Why You Should Choose Paint Last for Your Renovation

The pandemic prompted many of us to change how we use our homes. As a result, people are turning to renovations to reshape their homes to better suit their needs. But a renovation is a huge undertaking that involves a lot of decisions. There are so many options for flooring, hard finishes, lighting and everything in between that it can quickly become overwhelming. And each choice you make should relate to each other or you could end up with a home that doesn’t look at all like you envisioned. I often see homeowners choose paint colours before picking their interior finishes, but paint should actually be the last choice you make for your renovation. Here’s why you should always choose paint colours last.

Choose Your Finishes in Order

You might not think it matters whether you choose your floors, countertops or wall colour first, but the order in which you make choices during a renovation is actually very important! Many homeowners approach design decisions at random and simply make selections when they come across something they like. As a result, you end up with a lot of stars and no supporting actors.

To create a cohesive look and feel, it’s important to choose elements that work together and don’t compete with one another. Select one element to be the stand-out feature, while the rest complement it and act as a backdrop. You can start with a material or pattern you love, but after that, it’s important to find items that look good with what you’ve already chosen.

A Single Choice Can Limit Selections

When it comes to hard finishes like tile and countertops, you start out with what seems like endless options. But once you make your first selection, the choices suddenly become quite limited. There are often only a few options that coordinate perfectly with what you have already chosen. If you were to pick your paint colour before any of your hard finishes, you would be limiting your options to only a few possibilities before you even began looking.

The same is true for fabrics and furnishings. When you’re shopping for couches, it may seem like there are unlimited colour choices. But in fact, each manufacturer offers only a small selection of fabrics. If you had to find a couch that coordinated with a specific paint colour, you would have very few options and likely wouldn’t end up with a style you loved. Alternatively, there are thousands of paint colours. It’s much easier to find a paint colour that complements your furniture rather than working the other way around.

Colour Has to Relate to Look Great

In order for a paint colour to make an impact, it has to relate to something. You could paint an empty room any colour and it would look fine. But as soon as you add furniture and décor that wasn’t chosen to match the paint it won’t look right anymore.

Paint should be the final thread that pulls a room together. A well-chosen colour palette can serve as the connecting element that ties all the finishes together to create a more cohesive space.

How to Get Paint Colour Right

There’s a common misconception that you can choose a neutral and anything else in that shade will work together. But if you’ve ever tried to match two neutrals without comparing them, you know that just isn’t true. There are a wide range of variations of grey, beige, cream and even white. And they don’t all look good together unfortunately. But identifying the correct undertone that coordinates with the finishes in your space can guarantee a successful colour selection.

You’ll also want to consider paint sheen, lighting and exposure when making colour selections. These can all influence the perception of colour, which is why it’s critical to test paint with all these elements in mind.

Creating Harmony in Your Home

Colour is a powerful tool when it comes to creating harmony in your home. A well-chosen colour palette can completely transform the mood and energy of a space. Colour can also be used to help create flow and cohesiveness throughout your home.

As a trained and certified Colour Specialist, I can visualize how your different finishes will look together and can save you from making costly mistakes. A Harmony Consultation can offer guidance with paint colours or interior finish selections. It’s the perfect option when you’re stuck and need a bit of help from a professional to make design decisions with confidence.

If you’re facing decision fatigue in your home renovation or are looking for the perfect paint colour to tie everything together, connect with me to discuss how a colour consult or interior finishes consult can help you achieve a home you love.