How to Choose the Right Paint Color for Your Wall

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It’s time to paint the walls again and you’re tired of the current color (been there). Now you’ve got a problem. How do you choose the right paint color for your home and your walls? It doesn’t seem easy. However, there are solutions out there for you. That’s what we’re discussing today.

Let’s be honest. Choosing the right paint color for your walls is very much a personal aesthetic thing. What’s right for you won’t necessarily be right for someone else. So, I can’t just say: “Grab this paint color. Here’s the hex code. See how close you can get.” That solution won’t work. But I can give you some tips to find the right color palette for you and you can narrow it down from there.

Photograph of Cramer Imaging's fine art photograph 'Beyond the Wardrobe' on the wall of a bright living room

Photograph of Cramer Imaging's fine art photograph 'Blue and Gold' on the wall of a waiting room

Option 1: Drawing Inspiration from the Room

You can pull wall color inspiration from all sorts of places. You can use your current (or future) furniture and wall art for color inspiration. I’ve seen inspirational interior design periodicals (in print and online) which offer inspiration. The point is you’ll find inspiration for the right paint color for your walls all around you.

Transporting Your Inspiration

If you choose to use this method of choosing the right paint color for your room, then the next question is how to take that inspiration with you to the paint store.

Photograph of a smart phone cellular phone in a black case by Cramer Imaging

Traditional Method

Since you’re in the market for new wall paint, then you’re probably planning on taking some cell phone photos of your room and the art/furniture which inspires your paint color choice. If not, then you’ll try and guess the color(s) you want to match. Then you’ll peruse the paint chips out on display to see if there’s one or more which matches your color selections. You’ll take the chips home and hold them up against the wall to try and make a decision. This method is typical and works well enough for most people.

Photo containing several paint chips or paint swatches labeled pantone

Photo of two paint chips colored light grey against a wall

Alternate Method

If you’ve decided to use some art to help you choose the right paint color, then you might prefer drawing out the colors from the art directly rather than guessing if you’re close. I found a solution which helps draw out a color swatch from a picture. It’s an app called Palette which I use to create swatches with my photos. The app has several different arrangements for displaying the color selections and lets you choose several different color options (even choosing custom color areas). Choose the combo you like best.

Color swatches pulled from Cramer Imaging's landscape photograph titled "Tranquility"

Color swatches pulled from Cramer Imaging's landscape photograph titled "Cedar Breaks"

Color swatches pulled from Cramer Imaging's landscape photograph titled "Beyond the Wardrobe"

I think that carrying your phone with one of these into a hardware store will make your life much easier when it comes to choosing the right paint color. You can even take pictures of your furniture and make a similar color swatch if you’re drawing your paint color inspiration from your furniture.

Option 2: Creating a Mood from Scratch

Your next option is creating a room from scratch. The choosing the right paint color is a very important base upon which the rest of the room’s mood stands. Usually, you don’t YET have the art or furniture which you could draw inspiration from.

Mood board featuring photos and brand colors for Cramer Imaging

General Mood and Palette

The first question to ask is what kind of general look do you want. Do you want something light, bright, dark, muted, warm, cool, neutral, energetic, tranquil, contrasting, formal, informal, etc. Your final choice depends greatly on what feel you want in the room.

Cramer Imaging's professional quality nature photograph of a white mountain goat climbing a rock pile with autumn leaves in Rigby, Idaho

With this information, you can then proceed to choose the right paint color based upon your mood choice. You can research paint color choices on the internet if you’re unsure about what colors will create what moods. There are plenty of websites out there ready to share that information with you.

Example Color Palettes

Color palettes such as these will convey the general moods listed.

Cramer Imaging's professional quality fine art nature photograph of a solitary tree covered in snow in Pocatello, Bannock, Idaho — Light

Cramer Imaging's fine art landscape photograph of the sun rising over a green and flowering potato field in Aberdeen, Idaho — Bright

Cramer Imaging's fine art landscape photograph of a red moon rising over rock formations of Bryce Canyon National Park Utah — Dark

Cramer Imaging's professional quality natural scenic landscape photograph of wagon wheels, axle, and sagebrush on the Snake River at Massacre Rocks, Idaho — Muted

Cramer Imaging's fine art landscape photograph of golden sunset light illuminating Cedar Breaks National Monument Utah — Warm

Cramer Imaging's quality landscape photograph of the tranquil waters of Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park Wyoming — Cool

Cramer Imaging's fine art landscape photograph of horses eating at a barn in Capitol Reef National Park Utah — Neutral

Cramer Imaging's professional quality landscape photograph of red rock formations and dramatic sky in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah — Energetic

Cramer Imaging's quality landscape photograph of reflections in Lewis Lake in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — Tranquil

Cramer Imaging's professional quality landscape photograph of Upper Mesa Falls on the Snake River near Harriman State Park, Idaho — Contrasty

Cramer Imaging's black and white landscape photograph of Teewinot Mountain in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming — Formal

Cramer Imaging's fine art landscape photograph of horses grazing in a field against the Teton Mountains of Wyoming — Informal

Option 3: The Old Standby

You always have the option of going with good old white paint for your walls. It’s a staple for a reason. White walls and ceiling brighten the room significantly and go with almost everything. You really can’t go wrong with choosing white for your new paint color.

If you are replacing a darker color with white paint, you should really get a primer to cover the darker color. Otherwise, the darker color underneath will overpower the white layer on top.

Photograph of Cramer Imaging's fine art photograph 'Island Park Reservoir' on the wall of a bright living room

Photograph of Cramer Imaging's Palisades in a living room setting with a piano

Conclusion

Choosing the right paint color becomes much easier to do when you know what you want to accomplish in the room being repainted. If you have something to draw inspiration from, use it. If you want to create a mood from scratch, then paint color is where you start. With proper thought and preparation, you should be able to choose the right paint color for your walls.