As I write this, I’m sitting in a room with paint swatches all over the walls. We are in the midst of room shuffling in our house and our current office will soon become our twin girls’ room, but before that can happen, it desperately needs to be painted.

Painting makes such a huge impact in a room. It can be a gorgeous, subtle backdrop to a well decorated space that invites you in to stay a while. Or it can be a stark eye sore that leaves you begging for sunglasses, or at least an explanation on why this color was ever considered a good idea. How do you avoid the latter? How do you avoid picking the wrong paint color? How do you even start? It’s a process, one I’m currently experiencing in my own home. As I go back and forth between my two main picks that I’ve been eyeing for a few weeks now, I thought I’d share with you my go to tips on how to choose a paint color and make this decision process more simple.

Design by Amber Lewis, Photographed by Tessa Neustadt

Design by Orlando Soria, Photography by Zeke Ruelas

House of Jade Interiors

1. Choose your paint color LAST

   Yes, you read that right. We’ve all heard that paint is an inexpensive way to make a huge impact in a room (and it’s true!). But often times, this is the first thing people do when they decide to decorate a room. It generally looks like this: they go to the paint store, pick up a few paint swatches, pick out a color and paint. Then they struggle finding furnishings and decor because nothing coordinates perfectly with the paint color they fell in love with, and then they end up with decor they’re not thrilled about.

   Save yourself the time and trouble, choose your paint color last. There are so many more paint colors out there than there are fabrics, furniture, and accessories. Making a decision on your paint color first limits yourself on ALL of the other decor in your space, so don’t jump the gun, wait until you have at least most of the room decor decided on.

2. Consider undertones

   Stay with me here, this sounds more difficult than it is. There are very few true colors, most will have undertones of another color. You want to ensure the undertone of your paint color is in the same family as your decor. Say for instance your color scheme in your room has cool blues and grays, and you want to paint the walls a soft gray as a backdrop. There are thousands of grays, but cool grays will compliment your decor better than warm grays in this scenario.

   If you’re unsure of the undertone, look at the darkest color on the bottom of the paint swatch, that should give you a hint. If that doesn’t work, put it against something that is pure white.

3. Make the house flow

   Generally, your entire home should reflect similar undertones, either cool or warm, to flow nicely. I tend to decorate rooms as if the adjoining room is a part of the same room. Keep this in mind when choosing paint colors as well, you want the entire house to flow well from room to room so pick a whole house palette that compliments each other.

   Not every room in your home needs to have different color paint on the walls, there is no harm in finding a good neutral color and sticking with it throughout the house. You can always add different colors with accents and accessories; there’s no rule saying the color in the room needs to come from the walls.

4. Find a jumping off point

   Choose a main focal point or inspiration item in the room: a rug, painting, fabric, etc. and use that as a jumping off point. What colors do you see and want to highlight? That’s a good place to start on choosing your wall color. What would be a good backdrop for that particular item? If you can, take a fabric swatch to the paint store when selecting paint chips to take home.

5. Online search

   Once you’ve started to narrow your choices down, search Google and Pinterest for the manufacturer and color name of your choices to view images of rooms painted in that color. Keep in mind that lighting is different in the image versus your own home, and your computer screen will make the color appear a little different. I always do this after I’ve narrowed it down to a few colors just to see how it looks in other rooms with decor.

6. Buy paint samples

   I know this sounds like an annoying, unnecessary step but trust me on this. It’s worth it to buy a couple of samples than to make a decision based on a small paint chip and regret the decision after the fact. Some paint companies even have sample decals you can order and just stick on the wall.

   Be sure to look at the swatch vertically (if the color you’re choosing is for the walls), not laying down on a table or on the floor. The color will look completely different. Also be sure to separate the swatches quite a bit so you’re viewing them separately, not just comparing.

   Paint on multiple walls and live with the swatches for a few days. View them during different times of day, at night, when it’s cloudy and when it’s sunny.

7. A few last things to keep in mind when choosing paint colors…

   Because walls reflect each other (especially if it’s a glossier sheen), paint always appears brighter or darker on the walls once a room is painted.

   Spend some time making a good decision, but don’t obsess about it. I know it’s easy to do, but if you find yourself going around in circles just go with your instincts.

   Ask around for recommendations, you’re not the first person who has gone through this process so chances are you’ll find colors that have been tried and true.

Is it too early to say I'm ready for fall? I could live in a constant 75 degrees, and it's been sweltering here in Virginia. Like sweating just walking to the car...THAT hot. I think I just like change, which is why I look forward to new seasons. I also try to do small updates in my home whenever there's a change of season. Here are a few quick ideas if your decor is lacking color and you're up for a little update as well.

1. Accents, accents, accents. Jazz up a neutral space with colorful accents such as vases, paintings, or other colorful decorative accents. It's an quick update and they're easy to change out if you want to put together a new color scheme.

2. Fabrics. Add colorful fabrics to your room with pillows, curtains or blankets. Here are some of my favorites.

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3. Let nature do the work. Bring in greenery or fresh flowers to add an easy punch of color to your space.

4. Area Rugs. Define a space and add color at the same time. Area rugs are easy to switch out if they get dirty, outdated or you want to change your scheme. Here are a few of go to rug sources. Also, read about layering area rugs here.

5. Mirror mirror on the wall. You've heard of mirrors making rooms look larger, but they also reflect OTHER colors in the room which gives the illusion of even more color!

6. Shelving. Have a regular old bookcase? Paint or wallpaper the back of the bookcase to add interest!

7. Show off your dishes. Bring your colorful dishes out to display through glass cabinets or shelving.

8.  Determine your color scheme in advance. Decide which colors you'd like to bring into the space. Pick out paint swatches, flooring, fabrics, and furniture prior to purchasing. Combine pictures and samples together to see how it will look before bringing it into the space.

9.  Wallpaper.  The old school wallpaper has a bad reputation but the newer kinds allow for a much easier removal, so it's not a forever commitment. It's a great way to bring in patterns and interest to a room.

10. Tile accents. Add tile accents to wainscoting or shower in the bathroom or update a back splash with colorful mosaics.

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11. Paint. We all know it's a simple way to add color to your room. Why not try some of these neat ideas. Also, here are a few tips on choosing paint colors.

12. Metal Accents. When shopping for new furniture, look for furniture with metal accents which add interest without adding a new color to your scheme.

Mixing different wood tones is sometimes hard to do, but I've come across it many times when helping clients pick out new hardwood flooring for their home or wood furniture to go with their existing hardwood flooring. There isn't a magic formula, but as with everything when it comes to decorating...balance is key.

When adding new wood into a space with existing wood furniture or flooring, it's best to try not to match exactly. Wood is so unique that even if you're matching one oak bench with oak flooring, it's never going to look exactly the same. It also looks really strange if there is no contrast. Either go with a darker stain on the same wood, go with a completely different wood, or different stain, different wood. You get the picture...mix it up!

Here are a few examples of rooms with well balanced wood tones.

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More tips on mixing wood

• Break things up with an area rug. If you have a wood dining table on hardwood floors, add a contrasting area rug to break up all of the wood.

• Add other elements to the room. Metals, glass, fabrics....anything that would contrast with the wood will keep the room from looking too much like a forest.

• Balance painted wood and natural wood. Too much of each can seem too matchy.

• Be strategic when placing wood items in a room. For example, if you have a wood mirror that looks similar to a wood coffee table, try to put them on different sides of the room or separate them as much as possible.

• With dark woods, especially, add in light colors throughout the room. An all dark room can feel very heavy without a lighter contrast.

Wood tile (tile made to look like wood flooring) is one of those things that people are curious about but not sure if they're ready to pull the trigger on it for their own homes. Personally, I think it's a great concept and works great in many homes, but not every home. In case you're considering it, here are a few pros and cons to consider as well as some tips.

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Pros

Durability, durability, durability. Did I mention it's durable? This has to be the number one benefit of wood tile.  If real wood flooring scratches, it's not necessarily an easy fix. Tile is, well, tile. It's hard and doesn't dent or scratch like hardwood.

Ease of maintenance. Real wood flooring, no matter what kind, can be a little high maintenance. You have to consider humidity levels of your home, make sure it doesn't get wet, and use specific cleaners. Wood tile can be cleaned easily and is safe if it gets wet.

Use in bathrooms. It's not recommended to use real wood in bathrooms with showers because of the high moisture. If you want the wood look in a bathroom, you can get it with wood tile and not have an issue.

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Custom look. It's a bit easier to create a custom look with wood tile versus real wood because of the endless installation designs, as well as variety of products available. You can also customize your look with grout colors or choose no grout for products that don't require it.

Cons

It's cold. As with all tile, it's cold under your feet. You can combat this with a heat system installed underneath, but it can get pricey.

It's hard. Again, as with all tile, it's hard. If you drop something on the floor, that something is most likely going to break. Sidenote: I always recommend buying extra cartons of tile in case any tiles crack. It's sometimes hard to find the exact tile a year or so after it's installed and finding the exact dye lot is almost impossible.

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Also, if you're standing on hard tile barefoot for long periods of time, you may notice a difference in your joints/back versus real wood.

Pricey. Floor prep and installation is a bit more tedious than real wood so it can be more expensive.

Resale. I'm not a real estate agent, but I do know that hardwood flooring helps with home value. It's a classic. Wood tile is a newer trend and has a specific look, so if you're concerned about resale, you may want to take this into consideration.

Other Tips

• I probably wouldn't put wood tile in a home that already has real hardwood installed unless it's a sharp contrast to the existing wood in very separate areas . (ie you have real cherry wood in a foyer but gray toned wood tile in a bathroom that's not in sight from the foyer)

• As with any flooring, I always recommend seeing a sample in your own home before purchasing. Look at it day and night, cloudy and sunny, in the actual room(s) that you're going to install it.

• Installation can make or break the wood tile look, invest in a professional tile installer. Your subfloor is very important to consider when installing, and wood tile products have specific installation instructions. It's very hard and expensive to fix a tile installation gone wrong.

What do you think of wood tile? Do you have it in your home or would you consider it?