by Melanie Aves

Created on: December 11, 2009

How to choose interior paint colors for your home

Planning interior paint colors for your home is an exciting creative challenge.  Color has a profound effect on the way we feel in a space.  Each person has a unique response to color based on his or her life experience.  It follows that generalized interior design guidelines about what colors to use where are often inappropriate and unnatural.

Color is both significant and mysterious.  It has impact on humans, symbolically, historically and psychologically.  Research has shown that in Western cultures, adults, regardless of gender, prefer cooler tones of color.  The most popular color preference is blue, and the second is green.  Small children, by contrast, prefer red, followed by yellow or white.  Around the age of eight, children begin to shift to the adult preference for blue and green.  In Japan, however, studies have shown that adults prefer the color red, followed by white, black and yellow.  It is not fully understood whether these cultural preferences are based on fashion, familiar or historical manmade environments, or natural surroundings. 

One explanation for the confusion about color is the inability of language to adequately describe the limitless range of tones of each basic color.  There are actually thousands of tones of yellow, red,  blue, etc. So how should you begin to choose which ones are right for you?

Begin by considering the purpose of the room, the light source(s) and the natural surroundings.  Most importantly, consider the color preferences of those who will occupy the space.   The ultimate purpose of all interior design decisions is to make people comfortable in their surroundings.

The purpose of the room is important in determining an appropriate color.  Designers generally choose a neutral color for the living room.  The top three colors designers choose for the living room are white or beige, followed by green, followed by designers.   This space will be shared with visitors and a neutral choice will be acceptable to everyone.  A neutral color will also serve as an attractive backdrop for collections and fabrics of more interesting textures and colors.

The dining room strives to stimulate appetites and conversation, and the most popular choice of designers is some form of red, followed by white or beige, followed by green.  Dining room paint colors should look good with

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>