little paint chip. After completely painting our new home from floor to ceiling,( indoors and outdoors) we’ve learned to stick to the local Benjamin Moore store. We know the products are a great quality, and you can’t beat the service.
Our latest project though has been a doozy. I have always wanted a blue and white elegant master bedroom, and since every summer we do one home project, this has been our focus for the last few weeks. A retreat for the grown ups…doesn’t that sound lovely?
But I admit, I became a total paint color freak when we began this remodel. I wanted the perfect periwinkle…but every color we put on the walls was either too blue, or too purple, or just plain ugly. After 11 trips to the paint store and trying eight different samples on the walls, we finally found our own custom Hewitt Hue. It’s tranquil, it’s pretty, and it makes me (and my hubby) happy.
Custom Hewitt Hue…I call it Blue-vender!
But mixing and finally settling on the color wasn’t easy. It was in fact completely frustrating, as I made every wrong turn possible in my quest for periwinkle bliss. So please learn from my mistakes! Here are some things to consider when choosing a color. (These tips come from Jesse at the Benjamin Moore store, who I am now on a first name basis with!)
how to pick the perfect paint color everytime!
Always Go Lighter
If you are at the paint store and think you love a color on a swatch, always get the sample one shade lighter. Colors always look darker on the walls. Plus the contrast of white trim against a color makes paint appear darker as well.
Put Paint Samples On Different Walls
When sampling colors, always test different colors on different walls. If you look at similar colors next to each other your perspective will be skewed. When I put purple next to periwinkle, of course the purple looked darker and the periwinkle bluer. When I put them on opposing walls, they looked completely different.
What not to do!
Test Over a White Wall in Daylight and at Night
Originally I was testing colors over the green paint we currently have in the room. Jesse told me to first paint the wall white and give it a clean palette. It made a big difference. He also suggested testing it at day and at night. Our color looks like ice blue during the day, but is a perfect light periwinkle in darker light. Since our room doesn’t get tons of natural light, we picked our color based on nighttime, which is the only time we are in there anyway!
Stop Valuing Others Opinions
Amen to this one! Jesse said he always shakes his head when customers ask his opinion. His standard response is, “well it’s your room, do you like it?” The biggest thing to remember is it’s your space, which means your opinion is the only one that matters. Many people questioned my purp-ly palette, and eventually I learned to stop asking. And the end result is a pretty periwinkle that makes me smile every time we walk in the room.
Ta Da! The color we created.
Here it is! Our lovely room is my favorite space in the house! Oh and if you’re wondering, we started with 828 Airway and added magenta. It is a lovely & airy light blue with lavender undertones. I accented the room with different shades of blue, purple, white, and a light tan linen headboard from West Elm, bench and curtains. So glad it’s done!
So, do I have the record number of paint samples for one room?
What is the largest number of paint samples you’ve tried?!
I have a hard time committing to a dinner choice at a restaurant I’ve been to a million times. You can just forget about me making paint decisions, ha! I’m not happy with the colors I chose when we moved into this house, but it’s just so DAUNTING to paint when it all looks “okay” – it’s hard!
I can’t wait to see your finished product…sounds gorgeous!
I’m the same way Carrie….just do it! New paint on the walls makes me happy!
Those are great tips! Choosing paint is HARD! I always grab a bunch of swatches in the color I’m considering and tape them up all over the room. Then I look at them throughout the day to see how the light coming in changes the tones. As I keep looking at them, there are always some that stand out as ones I don’t like, so they get pulled off the wall one by one until only one or two are left to choose from. It’s been a decent system for me so far. The only room whose paint color I haven’t liked is our master bedroom, but I’m just going to live with it because we have other areas that really need a fresh coat!
My house is in serious need of repainting but I’m afraid to DIY. Even if I hire someone I still need these tips because I still have to live with the color. I really like the stop valuing others opinion. If I go with what someone else likes and not what I do then I’m not going to be happy.
Don’t be afraid Carla – it’s easy and fun! A new color has invigorated me!
Hi Kristin! Great advice. Choosing a paint color is my worst nightmares. It’s not a picnic for anyone who knows me either. lol I am not even going to tell you how long it took me to choose a WHITE. And that was after years of trying to choose a color. I decided that while I love color, I should probably marry white and shack up with some color accents. It amazes me at the number of shades for one color, and none still look right on my wall. I can’t wait to see your finished room.
It IS impossible…but with persistence you will eventually find the right one. Don’t be afraid of color…embrace it!
We actually just redid our living room and dining room and you said a mouthful with all of the above, especially going one shade lighter, as we learned this hard way here!
I love the color and it’s exactly what I have been hoping to achieve! I have tons of paint chips and have some samples, just not getting the right color. Would you be able to provide the “mix” ratio/formula of the Benjamin Moore Airway and magenta to help me eliminate trial and error? Thanks a bunch!
Would you mind sharing paint color formula with me as well?
Good question! Wondering what the mix ratio is, too.
Would you please be willing to share the formula you used. My daughter simply loves this color and we are going to the paint store tomorrow. How much magenta was added to the blue? Redoing her room for her 21 birthday ion Thanksgiving. Long overdue. Hoping to make it a haven when she comes to visit. 🙂 thank you!
I’m sorry I just saw this, the formula was in the pic and blog.
Beautiful color! Serendipitously, I just picked up a sample of Benjamin Moore Airway. I’m also interested in the formula. I reread the blog and looked at the pics and am still not seeing it. Please advise.