A sweet reader Bethany wrote us with a good question, that went a little something like this:
…We just purchased a new-to-us house and we move in soon. Since it has a few leftover-from-the-mid-80s wallpaper selections going on, we are a little anxious-excited to chuck it all, and get started on paint colors. I want it all out of there with our new colors, and I’m thinking soft with bold – kind of like what you do with your home. We really like whites, greys and blues but I want fun colors for the kids rooms and maybe something different in a few others to mix it up. We’re having trouble making it all cohesive. Could you help us pick?
I’m going to tell you something I know from personal experience, and you can take it with a giant grain of salt, or flat out ignore me. But sometimes, and by sometimes I mean most of the time, paint color comes last.
WHAT.
We believe that you should always start with where you feel inspired in a space. But that being said, paint colors are one of the easiest things to choose and change and pair, based on the other decisions for each room. You can either tone a fabric down, or bring out it’s best assets. Offer a great contrast, or bring the design vibe up a notch. And paint color can be a big deciding factor.
We painted our entire house when we moved in because I just had to have new colors. We had no ugly wallpaper, so I get it. But it was overwhelming in the area of builder’s beige and brown. We I just had to. I even chose a bright {see: of the school bus on steroids variety} yellow for what is now the boys’ room, and some rando green color for the “guest room” that is now Emerson’s space.
Fast forward to 2015: I know we’re a special case, but I’ve painted each room at least twice since then. I think it was babies {surprise no. 3!} and playing musical rooms. And maybe it was a part of figuring out what we really wanted and who we were in our home along with which colors worked… I think that’s okay because we all go through that stage. And maybe it’s because we’ve lived here for almost a decade. But if I could do it over again, I would totally take my ever lovin’ sweet time.
I would move in, and decide exactly what I wanted for each space: how it made me feel, the purpose, and what I wanted to include in terms of fabrics, furniture & elements… And after a few months I would start to decide, room by room. It may sound easier to do it before you move in just to have it finished, but… is it? Because really… where’s the fire? And you’ll probably change your mind anyway.
Those are really big decisions to make before you’ve lived there. Daylight alone can transform a color in so many ways: one space that is the same color can look different on the other side of the house. I think that it pays to take your time with paint swatches and samples on a wall to determine which shade you like the best.
If we could do it all over again, we would go all white. And add from there. Honest to goodness. It may sound crazy, but sometimes it helps to cleanse the pallet completely before building on. Consider it.
But, all that being said, we totally get that you want to lighten up your spaces, and make it more ‘you’ before you even move in. Maybe even go for a few bolder choices on those walls, because sometimes the garish shade of puce is just a bit much for even the most open minded of people. So if you just absolutely must have new colors, I would pick two… And do them all through the house. Something to hold you over until you’re really ready to change specifics.
Neutral and light {with a few bolder touches, as well}
The one color combo we haven’t changed since we moved in? The kitchen/dining room {now the school room}. We’ve added new accents, but since that initial coat of paint, the shade never changed. I think it’s because we took our time with these, and went for a soft backdrop. So we rounded up a few of our favorite, soft combos with a hint of color, as a great base to start with in a home. Because if we could do it all over again…
So without further ado: choosing base colors for the home.
{A lot of the graphics below are not an entirely accurate representation of the actual color chip or in the space – I’ve found that they’re actually darker on screen – that’s impossible to get it 100% universal on a computer screen, even though the images were grabbed from the company themselves. We recommend trying out samples in real life, before taking the dive.}
Sea Pearl {962} + Woodlawn blue {HC-147}
{Woodlawn Blue as seen on our kitchen walls}
Pure essence {638} + Silver Sage {506} {Softer in real life :}
Pure essence in a space – via
Shoreline {1471} + Aberdeen Green {631}
Aberdeen Green in a space – via
Chantilly Lace {our fave crisp, go-to white, all throughout our house} + Opal Essence {680} its the color in this living room reveal:
Bath Salts {624} + Etched Glass {626} + Winter Orchard {1555} – these have more of a historical vibe to them – like a pretty green/blue in an old house.
An example of winter orchard – via
Wedgewood Grey {HC-146} and Classic Grey {1548}
You can see wedgewood grey in our laundry room
We hope these are some great building blocks as a place to spark your inspiration, sans future color regrets. And a fantastic backdrop for when you’re ready to go darker, or bring in some great accents to up the anté. Teals, yellows, blacks, corals, magentas, plums, golds and great wood tones are just a few places to get started with it all… it all depends on the direction you’d like to take.
Mix it up and have fun -we can’t wait to see what you do!
For a full listing of all the colors in our home, and a few more questions covered… be sure to check out our post here!
Have an inspired day!
I love that you included pictures for each sample. I picked out a color for my hallway that was a warm sand color. When I got it home, it looked pinker than the sample. It grew on me, but it shows that you really need to try out the colors before you purchase.
So true! I’ve gone into color freak out mode, many a time! ;}
I couldn’t agree more about choosing paint colors last. Taking time to be intentional, thoughtful, and true to yourself. We actually paint every few years because I need change; I crave change. But, I don’t want to move, and I kinda like my husband, so not changing him out either. My answer is paint! It’s so easy to change out and I’m blessed with a husband that actually ENJOYS painting. We fell into builders beige a few years ago–the whole “have a neutral backdrop that you can accent any way you want” nonsense, and now I look at that and want to scream. So I now I have a beautiful spring green in my bathroom and looking at other places to paint next. Your blog continues to make me brave and remember this is OUR home and should make US happy.
Awe thanks, Jen! Love that… so true – I crave change too. I think some people are just geared that way to want to make fresh changes. And so true about the husband! Mine may trade ME in if I make another color suggestion ;}
We’ve move a lot, and with each house I tried to have a vision of what colors I wanted before we moved in so I could get going and feel settled quickly in a new part of the country. When we moved into our current house, I wanted to paint everything immediately because we had a 4 month old and I wanted it done before he started crawling. My husband gently told me that I was going too fast and that I needed to slow down. He said I should paint one room a month at most. I was really aggravated at first, but now I think it was the very best possible thing he could have done for me. Because of my “forced” waiting period, I had the chance to really think through my color decisions and make good choices. I leisurely {with 3 little kids, HA!} strolled through the fabric stores and online, getting inspiration and ideas without a time crunch. I collected swatches and made a notebook for the house with lists of projects to do in each room and ideas. We’ve now been here 2 1/2 years and every room but 2 are painted. The holdouts are rooms where fabrics haven’t been solidified or where the purpose of the room is likely to change within a year {i.e. nursery to guest room}. I can’t tell you how many times with each room I changed my mind before finalizing the color because I had time to really think it through. If I had gone ahead, I would be thinking of repainting already. I love this house more more than any of the others we’ve lived in because I’ve taken the time to really observe how it functions for us before making big decisions.
LOVE this Beth! Such sage advice. What is it about that mentality of wanting to get in and settled and done right away? So funny when it’s never really done, anyway. I was the same way. Love that he made you wait. So smart! And you were so smart to listen! So true about purpose, too. In our next house {when we finally sell ours} I will need a printable that says “Where’s the Fire” to remind myself the same thing! It’s so hard to wait but so worth it. ;}
Great post! I agree with the all white, fresh start idea. It can be so hard to look past a dominating wall color that you don’t like. I often start subconsciously designing around that color. I get better results with a clean slate. So, I’d say if your house has bossy wall colors and you have the time and money to paint the whole house white before you move in, then go for it, and add in your own color scheme over time. 🙂