Are you sure about that color?

My Foolproof tips for choosing paint shades you’ll actually love once they’re on the wall.

Our laundry room is painted Seminole Brown by Benjamin Moore.

If you read my post from earlier this week, you know I just painted my laundry room a deep muddy red. When I came to my husband with my mood board and design plan for the room he looked at me skeptically and said, “Are you sure about that color?”

It’s definitely not a “safe color;” I’ll give him that. I could have gone with a nice grieg-y neutral, but that’s not what I wanted the space to be. I wanted our laundry room to be something special and that involved going bolder with color.

Choosing the right paint color can be so intimidating and often feels like a process of trial and error, that leans heavy on the error. I know people love to say that it’s “just paint” and “you can always change it” and “it’s the most affordable way to switch up a room” and yadi, yadi. But excuse me, have you ever painted a room? It’s a lot of work! And it’s not cheap, cheap. When a single can of Benjamin Moore paint costs upwards of $50, I’m thinking we are all more inclined to want to get the color right on the first try.

But just because paint colors are tricky, doesn’t mean we have to regret them. I’ve worked out some foolproof tips for choosing the right paint color, and they haven’t failed me yet, no matter how bold I’m going.

My Foolproof tips for choosing the right paint color:

Start with Mood and Function

Rooms have jobs, and color plays a role in how well they perform. Before I begin designing a room I always start by asking this question: how do I need this room to function and how do I want it to feel?