The Pink Flamingo Field Guide / Choosing color
Same paint.Different light.
A color can look quite different beside a window and under a lamp. Try the illustration below, then check a physical sample in your own room through the day.
Try a different light.
Choose a light to change the illustration, then try your real paint sample by a window and under your own lamps.
Catch the change after dinner.
Look again as the daylight begins to fade, before the room is completely dark. A shaded corner may feel quite different from the wall that caught the afternoon sun.
You’re looking for a color you enjoy through the day, rather than one perfect moment beside a window.
Try it in your room.
Give your sample
a day at home.
You don’t have to decide from a tiny chip held up once. Use these checks as you look around, and keep the card handy if you’re choosing with someone else.
Download the Sampling ChecklistMark the checks as you go.
It has neighbors, too.
Your paint color
won’t live alone.
Flooring, countertops, trim and furniture all affect how a color feels. Keep the sample beside the finishes that are staying, and let it spend a little time on different walls. We can talk through the painting work while you’re still sorting out the color.
A photograph is a starting point
Your room gets
the final say.
Project photographs are a lovely way to find ideas. Screens and camera settings can change how a color appears, though, so let a physical sample spend time beside your own floors, trim and furniture before you decide.
Take a closer look at the blue room
