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My sister’s house was painted 50 shades of light blue when they bought it, and it wasn’t sexy. All bedrooms, bathrooms, den, closets, etc – every room but the main entry were different subtle shades of the same light blue tone. Clearly, the last owner suffered from “whole house paint paralysis” and just went with the “one and done” approach. I get it – picking 11 different paint colors at the same time is challenging, daunting, and just a lot at once, especially amidst all the other decisions you are likely making.
In a perfect world, you paint one room at a time and see how it looks and feels before you go to the next. But whether you are repainting a room to work with the rest of your already painted house or having to choose all of them at the same time, there are things to consider. There is knowledge for those who have done this before, that can help you do what we all want in life – mitigate regret and optimize our home happiness. For the farmhouse, I’m so excited to work again with Sherwin-Williams on the colors of every wall, every cabinet, all the trim work, and yes, even the ceilings. Some houses don’t need a lot of color (the mountain house) and others want more. This house will fall in the zone similar to the first Portland project – main spaces more neutral, with the trees through the windows adding a lot of color, we’ll add color in the cabinets, built-ins, and rooms that need to feel cozier or where I might want to do an unexpected paint treatment. I want the feeling of the mountain house (calm, warm, minimal) but with the charm of our English cottage (playful, more pattern/fun, whimsy). I haven’t figured it out yet or landed on any “for sure” color, which is why this exercise is coming at a great time. How do you get the paint color right on the first try???
DO: Ask Yourself Some Important Big Picture Questions
Not to get too existential on you, but if designing your home is mostly about your personal preference, how YOU live, then you need to seriously consider the answer to these questions before you choose paint willy nilly.
Similar Paint Colors: After The Storm SW 9685 by Sherwin-Williams | Inkwell SW 6992 by Sherwin-Williams
How do you want to feel when you are in the room? I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s super important that you let the feeling of the room dictate how it looks, not the other way around. Do you want to feel cozy? Feel at ease? Or feel like partying?
Similar Paint Colors: Pure White SW 7005 by Sherwin-Williams | Lattice SW 7654 by Sherwin-Williams
Do you want all the colors in the house to work together or would you rather have different exciting experiences in each room? The level of overall color cohesion is absolutely a personal preference and really comes down to how much you can handle. I like for open spaces to have a shared vibe and color palette – but if the rooms are separated from each other by doors, then have more free rein to create different color experiences. For me, it’s all about vibe, and I like tones that feel like varying degrees of a hug. Maybe some hugs are more in the tickle arena, some a quick familiar squeeze while others are a long soft embrace. The colors don’t need to match or carry through necessarily, but the vibe needs to match what you want for the overall home experience.
Paint Color: Cyberspace SW 7076 by Sherwin-Williams
What are your true comfort colors? The ones that always make you happy. Go with your comfort colors for main spaces (take risks in rooms less traveled). While paint is easier to replace than wallpaper, it’s also just good to get in a habit (one that I’ve had to break) of not “buying something you might return,” even if it’s a coat of paint. If you’ve never in your life opted for a lavender scarf then be wary that you might be falling for a trend that is misguiding your true long-term emotions (tastes).
DO: Look At Your Favorite “Everyday” Clothes… What Are Your Comfort Colors?
Paint Color: Waterloo SW 9141 by Sherwin-Williams
How much color and pattern can you really handle? I’ve found that this changes throughout your life depending on external forces. I used to love a ton of color in every room, but as my life has gotten more stressful and chaotic with kids, I find that I like more negative calm space, moments of pattern, and surprise.
DO: Zero In On The Purpose Of The Room And Let That Guide Your Paint Selections
Paint Color: Laurel Woods SW 7749 by Sherwin-Williams
A room that you want to have a lot of lively fun conversations in might look (and yes, feel) different than a room where you want to snuggle and watch Friday night movies. Also for you maybe it’s similar.
DO: Sit In The Room And Really Picture Your Mood, Your Actions, How You Want To Feel When Using This Room, Not Just How It’s Going To Look In A Photo
A TV room or den can go way darker in tone than a sunroom, for instance. Your primary bedroom should help you wind down and fall asleep, not overstimulate your visual sense. A dining room can be more bold and exciting and a powder room can be the riskiest room in the house – becoming a secret experience for guests.
DO: Have Some Darker Colors To Pull Your Eye Farther Into The Room
Similar Paint Colors: Cheviot SW 9503 by Sherwin-Williams | Rain Cloud SW 9639 by Sherwin-Williams
I’ve made this mistake before, where everything is too same same and light, which sounds nice in theory but adding a darker paint color (or even a piece of furniture) on the opposite side of the room (think a dining room you can see from the living room, or built-ins in the corner of your family room) can help draw you into the room and feel grounded. It actually makes the room feel bigger. Don’t be afraid of a couple surprises.
DON’T: Paint A Dark Room “White”
Similar Paint Color: Sea Serpent SW 7615 by Sherwin-Williams
The sad truth is that rooms with more natural light can be both light, medium, and dark. But rooms with very little natural light can feel really “dead” and cold with just white paint on the walls and no light bouncing around. You don’t need to go dark, bold, or busy but just consider a warmer or more inviting tone to cozy up the dark space. Lean into the darkness.
DON’T: Worry About Your Architectural Style
Similar Paint Color: Tinsmith SW 7657 by Sherwin-Williams
It’s my opinion that permanent fixtures (tile, flooring, molding) need to work with the original architecture of the home, but paint color? No. Any paint color can work with any architectural style as a backdrop for all the rest of your decor. For the farmhouse, I’m leaning towards more muted but happy blues, greens, roses, and mustards but you bet cobalts, saturated yellows and reds could look great – it’s just a totally different vibe. I love an unexpected paint color on an older home – just make sure you do, too 
DON’T: Forget Your Other Permanent Fixtures
Similar Paint Colors: Pure White SW 7005 by Sherwin-Williams | Needlepoint Navy SW 0032 by Sherwin-Williams
This is a reminder not to design in a vacuum. You like mauve? Great me, too. But a mauve paint color next to a medium-toned wood floor can either compete and look muddy or create a lovely cocoon-like feeling – either way, it’s important to see the two colors next to each other (not just on a digital mood board). Same with tile, fireplaces, and anything else more permanent that you have already chosen – which brings me to my next point…
DO: Choose Paint (Almost) Last
Similar Paint Color: Rain Cloud SW 9639 by Sherwin-Williams
Hear me out. You have less flexibility in colors with vintage rugs, wallpaper, and tile even than you do with paint colors, so choose those first (if you find them in time). I like to use those pieces as a jumping-off point and then pair the paint color with it – ensuring they look good together. Sherwin-Williams has so many varying shades of the same color for this exact reason – to give you endless options and flexibility – to be able to work with anything in the home. So don’t try to find a rug that works with your paint selection – if you can, do it the other way around.
Take advantage of digital resources like Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap Visualizer so you can picture what paint colors will look like along with your actual finishes.
DO: Consider The Colors Of The Nearby Rooms
Similar Paint Colors: Pure White SW 7005 by Sherwin-Williams | Mountain Pass SW 9655 by Sherwin-Williams
This is kinda specific but pretty important – if you can see multiple rooms from one vantage point – a living room that can see the kitchen, dining, and family room for instance – be sure to select colors with that in mind. You don’t want the colors to be A. too close that they look like they are slightly off or B. look like a funhouse (in a bad way). When putting together an outfit you don’t choose your cardigan independent of your shirt underneath, no, you make sure you like how they look next to each other because you see them at the same time.
Sherwin-Williams Peel and Stick paint samples are a game-changer here! You can see how two colors will work together without making a mess with wet samples, move them around to see how they look in different lighting, and help you have more confidence in your decision.
DON’T: Paint One Wall An “Accent” Color Unless It Architecturally Warrants Its Own Moment
Similar Paint Color: Mountain Pass SW 9655 by Sherwin-Williams
This is a general design pet peeve – when a random wall is painted a bold color for seemingly no reason other than to be different. An accent wall must warrant the attention, it needs to be a focal point, not just randomly placed. My two favorite places for accent walls are behind a bed or in a niche.
DON’T: Think That Every Paint Color Has To Be The Star
It’s not a “go big or go home challenge” on every wall and unless you know that the rest of your decor can handle it, you might be setting yourself up for just too much. If you love a lot of color then you likely also have a lot of color in your furniture/textiles as well and a bold color on the wall might be too much once it’s within that context. Use some restraint to ensure that the room doesn’t look like SpongeBob SquarePants’ college dorm room.
DO: Give Your Eye Some Negative Space
Paint Color: Pure White SW 7005 by Sherwin-Williams
Like an outfit, if every room is bold and wild your eye doesn’t know what to look at and everything becomes competitive and sometimes even visually chaotic. This is awesome in a restaurant or bar, someplace where you are meant to feel jolted alive so you order another round, but in your home you should allow some calming visual moments and some transitions spaces between big colors. What color “calms” you down is up to you (and can easily be black, navy, light gray – doesn’t have to be white or beige).
DO: Consider What You See Out Of The Windows Of Each Room
If you are surrounded by trees you might not want your walls green, so that the trees outside can pop and be more of the focus. If you face an apartment building that you don’t love or are directly on the street, you can bring your eye inside more by painting the room a happier tone (also consider bottom-up shades for privacy without blocking natural light).
DON’T: Forget The Ceilings, Casings, Trim Work, Or Just Doors
Similar Paint Colors: Allegory SW 9553 by Sherwin-Williams | Ghosted SW 9545 by Sherwin-Williams
A great way to add color, contrast, and style without overwhelming a room with a dark or bold color, is to just paint the ceiling or the casing, baseboard, and molding of a room. Just be mindful that painting the actual window mullions (the grids) isn’t always easy to paint over or undo as the paint can build up over time and cause the window to stick. I love when the base, doors, ceiling moulding, and window casings are a contrasting color, while the walls remain a softer neutral.
See? There is a LOT to consider even before you get to selecting the right color itself (that’s the next post, I promise). Remember, the key to a great home that you love is leaning into your personal preference and knowing how you want to use the home – my hope is that with some guidance and forethought we can all ponder, think, ask ourselves questions and THEN paint, not the other way around.
This post is sponsored by Sherwin-Williams(R). All opinions are my own.
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp
The post The 13 “Do’s” And “Dont’s” Of Choosing Paint For Your Whole House – Read Before You Paint appeared first on Emily Henderson.
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