How to Choose the Wrong Paint Color

Have you ever picked a paint color from a picture and then been confused or disappointed when it looked different in your own home? Choosing a paint color should be an exciting and rewarding part of your project. Paint has the power to completely transform a space. It can be one of the most dramatic and impactful effects you can make. But how do you make sure the impact makes you gasp in awe, not horror?

We moved into our current home in 2019. It was stuck in time in the year it was built, 1989, and I was desperate to start making changes to it immediately. But at this point my DIY skills were pretty much nonexistent. Before this house, I had only ever painted an accent wall (light gray) and my son’s nursery (also a light gray) in our first apartment.

One of the first changes we made was to take down the outdated floral wallpaper that covered the kitchen and give the room a coat of white paint, a fresh start. I had started to share our home renovation journey on Instagram, and admittedly, I wanted to do something bold to stand out. I saw that Sherwin Williams had named Cavern Clay their Color of the Year. It’s a reddish orange color, and since most of our downstairs was now a neutral white, I decided to use it on our exterior doors. I went and bought a sample quart and painted all three of our doors.

Now, I’m all for trying trends, especially when it comes to paint. And I’m certainly all for being bold with color. The problem was that our house was stuck in the early ’90s with a few features that didn’t pair well with Cavern Clay. The first being ‘90s oak. If you’re not familiar with ‘90s oak, it has a distinctly orange tint to it. Painting our front door Cavern Clay just made it look like I was decorating for Halloween.

Our kitchen floors are still the original linoleum that was put in when the house was built, a tired, dingy yellow color. I had just finished painting our kitchen cabinets a dark green. Adding Cavern Clay to the kitchen doors gave a very ‘70s vibe.

Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it just wasn’t my style. But I didn’t want to admit that I had made a mistake with my paint color choice, and I stubbornly lived with that color for some time trying to convince myself otherwise. But I knew from the time I was first done painting that I didn’t like it.

I had made a bold statement, but not in the way I’d hoped. But did it teach me something?

Absolutely. Here’s what I learned:

Paint has power. It can make a space feel right or wrong. It should feel like an expression of you in your home. Cavern Clay didn’t feel right to me and it didn’t give the space the power the feel that I wanted. Do you want to feel bold? Or do you prefer to feel warm or calm? Your paint color choice can reflect this.

Paint is relatively cheap. If you’re willing to put the time in, you’re free to experiment and try out colors. A sample can of paint runs around $6. A gallon of paint can cost between $40-60 depending on the type and brand of paint. In the realm of home renovation, these are not big ticket items. It doesn’t cost much to try a color.

Paint is temporary. Because of the low cost, it’s not all that risky to try a color and learn what works best in your spaces. The Cavern Clay doors cost me a little bit of money and a bit more in time, but ultimately it let me see what I didn’t like and find my way toward what I did.

Were there things I could have done differently to avoid all of this though? if you’re looking to avoid having to repaint and simplify the process of picking a paint color, I have a few tips and tricks to help you make a decision picking paint for your home.