A World of Color | Choosing the right shade for your home

If you’re starting a new design project, choosing colors is often at the top of the list. So why does the selection process make you a bundle of nerves? Fortunately, there are some easy ways around the color conundrum. Here are some useful strategies for paint picks and luminous hues.

Make a Plan

Take a Color Cue

What’s in a name? When it comes to color, the answer is everything. Paints like Big Dipper, Before the Storm and Hibernate conjure up images of deep, dark tones and home comforts. Choosing the right color for your home is closely related to mood so let your feelings lead the way.

If you’re not sure where to start, think of how you’d like your home. Picture a relaxing retreat where you’re free to unwind at any moment. Calming shades of blues, greys and neutrals evoke that ambience for a guest room or personal haven.

If your aim is socializing and togetherness, light or airy shades may do the trick. Easy, breezy colors invite casual conversation perfect for larger spaces. Consider colorful accents or brighter palettes for growing kids or amiable interiors.

Beautiful Backdrop

Color sets the stage for your home and life from a practical perspective. It’s meant to showcase the things you love in the space you covet the most. Think of furniture, for example. Pairing your favorite pieces with similar colors or saturations subtly elevates their presence. The opposite approach adds a nice touch, too. If you’re drawn to all things dramatic, choose contrasting shades for a certain je ne sais quoi.

A variation on this theme involves a stunning backdrop using conscientious color. Set a single wall apart by selecting a different shade, color or pattern. This simple technique visually transforms your wall into a focal point or oversized picture frame. It’s the perfect way to tell a story by reimagining your design elements down to the last detail.

Set It in Motion

Social or Sanctuary

There are dozens of ways to read a room using color and tone. In this case, the sunroom emphasizes an open, airy quality through its natural lighting, spaciousness and warm neutral choices of Vessel SW 9547 and Lunar Lite SW 9546. The eat-in dining room takes a similar approach with Ghosted’s SW 9545 soft, welcoming shade of gray for group gatherings and socializing.

Sunroom | EH Design | Vessel SW 9547 & Lunar Lite SW 9546

Sunroom | EH Design | Vessel SW 9547 & Lunar Lite SW 9546

Dining Room | EH Design | Ghosted SW 9545

Dining Room | EH Design | Ghosted SW 9545

In the family room, a light neutral in Limewash SW 9589 provides a gentle background for conversation and quality time. Shades of blue, caramel, and beige come together in fabrics and accents for a truly meditative experience. Textural elements from ceramics to seagrass add the final touches to this serene family space for hours of relaxation.

Family Room | EH Design | Limewash SW 9589

Family Room | EH Design | Limewash SW 9589

Playful Prints

One way to play up a single wall is by choosing colors from the same palette. The nursery’s polka dot print sprinkles a bevvy of colors on a white base for a whimsical touch. In the forefront, a soft white chair and dresser draw from the white background and Crystalline SW 9691 walls in equal measure. Accent colors like pale pink, green and a neural gold mimic and complement the wall mural behind them.

Nursery | EH Design | Crystalline SW 9691

Nursery | EH Design | Crystalline SW 9691

Another print weaves its way through the girl’s room for an impish touch. Gold stars adorn a Sea Mariner SW 9640 blue in a dazzling display of nighttime wonder. Contrasting hues of dark and metallic draw the eye to a detailed decorative print. As starry whisps curve and bend, the ethereal feel of wind and wonder evokes a sense of childlike imagination.

Girls Room | EH Design | Sea Mariner SW 9640

Girls Room | EH Design | Sea Mariner SW 9640

Meanwhile in the boy’s room, a slightly lighter blue shade of Azure Tide SW 9684 elicits a wave of youthful charm. The celestial theme is given its own iteration complete with planets and stylized star gazing. Just like constellations in an expansive sky, White Snow SW 9541 breaks up the blue for a visual frame of reference. A trio of browns bring the space back to earth with tactile wooden shelves and calming tones inspired by nature.

Boys Room | EH Design | Azure Tide SW 9684 & White Snow SW 9541

Boys Room | EH Design | Azure Tide SW 9684 & White Snow SW 9541

Master Class

In the office and butlers, Big Dipper SW 9645 foreshadow a shift in shade and mood on the main-floor color palette. These harmonized interiors contain several layers of overlap neatly packaged in color bundles. While the office uses Winter Walk SW 9628 as part of the main level color family, Big Dipper SW 9645 showcase darker shades like the second-floor color palette to cement their ties. Shades of blue, white and neutral grace every surface from pillows to paintings. It’s this intricate web of color, space and light that adds complexity and dimension to interior ensembles.

Main Level Office | EH Design | Big Dipper SW 9645 & Winter Walk SW 9628

Main Level Office | EH Design | Big Dipper SW 9645 & Winter Walk SW 9628

Main Level Office | EH Design | Big Dipper SW 9645

Last but not least, the master bedroom, bathroom and workout/yoga space present their own class in color theory. The bedroom shade of Vessel SW 9547 cleverly duplicates the sunroom’s coloring in a warm neutral equally suited to private spaces. Next, Vessel SW 9547 and Before the Storm SW 9564 represent different color families and saturations for clearer visual separation in this master bedroom retreat. On the opposite side, the bathroom shade of Hibernate SW 9573 rounds off the room with a slightly warmer, darker neutral for the adult take on sophisticated color.

Master Bedroom | EH Design | Vessel SW 9547

Master Bedroom & Bonus Room | EH Design | Before the Storm SW 9564 & Vessel SW 9547

Master Bedroom Bonus Room | EH Design | Before the Storm SW 9564 & Vessel SW 9547

Master Bedroom Bonus Room | EH Design | Before the Storm SW 9564

Joining Forces

Sherwin-Williams Partnership

At EH Design, we know the importance of strong partnerships. That’s why we chose to work with Sherwin-Williams paints as a company worth its salt. Between their widespread selection of paints and new Emerald Designer Edition, we’re simply taken by their product line. SW offers the best quality on the market with a smooth, uniform finish that exceeds our clients’ expectations. This collection also features the most updated colors on the market with a flawless finish for our final seal of approval.

Work With Us

Not sure where to start? We have a keen eye for color and are happy to help. From empty nesters to busy families, your home should make your journey in life a joy. EH Design treats every project with the utmost care. We’d love to discuss the details of your upcoming project.

Below is a quick form - we'll get in touch with you right away!