Discover the color palette that reflects your personal style

My preference is to work with the Sherwin Williams designers desktop kit because it's the one I'm most familiar with and I appreciate the way in which their colors are categorized and organized. I have a full Benjamin Moore designers kit and am happy to look at their colors with my clients if they prefer. At the end of the day, paint color is just a mathematical equation, a mixture of Cyan Magenta Yellow and Black, and any reputable paint provider can color match to any shade specified for your project regardless if it's published by Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore or another manufacturer. 

First off, color is subjective. Design taste is personal. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. On top of that, due to simple biology people actually see the same color differently. Working with a professional paint consultant to help choose color will give you the confidence to choose the right shade. 

Secondly, lighting makes a huge difference when selecting color and most people don't think about how their lightbulbs are changing the way the color resonates. Most homes I visit have a range of lightbulbs in different Kelvin ratings, which will change the way you see a color from one side of the room to the other. 

Third, the paint companies are making it harder on purpose! There are 500 shades of white and paint companies sometimes manufacture the same color under different names, confusing homeowners in the process.

Fourth, people hold up two shades and compare them to each other. This is the worst way to choose a color - because without realizing it you are creating your own optical illusion. Changing background or lighting is one of the most common ways to create a color optical illusion. You should never compare two possible options to each other because your eyes don't interpret color in a vacuum. Seeing color is your brain's way of interpreting your surroundings, and you can easily trick your brain into seeing things differently. You have to take each possible selection and compare that color to the other colors and design elements in the room. Do this with all the possible options and see which one is most harmonious. 

Don’t believe me? Remember in 2015 when the world went crazy debating whether a dress was black & blue or white & gold? It was an optical illusion! 

I'm a big fan of optical illusions and how your eyes can be tricked into seeing something that isn't there. The Museum of Science in Boston has an entire exhibit dedicated to this phenomenon. Check out another fascinating color illusion below.