How to Choose a Wall Color

“Color is a powerful tool,” says interior designer and author Kerrie Kelly. “It can accentuate architectural details as well as direct traffic and create flow in your home.” But how do you choose the color that’s right for a given room?

Spend some time with a color wheel to see what you like. You remember this tool from high school art class; it shows all the colors of the spectrum arranged in a circle and highlights the relationships between them. You may find yourself naturally gravitating to one side of the circle (say, cool blues and greens) or the other (warm reds and oranges). “Blues are all about tranquility and relaxation,” Kelly says. “Reds and rich earth tones are social-gathering colors. Choose according to how you’re going to use the room and the mood you want to create.”

Check in with trends. Some perennial combinations never lose their charm, Kelly says, like crisp blue-and-white kitchens or calming green bedrooms. But new ideas are exciting, too:

A strong movement toward natural, eco-friendly materials has put granite tones, greens, browns, and whites in the spotlight.

Whether you go neutral or bold on the wall, try accenting with metallic paints on furniture, lighting, plumbing, and accessories. “Silver, gold, bronze, copper, and pearl add elegance without being too heavy,” Kelly says. “In daylight, these colors appear neutral; in the light of evening, they impart a welcoming glow.”

If you want to make a statement, strong color palettes derived from Russian, Indian, and Latin design are on trend; blend them with traditional colors or neutrals for a thoroughly modern look.

Technology-inspired saturated colors like lime green, royal blue, apple red, sunshine yellow, and tangerine radiate energy and lend a sense of richness to a room.

Use color relationships as your guide, but be willing to experiment. Complementary colors are those that lie opposite each other on the color wheel — that means they’re visually balanced, although the high contrast may be more drama than you want in a room. “Approximately opposite colors work well, too,” Kelly says. “For example, sage green (a yellow-green) pairs beautifully with violet. Sometimes combinations are more interesting when the colors aren’t direct opposites.” You may also like the look of an analogous color scheme, which pairs colors that lie directly next to each other on the wheel; these combinations are common in nature, so we tend to find them pleasing.

Layer tone on tone for a sophisticated effect. “A monochromatic color combination uses shades of a single color,” Kelly says, “to create an effect that’s serene and elegant. The key to success with this approach, because it’s so subtle, is to add texture and use varying scales of pattern in the materials you choose.”

Go for a test drive. Paint swatches won’t tell you everything you need to know. Buy the manufacturer’s test size in your new color and brush some on the wall (preferably where you can hide it with a picture later). “Look at your paint sample in the morning, at noon and at night,” Kelly advises, so that you can see how the color changes as the light quality changes. 

Don’t hold back. If you’re looking to inject some personality into a humdrum space, don’t be afraid to slather on a big, expressive color for the walls. You can always combine that bold wall color with neutral furnishings to make a statement without creating a headache. “There’s really no reason not to experiment with paint on walls, because it doesn’t represent a big investment to do it or to change it later,” Kelly says. “Color is undoubtedly the shortest route to a dramatic setting.”