Things You'll Need:
- Internet access
- A local Home Depot or other paint store
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Step 1
The best place to start is the internet. These days, every major paint manufacturer has a website where you can pick a sample room picture. For as long as your heart desires, you can mix and match colors for the walls, ceiling and trim. By starting here, you can at least get an idea of what color palettes appeal to you before you dive into the paint-store process.
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Step 2
Find your favorite thing, whether it be an earring, a painting or some other piece of art. That favorite object is your favorite for a reason...the colors in that object speak to your soul. If you're having trouble finding a palette, this will be the fastest fix. Even if you're not having trouble, this is a surefire way to find colors you'll be happy with for a long time.
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Step 3
Pick a main color. After you figure out what color palette you gravitate toward, you have to consider the size of your house, to decide whether to use deeper or lighter hues as your main color. The smaller your house, the more you want try to pick a lighter hue as your main color. That's because lighter hues will make the room seem bigger and brighter, rather than small and closed in. The larger your house, the more you can experiment with darker colors.
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Step 4
Take a trip to the local paint store. No matter what new techniques paint companies have for allowing you to choose paint from the comfort of your home, viewing the paint colors on your computer screen is not always accurate. Colors on a computer screen can appear very different based on color resolution, saturation settings and even the lighting of the room in which your computer is located. The color swatches paint companies provide these days are surprisingly accurate, so going to the store is the last step in confirming your paint colors.
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Step 5
Now that you've picked and viewed the main colors, pick accent colors that you can place strategically throughout the house. The accent color can go on the main, eye-catching wall or on the retreating wall--such as in a small toilet area, to dim lighting and withdraw attention from the undesirable area.
