Homeowner’s Guide
How to Select Room Colors
Forward
Choosing paint colors for a room is a very
personal decision. The colors you like best in a
home may be inspired by a favorite painting,
or your wardrobe, or even by places you
enjoyed visiting and now want to bring part of
the memory back home. Room colors can be
inspired by the latest design trends or by the
mood you want to set for the room.
We love helping clients select colors for a
remodeled room. We know it is an important
decision for them because it is the way they
want to define their new space. We listen very
closely as they describe what they want to
achieve and then we use our design
experience to help narrow the choices.
We have prepared this homeowner’s guide as a resource to help you select the
perfect paint colors for the rooms in your home. It begins with tips on how to go
about selecting room colors. We then introduce several online tools from major
paint manufacturers – Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, PPG Pittsburgh
Paints – and walk you through how to use those tools to select the right colors
for your rooms. We also have a section that shows you how to test paint before
making a decision to buy and apply it.
If the latest design trends in interior colors serve as inspiration to you, we’ve
included a chapter on the paint manufacturers’ 2014 Colors of the Year and a
chapter on our choices for the Hottest Interior Colors for 2014.
We hope you will find this information helpful. We would welcome your questions
and comments.
Sincerely,
Brian Ciota
Vice President & Co-Owner
McClurg. Design Build Remodel Repair
www.McClurgTeam.com
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Table of Contents
1. How to Select Room Colors ................................................................... 4
2. Online Interior Paint Selection Tools ..................................................... 5
3. How to Test Paint Colors ..................................................................... 13
4. The Paint Manufacturers’ 2014 Colors of the Year............................... 14
5. The Hottest Interior Colors for 2014 .................................................... 15
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1. How to Select Room Colors
One of the keys to using color in a home setting is to coordinate the hues of
various rooms. Think of your home as a color palette when making color choices.
We find that people are often afraid of experimenting with color and are unsure of
what tones will be pleasing in their homes. Here are a few tips to help you
select room colors:



Consider colors that appeal to you. What colors are most frequently in
your wardrobe? If you’ve visited homes or have photos of rooms that
serve as an inspiration for your project, what colors caught your eye?
Look at your furnishings for keys to wall color. If you have upholstered
pieces, what are the dominant colors? Would you use a similar or
complementary color on the walls?
Use the “Color Wheel.” Remember your art classes in elementary school
when the art teacher pulled out a color wheel? Those principles are helpful
in selecting wall colors, trims and accents for a room in your home.
Benjamin Moore’s “Color Language” guide has a very helpful section on
how to use the Color Wheel to select interior paint colors and
combinations.
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2. Online Interior Paint Selection Tools
Paint manufacturers have come a long way in creating tools to help consumers
select the right room colors. Now, we’re taking it one step further by bringing you
the best-of-the-best of what the manufacturers have to offer online. Just one
word of caution – it is best to use these tools with a high resolution computer
monitor that is capable of showing colors most true to the manufacturer’s paint
colors.
Benjamin Moore
Color Gallery
The Color Gallery contains more than 3,000 paint colors and 28 options for
narrowing your choices. The options are organized in three groups:

Color Families.
Select from warm
colors (yellows,
oranges, reds), cool
colors (pinks,
purples, blues,
greens) or neutral
colors (browns,
neutrals, whites,
grays, blacks).

Color Collections.
Here you can select
paint colors
featured in eight
Benjamin Moore
Color Collections,
including: Color
Preview, Affinity, Off-White Colors, Designer Classics, Historical Colors,
Classic Colors, America’s Colors and Color Stories.

Trends and Favorites. This grouping also offers eight options, including
Best Sellers, Most Viewed, Colors for Vinyl Siding, Young House Love
Colors, WILLIAMSBURG Color Collection, Color Trends 2014, Candice
Olson Colors and The Color of What Matters.
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2. Online Interior Paint Selection Tools
What we like most about Color Gallery is that you can narrow your choices by
selecting individual options within each group. For example, if you choose ‘Blue’
in “Color Families”, “Historical Colors” in Color Collections and “Best Sellers” in
Trends and Favorites it will give you three paint color choices.
Another great feature of this tool is revealed after you identify a paint color. Just
click on the color and it takes you to a webpage just for that paint color where
you can see:




What the color looks like in a room
What other colors go with the color you chose
Similar colors to your choice
More shades of your color choice
Personal Color Viewer
This interactive tool lets you see how any Benjamin Moore paint color will look in
a room. Here’s what you can do with the Personal Color Viewer:

Select a photo that
represents your
space from their
large gallery. You
will then go to a
webpage where you
can select wall, trim
and ceiling colors.
There are several
options for selecting
colors: enter the
Benjamin Moore
paint color name or
number, select from
Color Families and
Color Selections in
a drop-down format,
or chose from a
wide range of
palette color
options.
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2. Online Interior Paint Selection Tools
The gallery offers photos of five to eight interior room design options in
these categories: bathrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, entryways, home
offices, kid’s rooms, kitchens and living rooms. We really love this
feature!

Upload a photo of your room and give it a name and description. You
are then asked to identify the different surface areas in the room you will
be painting. Walls, trim and ceiling are surfaces.
For each surface, you will use several tools to define the surface area. If
you have used photo editing tools such as magic brushes and wands, you
will be familiar with how this works.
If you haven’t used these features before, you may find it difficult to define
the surface areas, especially trims or where objects such as dressers or
wall decorations cover part of the surface area. The tool does try to block
out unintended objects but it doesn’t always do it successfully.

Registration is required to use the photo upload feature or if you
want to save your work.
Color Inspiration Brochures
You’ve probably seen Benjamin Moore’s popular paint color brochures at dealer
stores. Now, you can also view and download them online. These brochures
provide many creative ideas and suggestions about color combinations for every
room. Their current interior paint brochures available online include:

Color Trends 2013

Color Trends 2012

Historical Collection

Affinity Color Collectives
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2. Online Interior Paint Selection Tools
Color Capture App
With this app for iPhone and iPad you can capture
any part of a photo and find its match from Benjamin
Moore’s 3,300 paint colors.
First, take a new photo or choose from your library.
Touch the part of the photo you want to match and it
shows the matching color and four other color
matches.
When you email the color capture selection, you
receive an image of your original photo surrounded
by the five color matches each with two
complementing colors. The image also shows the
Benjamin Moore color name and number for each
paint color. You can also email the choices or share
them on Facebook or Twitter. You’ll have lots of fun
with this app.
McClurg. Design Build Remodel Repair
www.McClurgTeam.com
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2. Online Interior Paint Selection Tools
Sherwin-Williams
Paint Color Visualizer
Sherwin-Williams has a great website that allows you to experiment with their
colors before you invest in paint. Here’s what you can do with their interactive
Paint Color Visualizer:

Select photos of
rooms that
represent your
space and drag
and drop palette
colors to identify
the shades that
are ideal for your
home.
They offer a large
selection of
interior room
scenes including
bathrooms,
kitchens, dining rooms, living rooms, kid’s rooms, laundry rooms and
dens. NOTE: the drag and drop tool works best when using Sherwin
Williams’ room photos.

Upload a photo of your room and then use the drag and drop palette
color tool. We found that the drag and drop feature does try to block out
items that are not part of the walls such as sinks and furniture but it
doesn’t always do it successfully. You may find some frustration with this
feature.

No registration is required unless you want to save your work.
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2. Online Interior Paint Selection Tools
ColorSnap Studio App
Sherwin-Williams has introduced an iPhone and iPad
app – ColorSnap Studio – that allows you to match
colors in a photo to more than 1,500 of their paint
colors.
With this app, you can take a new photo or select a
photo from your library. Touch up to eight different
color points in the photo and the app will display the
matching Sherwin-Williams paint color along with the
color name and number.
You can email the photo and paint samples or share
them via Facebook or Twitter. The advantage of this
app is that you can select more than one touch point
in the photo to match.
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2. Online Interior Paint Selection Tools
PPG Pittsburgh Paints
Paint Color Visualizer
PPG Pittsburgh Paints has an interactive palette to help you visualize how their
paint colors will look in a room. Here’s what PPG’s Paint Color Visualizer offers:

Select a photo
from their gallery
that represents
your room. They
offer seven
galleries –
bathrooms,
bedrooms, dining
rooms, foyers,
kitchens, living
rooms and
sunroom. Each
gallery has two to
six stock photos.
After selecting a
photo you’ll need
to select the
colors you want to consider for your project. There are four options for
selecting colors:
 Color Family (lots of choices within 11 different color families)
 Collections (Harmony, Essential, Designer and Regional),
 Trends (Color Minded, Insider’s Guide, Wow Color Now, Our New
Home, Surreal Real and Eco Echo)
 Pulling Colors from an Image (upload any image from your
computer and this tool will identify the colors in it)
Once you’ve selected the paint colors you want to try you can drag and
drop colors onto surfaces including walls, ceilings and trim.
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2. Online Interior Paint Selection Tools

Upload a photo of your room and then use the tool to identify surface
areas (i.e., walls, trims, ceilings) and areas not to be painted. There is
a zoom feature and a straight line drawing tool to help you outline each
surface.
Once you are done with this step, you select paint colors in the same way
as noted above. Then paint colors can be dragged and dropped on each
surface. The tool will try to block out items that are not part of the surface
such as sinks and furniture but it doesn’t always do it successfully. We
found this feature difficult to use.

No registration is required unless you want to save your work.
The Voice of Color App
PPG Pittsburgh Paints has a mobile app for Android
and iPhone/iPad devices – The Voice of Color – that
allows you to match colors in a photo to more than
1,800 of their paint colors.
With this app, you can take a new photo or select a
photo from your library. The app automatically
identifies the main colors in the image and will display
the matching PPG Pittsburgh Paints color along with
the color name and number.
You can save colors to a Favorites category but you
can’t save your image with the colors. Also, there is
no function for emailing your work or sharing it to
social media.
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3. How to Test Paint Colors
When choosing a color for a room in your home, keep in mind that colors will
change with lighting. Purchase a paint sample and try it out on a wood board
rather than a wall. If you don’t have a piece of wood, paint a heavy piece of
cardboard or white foam board. Give your board at least two coats to get the true
color. Move it around the room and view it in daylight and at night.
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4. The Paint Manufacturers’ 2014 Colors of the Year
Many major paint manufacturers select a “Color of the Year.” Each offers a color
that differs from competitor choices. Here are some 2014 Colors of the Year:
Benjamin Moore: “Breath of Fresh Air” 806
Sherwin-Williams: “Exclusive Plum” SW 6263
PPG Pittsburgh Paints: “Turning Oakleaf” ATC-38
Valspar Pantone: “Radiant Orchid”
Paint manufacturers offer products that coincide with interior design trends.
Benjamin Moore is featuring a “Neutral Palette for 2014” of 23 colors, five are
blue. Sherwin Williams has entered into an agreement with Pottery Barn to
create “Pottery Barn Colors for 2014.” The palette of 20 colors complements
Pottery Barn furniture and fabrics. There are many mid-tone colors selected to
enhance the white, black and dark wood furniture finishes.
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5. The Hottest Interior Colors for 2014
This year “hot” is “cool” when it comes to interior room colors. Designers are
selecting from subdued palettes. We will be seeing gray, beige, blue, teal and
white wall and trim colors in homes.
When selecting colors for our annual list of the “Hottest Interior Room Colors” we
look at the best selling colors from major manufacturers for tried-and-true paint
colors that will stand the test of time. We also review trends on popular home
décor websites and in magazines. Then, we consider how these colors may
actually look in homes with products our customers here in Central New York
choose for their remodeling projects.
Whites
We are seeing white used as wall color and as trim to complement beige, grays
and blues.
Benjamin Moore's White Dove PM-19. This shade of white
has a gray/olive undertone that provides a hint of color when
used on walls but also complements gray, blue and green
wall colors when used to paint trim.
Benjamin Moore's Simply White 2143-70. “Simply White” has
a pale gray undertone, which makes it appear crisp. This is a
color to use on trims, ceilings and walls.
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Beiges
Beige works well in rooms with blue, teal, purple, earth-tones, red, gray, green
and black furnishings and accents. Since beige is a neutral, it makes colors in a
room ‘pop’.
Benjamin Moore's Navajo White 947. Soft yellow undertones
add a cast of gold to this perennial shade of beige. This color
appears on many designer palettes and is one of Benjamin
Moore’s best sellers. It pairs well with teal, blue, purple,
green, dark gray, taupe and brown as a trim and stands on its
own as a wall color.
Benjamin Moore's Muslin 1037. If you’re looking for true
neutral mid-tone beige, this is it. There are no strong
undertones of yellow or red. “Muslin” is one of those colors
that works with many others and looks great with natural
wood, white, black or blue finish cabinetry; stone veneers;
wood flooring; and granite and quartz countertops.
Benjamin Moore's Putnam Ivory HC-39. Putnam Ivory has a
subtle undertone of gold and stands out as a wall color when
paired with white trim. It is a relaxing color that looks fantastic
with the teal and indigo accents that we’re seeing so much of
this year.
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www.McClurgTeam.com
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“Greige”
Designers are using neutrals paints that mix gray with beige and refer to these
colors as “greige”. We’ve picked three shades of greige for 2014.
Benjamin Moore's Edgecomb Gray HC-173. This is a color
for walls and trim. Teal, olive green, russet, black, brown and
shade of purple are enhanced by “Edgecomb Gray.”
Benjamin Moore's Copley Gray HC-104. “Copley Gray” is
from Benjamin Moore’s Historic Color palette. The gray is
more prominent in this color but the taupe undertones make
it a good choice with earthy elements such as stone and
wood.
Sherwin-Williams' Mega Greige SW-7031. This color creates
a dramatic effect in a room. “Mega Greige” appears gray but
has a brown undertone and could be used in a bath to
complement granite and natural stone tile, a son’s room, an
office, as an accent wall in a family room or in a
contemporary-style kitchen.
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Grays
You will most likely be seeing a lot of gray in home interiors this year. At the 2013
CNY Parade of Homes, gray was used by many of the designers. It complements
today’s marble, quartz, granite, soapstone and laminate countertops as well as
stainless steel appliances. It also complements many colors such as yellow, red,
black, navy, orange, violet and teal.
Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl 2137-60. “Gray Owl” is a soft
versatile neutral wall color that looks stunning with “Simply
White” trim. It can be used in kitchens with white painted
cabinets, baths and bedrooms or any room of the house. If
you love the look of a gray room with yellow, black and gray
furnishings, give this color a try.
Benjamin Moore's Sea Haze 2137-50. HGTV interior designer
extraordinaire Candice Olson worked with Benjamin Moore
paints to create a designer palette. “Sea Haze” is one of the
colors she chose. It’s a mid-tone gray that adds richness to a
room.
Blues
Two shades of blue that you will be seeing everywhere this year are teal and
indigo.
Benjamin Moore's Palladian Blue HC-144. We’ve listed
“Palladian Blue” before. This shade of teal is timeless and one
of Benjamin Moore’s best sellers. Year after year designers
who consult with the country’s top home magazines use this
color in almost every room of the house. It can change in light
but always looks great even on cabinets.
Sherwin-Williams' Distance SW-6243. The designers at
Pottery Barn chose this blue color for their palette, we like it
too. It would be great for a child’s room or a media room.
There are violet undertones that add warmth. White trim,
doors and ceilings are the perfect accents.
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www.McClurgTeam.com
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