Choosing The Right Paint Colors For Open Rooms

I'm not going to tell you what color to choose - that's up to the preference, style, and fabrics that you love.  What I am going to share with you is how to chose colors for those rooms that open up into one another.  

See the paint color deck, above?  Let's say you want to paint your kitchen the third sample from the top on the blue/green strip, in kind of a coastal blue color.  And you want to paint your connecting family room in a taupe-y neutral.  Look at the strip that has the taupe colors you like, select the taupe that is also the third sample from the top.

Your color choices will then be the same hue value.

Here are some examples from my home:

This is where coral and chocolate brown meet in the dining room.

This is a hallway shot of coral, chocolate brown, and green.

(Dining and living room hall looking into the family room.)

There is nothing to jar the eye, you get a pleasing flow of color -- even when each wall of the hallway is a different color.  I had the exact same situation in my former home, nobody ever commented on it being odd.

What should you do about those unusual stopping and starting places?

For color changes pick a natural breaking point, usually at a corner (nothing mid-wall, please!).  For those wall spaces that seem to be more "independent", for instance an arch between rooms or an eating bar.  I select the color that "goes" most logically with the room.  For instance, is the wall I'm going to looking at primarily going to be seen when I'm sitting in the family room?  Then it should be the family room color.  Or, maybe a snack bar that I want to keep visually as part of the kitchen, paint the kitchen color.  There will be some exceptions, for instance, painting a kitchen island a different color, but then you already knew about that!

What about those little stand alone color chips in some of the stores?  With a little practice, you will able to pick those colors in the same hue value, as well.  If you ask, the sales staff usually has a paint deck behind the counter they can show you for assistance.

One more tip for those of you a little shy about color - select one shade darker then you feel comfortable with - that will give you a little more intensity without a lot of risk.

Best of luck and happy painting!

(I'm posting today because I'll be on the road tomorrow.)