Some of these myths may be quite obvious to you design lovers, but these are actually some very common paint color selection habits.
I have more info in various links, located within this post, for further examples and explanations.
#1 Myth
You can pick a paint color for your home based off a photo on the internet.
I remember a major home magazine publishing a photo of a design project on its cover that had purple flowers in a vase in the dead center on the table.
When I turned back to the project within the pages, those EXACT flowers, arranged exactly, were a totally different color. They photoshopped one of them for color and didn’t do the other one.
Things are manipulated in photos you see online, but there is also just variation because of viewing on a screen vs. in real life.
Plus, as you will see below, color is very influenced by lighting (Myth #6) and what is around it (Myth #4).
It’s okay to get inspiration, but always sample colors in your own space.
#2 Myth
Pick your paint color first then design everything else around it.
I get a headache when I get called in to pick paint colors for a whole house to be painted before people move in and there is no furniture or design concept for any of the rooms yet.
When that happens, I relate the colors to other hard finishes in the home like flooring, tile, cabinetry, etc. Sometimes we just wing it with anticipating what the homeowner will do, but that is always a risk.
It is best to start a room’s design with a design plan, like with the rug or fabrics, before you pick the paint. Paint colors are last because there are so many more colors in paint to choose from, to work with what you have.
Start a design with the items you have least options for and end with the item you have the most options for. Typically, that’s paint.
See more here >>> How & When to Pick Your Interior Design Project’s Paint Color
It is best to select all the furniture and hard finishes in the room before picking the paint color.
#3 Myth
There’s no need to sample your paint color in your own home first, just select it based on a chip and buy lots of 5 gallon buckets and start in.
I have my email consultation clients go to Samplize for peel and stick paint color samples. You can move the colors around the house in different lighting without ruining your existing wall color.
Sample, sample, sample!
#4 Myth
Color is not relative. It doesn’t matter what other colors and materials are around it.
Wrong! Color is dramatically affected by other colors and finishes surrounding it.
I have examples and one of my favorite analogies here >>> Everything is Relative, Especially Color! Here’s why….
#5 Myth
Trim, doors and window shutter whites are always a pure white.
Don’t make assumptions on whites. I’ve rarely had a remodel project that had bright pure white enamel on their trim and doors.
Most wood shutters are custom made to order and are therefore painted to match the home’s trim.
Painting all the trim, doors and especially shutters in a house is pricey and a big upheaval if you are living in during the painting process. It takes a lot of time too. It is sometimes better to work with the enamel color in your home than change it all.
(BTW, you should make note of your electrical outlets and switch plates colors. Sometimes they are ivory or almond and not white. That color can impact your paint selections too!)
#6 Myth
The color of the light bulbs in your home make no difference as to how your paint colors look.
I worked on a whole house that was changed completely when we went with LED 3000K lighting instead of incandescent.
This home had a golden beige wall color. The trim color was SW Antique White which is a rather yellow color too. Painting it to match the trim wasn’t going to give them the whiter look they wanted. It took going a step further…..
BEFORE - Gold-beige wall paint with SW Antique White trim, ceiling and doors.
We painted the walls to match the trim and then changed the incandescent lighting to LED 3000K. It looked like a nice warm white in the end, without having to paint all the trim, doors, and ceilings.
AFTER - All walls, trim, doors, ceilings are painted SW Antique White and 3000K LED lighting is used.
(P.S. Don’t ever do 5000K LED. It will give you a headache and look totally unnatural!)
#7 Myth
If you are painting your home’s brick a white color, go the brightest pure white because that will stand out next to trees and greenery.
Daylight is a warm white, your home’s exterior will look much better suited to the environment in a warm white rather than a pure white or a slightly cool white.
I’ve seen homes done in pure white and to me, they are all a design fail.
Check out these home exterior transformations >> Home Exterior Design Projects From an Interior Designer
#8 Myth
Your painter or your general contractor is the best person to ask what paint color looks best.
I’d like to put a facepalm emoji here. :-)
While I understand the desire to get several opinions, and I do go to my trades for help on many types of questions, design decisions like this is not one of them.
Basically, they are coming at your project from a totally different viewpoint than someone like a designer who is trying to help you get to your design goals and understands all the other backstory, finishes and combinations in the space.
Their main concern, is that you just decide on something so they can get going and get your project done for you. They really just want to be told what to do.
They don’t want to stand there haggling over colors with you, something that is not their area of expertise anyway. They are more likely to just agree with the direction you are leaning because they just want to move on with this decision.
And if you are a future client and think you will feel the need to do this, please do it out of earshot of me. :-)
#9 Myth
Your neighbors, friends, relatives and/or online forums are best suited to help you with paint color selection.
Do you realize that the people close to you often will just give you input based on their relationship to you, not really their honest opinion? (Which is likely not qualified anyway.)
For example, your loving mother might just agree with whatever you are leaning toward because she thinks you are wonderful and can do no wrong. (And she might not even realize this!)
Your passive aggressive friend might say something that would throw a lot of doubt into your decision because that’s just how they are.
Your neighbor might be a tad bit jealous and would love to be a designer herself and might stir things up so she can shine instead of really help you make a decision.
And an online forum? Let’s see…..if you have 100 responses you’ll likely get almost that many different opinions.
It’s best to work with someone who understands your goals and has an overall view of your project to help you select paint colors. If you are doing it yourself, sample your colors and trust your gut.
If you are really in doubt, there are lots of designers that do color consultations only, so a qualified opinion doesn’t have to be too pricey.
#10 Myth
Sweat the paint color selection. Agonize over it. Everyone you know that comes into your home will judge you on that paint color selection, they won’t be looking at anything else in the room.
Don’t stress over the paint colors. In the end, paint is only one part of the overall design of the space and won’t be noticed nearly so much when everything is installed or put back into the room.
Nope! Paint colors are only one part of the whole and rarely do ever I walk into a room and blame a bad look on the paint color selection.
A paint color can look odd, even awful, going up without any context or anything else in the space. Once furnishings start moving in, it all comes together and can look completely different.
Don’t sweat it. Even if you get it off by a little bit, it likely won’t be nearly as big a deal as you think it is.
Read more here >>>> Which Paint Color for your Walls? You Can Stop Worrying About it!
This blogpost was thoughtfully written by me, Carla Aston, and not by AI, ghostwriters, or guest posters.
Need more help? I have a guide with all my tips and thoughts as well as some of my favorites, whites, grays, blues, etc.
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