Painting is one of the easiest and least expensive DIY projects for your home. That’s what M/I Homes’ Design Center Manager, Jenny Entler, says. We have to believe her because she studies up on the latest design trends and she’s helped hundreds of home buyers over the years to create their dream spaces down to every last detail, including, yes… the paint colors.
She says the current, most popular colors are light, muted grays; “beachy” pastel blues and greens; soft shades of white. “It’s pretty typical for customers to say they want to do a bold color—but few follow through—most stick with a light neutral like gray and beige,” she explains.
Here are seven savvy tips that Entler offers to help you pick the perfect hue for you!
- Look at Lighting: When choosing a paint color, lighting is the key. Bring paint samples home and look at them in the room you will be painting. View them at different times of the day to see how natural and artificial lighting affect the shades and undertones of the colors you like. (click here for a great blog to see how to incorporate floor lamps into any style)
2. Feeling Blue for Bedtime: Blue is the most popular color to paint a bedroom. People feel it is “relaxing”, “serene” and “restful”
3. Get with the Flow: When choosing paint colors for the different spaces in your home—be mindful of how each area flows into the adjacent areas, and select colors with the same tones and undertones. Your home should have an overall flow, and all paint colors should make sense together.
4. Hit the (Fifth) Wall: Don’t forget the “fifth wall” of your rooms! Painting the ceiling will give the room a more finished look. Consider using the same color as your walls, but adding white to it to take it a few shades lighter. Whatever you choose, keep it light and neutral. Remember that darker colors tend to create the illusion of a lower ceiling; while white creates an airy, open feeling.
5. Have an Accent: Painting a room a dark or bold color can be risky. A popular and inexpensive way to add a “pop” of color to a room is to paint an “accent” color on one wall. The color you choose should be in the same shade family and have the same warm or cool undertone as the general paint color. You’re less likely to get tired of the color too soon and it’s much easier to keep up with color trends when you only have one wall to repaint!
6. Contrast your Trim: Contrast your wall color with your trim color. Even a light neutral color on your walls will look more interesting when it’s paired with bright white on your baseboards, crown molding and window sills. The bright white will bring out the “color” of your neutral.
7. Think Big Picture: When we work with a customer to select a general paint color for a brand new home, and we don’t have any idea what their furniture of décor looks like; our goal is to find a neutral color with the proper undertone to complement their cabinets, flooring, countertop and tile choices. All components should be considered as a whole and the general paint color needs to look good with everything they’ve chosen.
If you’re interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes, call Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at salescinci@mihomes.com.