Choosing Interior Colors: How to Create a Story in Your Home

Choosing an interior color — or colors — is a perfect opportunity to shape the space you want to change. Many factors influence the decision. The shape of the actual space plays a role in how deep or light a color should be. How much natural light comes in throughout the day can be a determining factor in the degree of shade that is chosen. Floor color, furniture finishes, tile design, hardware — all play a pivotal role in picking the right color and how it will reflect your experience.

The beauty of choosing colors is the ability to link them consistently throughout a home or space. Connecting shades of colors to create a story in your own space — from a calm blue that feels refreshing to wake up to, to a pop of bright orange in a kid's room to stimulate — the options are vast. Selecting the right trim color holds a key to allowing the colors in each specific area to flow, uniting the stories of each room together.

Colors are not limited to just paint. Stain can give a lot of options if there are wood elements in the space, adding another dimension to the overall look and feel. The possibilities are endless for every situation.

Selecting colors can be a very personal choice, dependent on what you like or what you like to see. We recommend spending time in the space to see the movement of the light and to feel what speaks to you. Then the fine-tuning happens — shuffling through options to find the range of color to settle in. Next, samples are placed in selected locations to help visualize the colors chosen for the spaces. Whether you have a Craftsman home in Albany, CA, a Bungalow in Berkeley, CA, or a Victorian in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland, there are the right options for every situation and every style.

In Part 3, we'll look at exterior color selection — how to balance aesthetics, environment, and the architectural character of your home to make the right first impression.