6 Rules for Choosing the Perfect Paint Color

No one wants to go through the hassle of painting a room, only to finish and feel like it's all wrong—or, just as awful, feel like you didn't really change anything at all. The surest way to fix that comes down to where you place the paint chip when you're brainstorming colors, says Jackie Jordan, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams. People tend to tape it at eye level somewhere arbitrarily on the wall, but when the swatch is by itself it's easy to start comparing a new color to the one that's currently on your walls (or your other swatches). This can lead to choosing a color a shade or two lighter than originally planned, or selecting a color that looks great compared to the existing wall—but not so great when paired with the furniture. Instead, keeping the swatch close to an object you plan on having in the finished room can help you pick a color that works with your style and your stuff.