color help

We just bought and renovated our new house and it is finally almost done. My contractor says i need to pick out paint by next week! For those of you who have recently painted how did you do it. I am so not good with color and feel so overwhelmed by having to pick paint out for a whole house..I have looked at websites but still feel lost. Where should i start its like working with a blank slate.

Re: color help

Hi! Congratulations on your new home!

I LOVED choosing colors for my home -- I still look at my cherished paint wheels from time to time! LOL -- but it can be overwhelming.

Try to take it one room at a time.

It may be helpful to look at what already exists in the room... for example, in the kitchens and baths, what do you have in the way of fixtures (what color are the kitchen cabinest, counters?). In my den, there was a stone accent wall where the fireplace is that kind of dictated (or helped narrow, at least) my wall color choices.

Another idea is to start choosing decor for a room -- e.g., a comforter/duvet for a bedroom, an area rug for a living or dining room -- and then choose a paint color that coordinates with your decor. I would probably choose something that is neutral enough that it won't clash if you decide to swap out your comforter or switch up your decor a little bit... but a lot of "colors" can be very neutral, so you don't have to stick with just beiges or whites.

Or just choose a color you like and go from there. I knew I wanted to paint my formal living room a neutral light green color, so I just honed in on the BM greens and chose one!

You may want to consider the light a room gets, and the vibe you are going for - if it's a darker room with less natural light, and you want it to feel lighter and more open, you will pick a lighter shade. If you are going for a darker, cozier feel in some spaces, you will choose a richer, more saturated color.

Once you choose one room, it will probably influence your other choices, because you will want to have colors that flow well in adjoining rooms or spaces that open into each other.

Try to have fun with it, and remember, paint isn't permanent. It's one of the easier things to change in a house. Good luck!

color help

I just did this, I don't where you're located but if you can go to the BM in Sayville on Main St. See George, he was extremely helpful. I went in there with no clue and love, love, love the what I ended up picking out with his help.

Re: color help

thanks for all the help!! I took out the color wheel this weekend and think i nailed down most if the colors.. Just need to pick master bedroom color..Did you all pick your color before or after you had bedding? I have a set from when i got married and thing its time for a change..However with all thats going on with the move and house reno I am not sure i will have one before i move in..

PS i do live right near sayville and might run into that BM store :)

Re: color help

Congrats on your new home!

I always start with some piece of inspiration if I'm picking something other than a neutral. For my kitchen it was a color in my everyday stoneware that looked amazing against my cabinets. For our guest room i found a small piece of art that made me go with green.
I like warm colors, even for neutrals.
I'm not a big fan of plain white ceilings. I usually paint the ceilings a shade one or two up from the walls. We added a lot of large crown moulding and other trim so we painted all of it super white to tie all the rooms together.
Right now we have all BM or restoration hardware paint
these are a few of our colors

Muslin
Shaker Beige
Antique White
Audobon Russet
Silver Sage