How To Choose A Paint Color

Ever since I painted my kitchen Sherwin Williams' Comfort Gray, I've been contemplating changing the color of our back staircase. The staircase leads into the kitchen, and its yellow walls don't look so great against the blue gray kitchen walls.

Painting the stairway would be no problem, except for the fact that it connects to the upstairs hall, down the front staircase and into the foyer. That snowball just keeps on rolling!

So, the yellow walls' days are numbered. But, now comes the big question: What new color should I choose?  

Today I'll share my process for finding the perfect paint color.

1. Research. Look through magazines, design blogs, Pinterest photos, Google images and your neighbors' houses to get an idea of the colors you like. You never know where you might find inspiration. I tried the blue from the Dunphy's house on "Modern Family." (It's BM Labrador Blue, in case you're interested.)

2. Pick up a few (or twenty) paint samples and put them on your wall. If you are doing a large space, put the samples in a couple different locations. The paint looked very different in the light of my back hall than it did in the sunny foyer. Make sure to paint a couple of coats to ensure that the original wall color isn't seeping through.

3. Live with the paint samples for a few days to see how you like them in different light. I thought for sure I would go with a gray or beige, but after trying 4 or 5 different shades, it wasn't working for me. Beige was boring, and the gray was too depressing, especially on days when the sun wasn't shining. I needed color.

4. Try different shades and intensities of colors. I like blue/green, and as you can see I tried lots of them.

5. Eliminate the colors you don't like, and paint larger sections of wall with the paint you do like. I originally thought I'd go with the darker Van Courtland Blue or Oyster Bay, and so I painted larger areas with those colors. However, after a couple of days, I realized they looked gloomy in my space. I needed a lighter color.

6. Make a decision. After living with the paint samples for a few days (or weeks), you'll have one that speaks to you. Even if you keep trying to ignore it, because it's the same color you painted your master bathroom and you realize you could have skipped steps 1 - 5. But, where's the fun in that?

The painters are here, applying Sea Salt as I type. Gee... I hope I like it!

Am I the only one with 20 sample-size paint cans? How do you choose the perfect paint color?