Picking a paint color looks easy until you're standing in the store with a fan of 200 swatches. The color that looked perfect on the chip can turn out too yellow, too gray or too dark once it's on your walls. The good news is that a few simple steps take most of the guesswork out of it. Here's how we suggest Charlotte-area homeowners choose interior colors they'll be happy with for years.
Start with the light in the room
The same paint can look completely different from one room to the next, and light is the main reason. Before you fall for a color, notice which way the room faces and how much sun it gets.
- North-facing rooms get cooler, softer light all day. Warmer colors, like creamy whites, warm beiges and soft greige, keep them from feeling gray or flat.
- South-facing rooms get bright, warm light for much of the day. Most colors look good here, and cooler tones can balance out the warmth.
- East-facing rooms are bright and warm in the morning and cooler in the afternoon.
- West-facing rooms can feel dim in the morning and glow orange in the late afternoon, especially in strong Carolina sun.
Rooms with a lot of glass, like sun rooms, need extra thought. Strong light can wash out pale colors and make bright colors look louder than they did on the chip. Our sun room painting service includes help choosing colors that work in that kind of light.
Work with what's staying
Paint is the easiest thing in a room to change, so choose it last, around the things you're keeping. Look at your floors, countertops, cabinets, tile, a brick or stone fireplace and your larger furniture. Each has an undertone, a hint of warm (yellow, orange or red) or cool (blue, green or gray). A wall color with a matching undertone will look like it belongs. One that fights it can make the whole room feel slightly off, even if you can't say why.
A quick trick: hold a white sheet of paper next to the item. The undertone is much easier to see against pure white.
Test samples the right way
Never choose from the chip alone. A tiny swatch under store lighting tells you very little about how a color will look on a whole wall in your home. Instead:
- Narrow it down to two or three colors.
- Paint large samples, at least two feet square, or use peel-and-stick sample sheets.
- Put samples on more than one wall, including one that gets direct light and one that doesn't.
- Look at them in the morning, the afternoon and at night with your lamps on.
- Keep samples away from the old wall color's edges when you judge them, since the old color can throw off your eye.
Give it two or three days. The color you still like on day three is usually the right one.
Think about how rooms connect
Many homes around Charlotte, especially newer builds, have open layouts where the kitchen, dining and living areas flow together. In those spaces it helps to pick one main wall color for the shared area and use accent colors in rooms with doors, like bedrooms, offices and bathrooms. Keeping the same trim color throughout the house also ties everything together.
If you want more contrast, try a darker color on a single wall, a dining room or a kitchen island instead of the whole open space.
Choose the right sheen for each room
Sheen is how shiny the paint is, and it matters almost as much as color. Shinier paint is easier to clean but shows wall flaws more. Here's a simple starting point:
- Ceilings: flat, to hide imperfections and reduce glare.
- Living rooms and bedrooms: matte or eggshell for a soft look. See our living room painting service.
- Family rooms and hallways: eggshell or satin, which wipe clean more easily. Busy rooms do best with a scrubbable finish, as we explain on our family room painting page.
- Kitchens and bathrooms: satin or a paint made for moisture. Charlotte summers are humid, and bathrooms deal with steam every day, so bathroom painting calls for a finish that stands up to it.
- Trim, doors and cabinets: semi-gloss or satin for durability.
Don't forget ceilings, trim and closets
A fresh wall color can make old, yellowed trim and ceilings stand out. Plan to refresh them at the same time if they need it. Closets and pantries are easy to skip, but painting them along with the room makes the whole space feel finished. Ask about closet painting when you plan a bedroom.
If you're also thinking about your kitchen, read what to know before painting kitchen cabinets.
Get help choosing
If you've narrowed it down but still can't decide, that's normal. When we come out for your free estimate, we're happy to talk through colors and finishes for each room with you. Lucas Painting Services provides interior painting across Charlotte and nearby towns. See our full list of service areas.