Brown Design + Development: Picking the Perfect Paint Color

We receive a lot of emails asking for advice on how to pick a paint color. We are going through that process now with a Los Angeles project and thought we could best explain our process by showing you images of actual mock-ups that assist us in making those tough color decisions.

Start by choosing several options within the targeted color scheme. Buy a sample quart of paint in each color option. Mock selected paint color options on the wall in neat squares as we did below. Try to complete your paint mock up as close to any existing surface materials in the room such as flooring or tile as this will allow you to better visualize what the finished room will look like. You can also do this process on a large foam board for portability allowing you to move the paint samples from room to room. One color may look amazing in one room, but not good in another room.

Note, be sure to apply multiple coats of the paint to bring out the true color of the sample.

Clearly label each sample with its name and number on a small piece of tape, as demonstrated below, to ensure you are able to keep track of the selected color when it comes time to purchase the paint.

Leave your mock-ups on the wall for several days and view them during different times. The colors will look different in the daylight than they do during the evening.

Taking the time to go through each of these steps will ensure that you will love the end result!

For the project displayed above, these were the main colors chosen (All by Benjamin Moore):

Edgecomb Gray Clay Beige Stone Hearth

While on the subject of paint, we have received numerous questions about the paint colors used in the Valley Oak home as seen on Season 2 of Flipping Out. Here are the details about a few of the main colors used in the home.

In a previous blog, we showed the master bedroom and have since had a number of questions about the brand and color used. For the master bedroom and bathroom accent walls, we selected Dunn Edwards Riverbed.

For the downstairs living room's niches, we selected Dunn Edwards Porous Stone. The kitchen accent wall and venetian plaster on the fireplaces were also painted in the color.