And you thought finding the perfect house was a challenge: Now it's time to pick interior or exterior colors to morph that new house into the home that reflects your style and taste. Steer clear of colors you dislike and don't let relatives, friends or paint store clerks influence you---even those flaunting design degrees. This is your home; choose your own rainbow. You'll be glad you did.
1 Eliminate colors you don't like from the get-go to narrow choices. Use a color wheel to guide your paint pairings. Start with one primary color that you like (red, blue, yellow) and then use the wheel for tips on the best secondary (purple, green and orange) and tertiary (red-purple, blue-green, etc.) matches to find striking combinations for your interior rooms.
2 Compare warm reds to cool reds, for example--or your dominant color of choice--to see which look appeals to you. Chances are, you'll have an immediate, positive reaction to the red that you instinctively find pleasing.
3 Ask family members for their opinions: Permit the kids to pick colors for their own rooms. Not only will it please them greatly, it will teach them you trust their judgment, and your job---picking colors for all of your interior rooms---immediately becomes easier, because it's one less decision you must make.
4 Coordinate your colors with room sizes so you neither overwhelm nor understate the walls within your home. Use lighter colors to optically extend a room that's small and bold colors to create a degree of intimacy in a large room. Give yourself permission to paint every room a different color---your house, your rules.
5 Buy small sample sizes of wall paint colors at home improvement stores to try them out. See how each hue looks on your walls in both morning and afternoon light before spending big bucks on multiple gallons. Alternately, hang a sheet or blanket on the wall that matches the paint shade(s) you're considering to see the color's effect.
6 Read your homeowner's association policy manual, block committee guidelines or neighborhood regulatory group by-laws. Get the skinny on policies that govern exterior colors, so you don't inadvertently buy paint that triggers a code violation, resulting in an expensive repainting job.
7 Buy exterior paint in a hue that neither clashes with your roof and trim nor mimics your neighbor's house colors. Take into consideration home styles in the subdivision; lavender looks stately on a turn-of-the-century painted lady Victorian, but a raised ranch painted in offbeat colors can backfire if not thought through.
8 Purchase paint for your home's exterior that is weather-resistant and formulated for your area of the country. Extremes in cold, heat and moisture can impact the way an exterior color looks, fades and wears over time; and since an exterior paint job is pricey--even if you've hired your cousin to handle it--err on the side of caution so this project doesn't present itself again for another decade.
9 Test the paint next to the exterior trim before committing to painting the whole house. Your exterior trim sets your house apart from others on the block and should be a guiding feature when choosing a paint hue; you don't want a shade of green paint that clashes with your red brick or redwood trim, for example.
