5 Mistakes You’re Making When Choosing Wall Colors (And What to do Instead)
“I chose the perfect paint color on the first shot” — said no one ever.
Now listen, almost no one finds the right color on the first try, but there are ways to mitigate the frustration if you’re going to choose paint colors to refresh your home.
Today, I’m going to share them with you as both someone who has been in your exact shoes (one too many times) and is now a professional color consultant on Seattle’s Eastside.
You’re choosing a popular color
Most of us don’t have vast knowledge of paint colors, so we default to what our friends and family have used as well as what we hear is more popular, especially when it comes to neutrals.
But a popular color doesn’t not mean versatile, or that it’ll look good in your space.
For example, I painted my entire home Benjamin Moore’s Classic Gray OC-23 (Very light warm/soft gray and very popular) in my north-facing home (not a lot of direct sunlight AT ALL) back in 2022 and it looked beautiful.
But that same color sampled in my kitchen in 2026 that was also north facing…horrible. It weighed down the kitchen, and didn’t look warm at all. It also did not look light or bright despite being an LRV of 74. (If you don’t know much about LRV, keep reading.)
All this to say, popular paint colors are a good starting point, but you absolutely have to SAMPLE them on your walls before you buy the whole gallon. I know it’s tempting.
And this leads me to my next point.
You’re assuming what’s on Pinterest and Tiktok will look the same on your walls
If I had a dollar for every color on Tiktok that had me running to the paint store, I’d probably have at least 30 dollars.
But here’s the thing, that room on TikTok likely had different lighting, furniture, architecture and other surrounding colors to give it that exact look.
You might have been going for bright and airy in your home, and saw a video with a home with large windows facing east in the morning. But your space has one window and doesn’t get direct sunlight so that warm creamy delicious white turned yellow and chalky instead.
So here’s how to mitigate this: when you’re doing your research online, try to see if there are photos and videos of the color in a space that has the same feel, size and energy as yours. If you’re wanting new kitchen cabinet paint colors, try to find Tiktoks of homeowners who did theirs in a similar home to yours. While it’s not a perfect science (because you always want to sample your colors), you’re going to be a lot more accurate this way to see how bright or dark a color really is this way.
Speaking of how light or dark a color is, let’s talk about LRV.
You’re not considering LRV
I’ve written an article on this more in-depth, but if you’ve ever purchased a wall sample and felt like it was either too dark or too light, then you need to familiarize yourself with LRV. It essentially means how much a color absorbs or reflects light, and it’ll explain why it’s been so hard to pick a color with the level of darkness or brightness for your home.
For example, a paint color with an LRV of 20 or less will be very dark, while a paint color with an LRV of 70 or higher (up to 100) will be bright/white.
Many homeowners I’ve spoken to might have a good eye for color, but they’ve never thought much about how to translate the right depth of a color onto their walls. Knowing the basics around LVR will help you do this.
These days, especially when selecting neutrals (not off-whites or whites), hanging out in the midtone to light range (40-65) will help you a TON. Anything above that and you’re creeping into the white territory and anything below won’t really feel fresh. I’ll be writing another article on choosing white paint colors to address this separately.
You’re not matching your wall color to what’s in the room.
This pivots off of point #1 in that many people are choosing popular neutral colors and not considering if they actually match what’s in the room. In some cases, certain undertones will clash (like orange and pink) or warm or cool tones without intention. So you’ll end up choosing a warm-toned paint color that accentuates all the coolness in the room, and make it feel off.
The key is to take inventory of your space, and see which undertones are present and whether the colors in your space are warm or cool and start from there. This will help the room feel more cohesive and harmonious.
But interior decorating is both an art and personal, so mixing and matching with intention can look incredible, but if you don’t plan to start from square one and really want to bring your room together with a single paint color, you want to assess what’s in your space and what the dominant undertones or colors are in there. You’ll also need to assess what you’re willing to swap out (if needed) to make the space a little more cohesive.
You didn’t paint enough of a sample on the wall
Lastly, this is a huge mistake any person is vulnerable to and there’s a few small tricks here.
Maybe you thought that small 3.5×4” sample at Sherwin Williams was enough to gauge the color, or maybe you actually did paint the walls, but just a tiny section. That’s going to give you an idea, but you want to make sure you’re doing enough that you can start to see how the color works in your space, not just the color itself.
I’d try to paint 4×4 feet if possible, and alongside the baseboard or trim (which will also help you decide if the trim color matches).
Ideally, you’ll also want to do a base coat of white so you can see the actual color, instead of what the color looks like on top of the old color.
I painted a bathroom the other day and I put a light neutral with beige undertones on top of a peachy orange color and it looked SILVER.
Had I not known my special trick to see the true color, I’d have said it looked wayyy too millennial gray.
So don’t be a victim of the previous color’s undertones and paint the wall a sample of white before or buy a dollar tree poster board and hold it up.
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I hope these suggestions will help you on your journey to choosing the perfect paint colors for your space. If you’re in the Seattle area and want to work with me, visit my booking page here.