There are a few things where you’ll get a lot of bang for your buck if you splurge on quality and interior paint is one of them. There are quite a few benefits to a fresh paint job, but we’ll focus on the colour payoff. What’s the one thing that takes up the most space in your home and that you spend the most time looking at? Most likely the paint on your walls.

Well chosen paint colours will improve the lighting in your home by reflecting light in an appealing manner throughout all hours of the day. They can also boost your mood and help you remain energized.

If you’re not creatively inclined, selecting paint colours probably seems daunting. So, here are a few ideas on how to get started.

Colour homework

1. You should plan to paint your interior about one month before moving in. If you have an infant, you may want to paint two months before moving in. This gives the paint enough time to cure (an industry term for saying that the paint has completely dried).
2. I suggest investing in the Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors (FHI) Color Guide. The Pantone guide costs as much as 3 gallons of paint. It includes 2,625 expertly picked colours that work well for interior decor and will help you navigate the paint chips at your local paint store.
3. Take a photo of each room in your home. I like to print multiple angles of the same room on one sheet of paper.
4. Now, the easy part. You can use anything you want to colour (pencils, markers, paint). Colour in your room on paper. For the kitchen in the photo, I tried 10 different design variations on paper before painting.
5. Once you’ve decided on a colour scheme, pick a few colour chips from your Pantone deck that are in that colour range. For example, if you decide to use grey, you might pick a few different greys from your Pantone deck that you like. A good selection might include three different shades of grey (light to dark) and a couple variations in tone (cool to warm).

Now you’re ready to go to the paint store.

Testing colours before you paint

1. Take your Pantone deck to your local paint store and pick out every chip in the store that is close to the colours in your Pantone deck. You should walk out of the store with 10 to 20 paint chips instead of being overwhelmed by thousands of options.
2. Here’s the most important step. You’ll want to take the paint chips you selected and look at them next to everything in the room. The goal is to narrow your chips down to 2 or 3 paint colours that look nice next to your flooring, your countertops, your cabinets, your appliances, and anything else that you see.
3. The last step is to take the colours that you’ve chosen as your finalists and to tape them on the wall for 24 hours. Check in on them throughout the day and see which chip looks the best at all hours of the day.

You may be surprised to find you change your mind during those last 24 hours. A paint colour that looks brilliant in midday lighting could turn dingy around sunset or sunrise.

If you’re not sure which colour to choose, go with your gut. It’s your home and you should feel happy when you look at the paint on your walls.

Find more resources for interior painting here.