Ask Mr. Fix it

I have always loved those books of paint color samples. You see, I have always loved being able to decorate my space. I was a natural born homemaker. Every paint color sample looks like a whole new world of creative opportunity. When I was a kid, I would actually make my mom bring home house paint samples whenever she went by the painting store.

The problem is that the paint never looks like I imagine it. It’s not that the paint color samples are not true. They really are exactly the color that the paint will come out as, assuming that you are not painting over a strong color. The problem is that the paint color samples are only just that. They are little squares of paint. What might look good on a 1” x 1” paint color sample will not necessarily look good when it is spread all over a wall. I know. I found this fact out the hard way.

I think it has a lot to do with optics. A whole field of one color does strange things to the eye. It will look darker, deeper, and more intense. Even paint color samples that look like they contain a mild color will often come out deep, dark, and overpowering. This makes it hard to choose an interior paint color that is neither too dark nor too light. You don’t want to be wimpy. You want something that shows up, something that expresses yourself and shows that you are not afraid to take risks. But at the same time, you want to choose paint color samples that will not overpower the whole room. The paint should be the background, not the foreground.

I have always thought that the best way to choose paint color samples is to look at how other people’s buildings are painted. Keep an eye out around town, in friends houses, at work, and anywhere else you might happen to me. Notice the paint colors that appeal to you and the paint colors that don’t. Pay attention to what is too dark and what isn’t. Then and only then can you start looking at paint color samples. Up to that point, you have not done the job of educating your eye. Once you know what paint looks like when it is spread all over a wall, you can choose the paint color samples that will work for you.

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