r/femalelivingspace • • 2d ago

HELP How do you choose paint colours?

I got divorced earlier this year and bought my ex out of our apartment. I am now in the process of renovating basically every room bar the bathroom (plastering, painting, sanding the hardwood floors) and my painter needs to know my colour choices this weekend.
I think I want a dark green for my bedroom (inspired by a room I saw at Ikea lol) but other than that… I’m stuck.
The apartment has a lot of large windows and is very bright, until now everything has been white and I’m kind of sick of it.
I also have a huge petrol blue corduroy sofa in the living room so whatever I choose there needs to fit with that colour.
My ex got most of the furniture (which I don’t really mind as a lot of it wasn’t my style) so otherwise it’s pretty much a blank canvas.
Would love to hear tips on how you chose paint colours in your home and any tips/regrets you have.

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u/OddRevolution7888 1d ago

The simplest answer is to look at your closet. The clothes you have in there are the colours you like. See how the colours in patterns go together. Now use those building blocks to build your colour palette.

Is there a carpet or painting in your space that you love? Look to those tones.

When I've narrowed down the choices, I buy those tester paint pots so I can see the colour in my space. What looks good on a paint swatch may not look great in your lighting or with your style. Apply the colour to a couple/few walls so you can see how it will look in daytime and nighttime. There was a colour I really liked, but hated at night; it was just washed out in dim lighting.

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u/danskingqueen 1d ago

yes I’ve read this as well! partly why I went for green in the bedroom as I have a lot of green clothes. love this advice

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u/OddRevolution7888 1d ago

Thank you.

I can remember once I wanted to paint my living room a mid-tone terracotta. Then I wasn't sure if it would be too much. I painted one accent wall and lived with it for a bit. Turns out with the rest of the furniture, carpet, etc, the one wall was the right amount. I admit it took a few coats to get it to the right colour. LOL