ᐅ Help with Choosing Interior Paint Colors

Created on: 1 Sep 2020 21:52
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kati1337
kati13371 Sep 2020 21:52
Hello everyone!
I’m facing a tough choice when it comes to interior paint colors.
Pinterest offers lots of beautiful color palettes that I like. Unfortunately, most of them come from an American supplier. Their website also has a nice online tool where you can simulate how the colors look in different rooms, in both artificial and natural light. Of course, it’s just a simulation, but for me, it’s much more helpful than the paint swatches from the hardware store.
Is there a reliable way to communicate the colors from this American brand to my painter so they can accurately mix them? The website provides RGB and Hex values as well as LRV, but I don’t think these are precise enough to define the color properly.

The usual RAL color fan decks commonly available here are all too bright for me. I’m looking for colors with a very high white content, finely toned. I’m not really making progress. Does anyone have any advice?
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Smialbuddler
1 Sep 2020 22:45
You could try requesting color swatches from American manufacturers, as they are usually quite small. Or browse options from nearby English-speaking countries: I am still very fond of Farrow & Ball, especially for their subtle yet distinctive color palette. These can be easily purchased here. If the colors are too expensive for the entire house, you can typically have any shade mixed using the swatch or fan as a reference. That way, you at least get the correct color, even if not the premium pigments.
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hampshire
2 Sep 2020 08:06
When looking at photos on a screen, you face three uncertainties:
1. You don’t know how they are displayed
2. You don’t know how they have been edited
3. You don’t know under what lighting conditions they were taken

Therefore, it is a gamble to request a color code from the manufacturer and compare it on a screen.

Of course, it makes sense to use pictures as inspiration.

If you want to be very precise, visit a painter, show and describe what you want, have sample areas of 1–2m² (10–20 sq ft) created, and observe them at different times of day in the relevant rooms.
Pinky03012 Sep 2020 08:10
You can order the color swatch book that includes all the colors a hardware store (I think it was Hornbach in my case) can mix for you. It requires a deposit, which you get back when you return it.
Golfi902 Sep 2020 10:40
I would get a color fan deck from the SPECIALTY STORE where you plan to buy the paints. That way, you can be sure their equipment can mix those colors accurately.
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Alessandro
2 Sep 2020 13:14
Do it as suggested by hampshire. Everything else is simply guesswork!