Taking Chances on Colors Advice

Choosing a wall color can be an unnecessarily stressful ordeal. Oftentimes, people are drawn to a specific color for their walls, but then they start asking themselves questions. Will this be too bright? Will this be the wrong shade? Will my best friend or my mother-in-law like it?

If you find yourself in that situation, I have one more question for you to ask yourself: Why does it matter?

It’s human nature to worry about what others think about our decisions. But, when we’re talking about something as innocuous as paint, I think we should not worry about anyone but the people living in the home — and maybe the landlord if you are renting.

One of the big themes I like to use on my blog is that it’s just paint. Pick the color that you want to pick, instead of the one you think you should pick. Grab a sample and put it up on the walls — paint as large of an area as possible. Then, live with it for a day, a week, or a month. If you don’t like it after that time period, go back to the home improvement store and buy another sample pot of paint. You won’t have wasted much money on paint or time by having to repaint a room, but you will gain decorating confidence by exploring color and following your gut feeling.

I’m one of those people who loves painting a giant pattern on the walls in just about every room. Depending upon the size of the room and the pattern, I’ll choose between one and two walls. I think it makes a huge impact and gives my rooms the bold edge I’m going for.

But, I often hear from readers of my blog that they could never do that. They could never paint a big pattern like that in a room. I always ask them if they think they couldn’t physically do it or if they think they would make the wrong choices. Nine times out of ten, they are concerned about their choices.

Don’t be scared of taking a risk in your color choices. Walls and furniture can be repainted. And in my opinion, the physical task of repainting far outweighs the mental games you play when you worry too much about paint colors.