Find inspiration.
Inspiration is like a map. Finding an inspiration is the key to help one show their individuality and express their authenticity. There are many ways to find inspiration. Magazines and catalogues are a perfect way to start when gathering ideas. Look for pictures that resonate with your style. Digitally there are sites that can provide you with a tonne of beautiful pictures. The most popular site for inspiration is Pinterest. It contains pictures that you identify and put in an inspiration board and have all images in one location.
Create a mood board
Mood board is a collage of pictures, fabric swatches and paint samples that bring together the visual concept of an idea. Have magazine cut outs and print out pictures and place them in your board. This will provide you with a sense of direction and you will identify what colours you are mostly drawn to.
Develop a colour scheme
You do not need to be an interior designer for this. You will however need to understand the basic colour wheel. A colour wheel will help you see how colours relate to each other. Always start with the colour you love and then add colours that closely relate or complement with it on the colour wheel. The mood board will show you the colours that you are drawn to. Here you will now narrow it down to the specific colours you want. Pick a maximum of three colour to avoid having visual clutter.
Do research before shopping.
Buying paint is a long term invest and can also be expensive. Take time to learn more about the paints available to you. Learn the different types of paint and their characteristics so as to understand which areas they are most suitable for. Read through reviews of the brand of paint you intend to buy and learn how it behaves and if it is worth spending money on.
Sample the paint
Before committing to the paint of your choice, it is important to try it out first. Most people rush into purchasing a colour or quality and end up not using it. Most paints come in small sample sizes, buy a few different shades, tints and also quality and try them on the wall you intend to have it on. Monitor its performance and only buy that which does the best.
Consider your household
Different rooms have different functions. For this reason, one paint quality may work well in one room and fail in another. If you have toddlers in the home, they are likely to write on the walls or smudge it with food and dirt. This means that you will need to use a glossy paint that is easy to wipe down with a damp cloth.
With paint and your imagination, you can create marvellous feels and mood for your space. You should always consider how you would want the room to feel when paint hunting.