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A paint job is the Botox ofDIY projects—it gives the space a refresh with minimal effort. But you need to do your homework. You know to browse design sources for inspiration, but while the photos show you how color infiltrates a room, they don’t always highlight the paint finish—a crucial component that can elevate yourpaint jobfrom ho-hum to handsome. Understanding how matte and satin paint differ is what keeps the final result from falling flat.
“坚持相同的墙壁throu光泽ghout an entire home is key to creating visual continuity and consistency, no matter how many colors you’re using,” says architect Cathy Purple Cherry ofPurple Cherry Architectsin Annapolis, Maryland. Tanya Selway, partner atStelly Selway, an interior design studio with offices in London and Austin, relies on paint to infuse a historic bungalow with contemporary flair by painting both the walls and joinery in the same color. In New York, interior designer Christina Nielsen ofChristina Nielsen Designswears by high-gloss trim against matte walls to add drama, even if the color palette is demure.
With options galore, deciding on paint color and finish can be overwhelming. Here, we give you a DIY paint primer to get you rolling.
How can you decide on a paint color?
“Color and tonal quality affects our mood more than we might give them credit for,” Purple Cherry says. That said, just because you like it doesn’t mean you’ll want to live with it. “It may sound counterintuitive, but choosing paint colors is one of the last decisions I make, even though it is usually one of my clients’ first questions,” she says. The reason: selecting a color too early can “box you in” and limit design possibilities.
To create a cohesive scheme, Selway pulls colors from an item you already love, say a patterned pillow. To keep from going bonkers over swatches, she suggests narrowing down to a small set of a single color, then reviewing in different light settings—dusk, dawn, and dim light. “The glass from doors and windows will always distort light as it comes into the space, so be sure to paint a section of the wall to confirm your final selection,” says Summer Jensen, an interior designer atHawk & Co.in Santa Monica. Jensen works in neutrals and notes that it’s critical to understand the base undertones that skew blue, yellow, pink, and green. To offset the whites, grays, and beiges, Jensen accents with naturally derived hues, such as ’70s-inspired colors like terracotta, taupe, and deep blue, for visual impact without too much pop. “Painting the trim something other than white gives the room maximum impact on a smaller budget and makes the room more interesting,” Nielsen adds.