In many cases, the wish to find a personal, creative color scheme for your home dissolves within minutes of entering the paint aisle. What finish? What shade? How many coats?! It can be exhausting and it’s easy enough to just throw your arms in the air and say “Lets just go with off-white!” No hit against off-white (its popular for a reason), but with a little knowledge, picking the color to match your dream interior is easy as pie.
In most cases, it is the focus on color and neglect of finish that throws homeowners. Paints come in a variety of colors, sure, but they also come with different finishes and other elements that create a unique look. Matte paint, for instance, is the most common type of paint, which gives no shine or sheen when dried. It’s a relatively cheap choice but matte paint also requires at least two coats of painting and damage is often highly visible. Matte enamel is a good alternative, as it rarely requires touch-ups.
Gloss paint is also popular, boasting a finish that provides a high shine, but it similarly requires two or more coats and fails to hide damage. There’s also semi-gloss, which is more common on trim than walls because it offers a hard finish and is easy to clean. On the other hand, satin gives a finish that’s lands somewhere between matte and gloss and only requires one coat. It provides a low, soft sheen and is easy to clean. Eggshell finish has a muted shine, but without the satin smoothness.
Even before you get to painting, however, a coat or two of primer will likely be required before you dip your brush in some color. If you don’t have the time or inclination to paint the same room four times, however, look for paints with built-in primers, which will likely only require two coats total. And when locating your chosen color, take a closer look and examine the color's undertones. The undertones of your color will help guide you to a more clear, streamlined color scheme in your home and rooms.
Every color has a mass tone and an undertone. The mass tone is the color your eyes pick up first. Undertones are visible only when placed next to other, similar colors; the differentiation will bring out the undertones lurking below the surface color. You'll suddenly see small, surprising differences between the seemingly near-interchangeable colors. If you’re looking at neutral colors, place your neutral swatch next to a pure color (red, yellow, green, blue, etc.). If your neutral has a specific undertone, a pure swatch of the opposite color will bring it to light. Now, your home colors will express everything that is you, not just your frustration and exhaustion.
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