Color choices go wrong for a predictable reason: the sample gets judged in a store under bright, neutral light and then lives in a room with north-facing windows, a maple out front and a warm bulb overhead.
Test on the Wall, Not on Paper
Paint two coats onto a two-foot square of the actual wall, or onto a primed board you can move around the room. Look at it in the morning, in the afternoon and at night with the lamps on. A color that holds up across all three is a color you will still like in a year.
Our Grey Months Are Part of the Decision
Pittsburgh gets a long stretch of overcast light, and overcast light is cool. Colors with a little warmth in them keep a room from feeling flat in February, while cool greys can turn blue in a room that only gets north light. Rooms with strong afternoon sun can take the cooler end comfortably.
Sheen, Room by Room
- Ceilings: flat, so it hides imperfections rather than highlighting them.
- Living rooms and bedrooms: matte or eggshell for a soft, even wall.
- Kitchens, baths and hallways: eggshell or satin, because they get wiped down.
- Trim and doors: satin or semi-gloss for durability and a crisp edge.
Trim and Walls Work as a Pair
Deciding trim color at the same time as wall color saves repainting later. White trim sharpens a saturated wall; trim a shade or two off the wall color reads quieter and hides age better on older woodwork.
If you would rather talk it through in the room, Steel City Strokes walks color and sheen with you as part of the quote. See the gallery for finished rooms around Pittsburgh.