The Best Tips on How to Choose Paint Colours for Your Home

One of the hardest parts of starting a painting project for your home is figuring out the right colours.

We’ve put together the best tips on how to choose paint colours for your home. No matter what home painting project you’re starting!

What’s the difference between exterior and interior paint colours

Believe it or not, there’s quite a difference between interior paint and exterior paint colours. You don’t want to paint the outside of your house with paint that’s meant for the inside.

Exterior paint colours are made to withstand weather changes. They’re able to handle more moisture and large temperature fluctuations. Plus, it’s created to resist chipping, fading, and peeling.

On the other hand, your interior paint colours are made to cut down on smearing and scuffing on your walls. As you’re shopping for paint colours, make sure your selections are the appropriate ones for your needs.

How to choose paint colours for your home

A small family home is painted with light, neutral paint colours.

Before you get started on painting your walls, you need the right colours. But the lingering question remains: “how to choose paint colours?”

The very first thing you need to do is determine what you’re painting. Are you painting the exterior of your home? The interior? Are you only painting one part of the inside of your home?

Decide what you’re painting, first.

Then, use these tips on how to choose paint colours:

Find paint colour inspiration

After you’ve figured out what you’re painting, start selecting paint colours. Our first recommendation is to pick out your favourite colours. Are there any hues that will work for your home painting project? For example, if your favourite colour is blue, you can easily find a shade that will work for your home interior or even exterior.

If you’re not sold on your favourite colours, try finding inspiration elsewhere. Flip through magazines and catalogues. Scroll through Pinterest to get ideas, too.

Create your colour palette

A man uses colour swatches so he can choose the best paint colours for his home.

Don’t settle for just one colour. Instead, create a colour palette of 2-3 colours that complement each other well. Have a set of paint colours so you won’t be wondering how to choose paint for skirting and architrave, as well as for your walls.

If you’re wondering, “what colour should I paint my house exterior,” we recommend finding a base colour for your walls. Then, use a complementary colour for your skirting and trim. You can add a third paint colour if you have other objects like doors that you’re painting, as well.

How to use a colour wheel to create your colour palette

A colour wheel is laid out in paint swatches on a concrete surface.

Using a colour wheel can give you a great starting point when it comes to how to choose paint colours. It can help take the overwhelm out of choosing infinite combinations of colours, no matter what your home painting project is.

Try to find hues that are:

Monochromatic: all within one colour family. For example, different shades and tints of red paint colours.

Analogous: shades and tints within colour families that sit next to each other on the colour wheel. For example, if your primary colour is red, choose purple and orange shades as accent paint colours.

Complementary: shades and tints within colour families that sit opposite one another on the wheel. For example, if your primary colour is blue, choose yellow shades as accents.

Use an app to choose your paint colours

Luckily, you can see your paint colour in your home, before you even paint a drop. Use an app to give yourself a good idea of how to choose the best paint colours.

Here are some of the top paint colour apps to try:

Test your paint colours

Blue paint colour swatches are laid out on a white table to help someone with how to choose paint colours.

The best way to choose paint colours? Test them.

Always order a test colour and paint only a portion of your wall. While the paint colour may look right online or even in-store, you’ll never know what it looks like until you see it on your wall. The position of your windows, the direction of your house, and even your furniture can make colours look different from what you originally thought.

How to choose paint colours for the exterior of your home

A small family home is painted with a muted red exterior paint colour.

Choosing exterior paint colours is much different than finding interior ones. Here are our top tips for deciding on the right paint colours for the outside of your home:

Choose paint colours based on how you want others to see your home

A home on a small creek is painted a black exterior paint colour to add drama and intensity to the home.

How do you want your home to be perceived? Whatever the answer is, choose exterior paint colours that cater to that.

If you want your home to appear larger than it is, opt for lighter colours. Creams, yellows, whites, and other lighter neutral colours will do just that.

If you’re wanting to add drama to your home, choose darker colours. Black, dark browns and navy blues will help add drama and intensity to the exterior of your home.

Create a balance with your colours

A house is painted a muted blue exterior paint colour with white trim to add balance.

Make sure you don’t overdo your home’s exterior with all one paint colour. Create a balance with your exterior paint colours to add more visual interest to your home. If you’re using a darker primary colour, add a lighter colour for the trim, and vice versa.

How to choose paint colours for the interior of your home

A living room wall is painted a light grey-blue as an accent paint colour choice.

Choosing interior paint colours is much different than finding ones for your home’s exterior. Here are our top tips for deciding on the right paint colours for the inside of your home.

Make your colours cohesive throughout your home

A living room and a kitchen use the same beige paint colour to make the interior space look larger.

Choosing an interior paint colour for multiple rooms, like your kitchen and living room, gives the effect of a larger space. This is an excellent way to make your home look larger than it is. Not to mention, it adds a relaxing element for anyone who enters.

Match your home furniture

A living room matches the interior paint colours to the furniture to create a cohesive, complementary appearance.

If you already have furniture that you’re planning on keeping, use it to decide on your interior paint colours. Use your furniture as inspiration, and find complementary colours based on what you already have inside your home.

It can be a daunting task at first when it comes to how to choose paint colours - especially as you’re deciding on the colour schemes for the interior and exterior of your home.

Ready to start shopping for your paint colours? We’ve got all the supplies for you in our Paint and Decorating section.

And if you’re already elbow-deep in your home painting project, we’ve got you covered. With our new paint home delivery service, you can get your paint delivered right to your doorstep!