Selecting a paint color can be a paralyzing task: with seemingly millions shades of white alone, how can one possibly decide? Paint shades convey multitudes: colors can be energizing or...
Selecting a paint color can be a paralyzing task: with seemingly millions shades of white alone, how can one possibly decide? Paint shades convey multitudes: colors can be energizing or evocative, cozy or cutesy. And in the world of interiors, paint colors are more than just a backdrop—they can be a statement, a mood-setter, or a signature. So, we decided to sit down with Joa Studholme, color curator and creator of some of the most storied Farrow & Ball shades in history (Dead Salmon, anyone?) and create the ultimate guide to selecting paint colors for your home. The good news: “There are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to decorating,” Studholme says. “Luckily, we all gravitate to different styles, live in different light conditions and like different colors—the world would be a much duller place if this were not the case.” However, Studholme notes, it’s wise to bear these three key elements in mind when decorating: the architectural elements of the room, the light, and your own personal style.
How to connect the color palette with your home
Every room is different, and choice of color should be influenced by the particular conditions of the space: how the color functions, the room’s architecture, and where exactly the color is used. Most people want to create a flow through their home: “[Flow] produces an unchallenging environment, where you can drift from room to room without being jolted by the use of color,” Studholme says. This can be achieved in a number of ways, whether you want a pared-down, simple feel or a fantastic riot of color. The simplest way, Studholme suggests, is to use one group of neutrals or a tone on tone graduation of the same color, such as Pigeon, Blue Gray, Muzzle and Cromarty from Farrow & Ball, for example. This color drenching will result in a totally harmonious look—but it’s always best to use the stronger shades in the darker areas and the lightest in the light filled rooms, Studholme warns. If you want to use strong colors, it’s best to work floor by floor, taking into account which rooms you can see from the same vantage point in the hall. “If the colors used in these rooms have the same intensity, then they will sit sympathetically together,” Studholme explains. “And of course one trim color and/or ceiling color throughout the house does wonders for creating a flow!”
Dark vs. light—and when to use which
“It is always tempting to turn to light colors for small, dark spaces, but this generally results in a dull, visually unappetizing room,” Studholme warns. Although a strong color might seem counterintuitive, the results can be wonderfully theatrical and much more exciting than any attempt to create light by painting a room white. Conversely, large, bright rooms are best celebrated with lighter tones, which then lead to glimpses of intriguing darker colors in smaller adjacent rooms.
On calming colors and statement colors
Calming colors tend to be warm—“they feel like they are giving you a hug,” Studholme says. Blush and plaster pinks like Scallop and Setting Plaster from Farrow & Ball are huge favorites for creating the ultimate in tranquil spaces. The same applies to colors that have a strong connection with nature. When subtle blue Cromarty or its green equivalent Eddy are painted in rooms, “it literally makes your shoulders drop,” she sighs. Studholme’s favorite statement colors right now are strong but fairly muted: Duster and Marmelo. “Both are rich and earthy without being overwhelming; despite being bold, they have a quietness which sits particularly well in the homes of 2025.”
Color’s effect on ambiance and mood
Post pandemic, when so many of us are spending more time at home, it makes sense to use lighter colors in the rooms we use during the day and stronger colors to retreat to at night. In this way, Studholme says, “we celebrate natural light and distinguish our working day from our relaxing evenings. We naturally feel more active in fresh, lighter colored rooms and more cozy in intimate, darker spaces.”
Natural light, artificial light, and everything in between
In terms of discerning how the natural light falls, it’s simple, Studholme says: “This is just a case of standing in the space at different times of day and looking at how the light falls on the walls.” Make note of where the sun is hitting and at what time, and come back to visit a few times to check to ensure it feels the same each time. Artificial lights like incandescent, LED, and fluorescent can significantly affect how paint colors appear by casting different color temperatures. “Warm lights (like incandescent) tend to enhance warm colors and make cooler colors look a little muted, while cool lights (like fluorescent) can make warm colors look dull and bring cooler colors to life. It is exactly the same principles as colors used in sunny south facing rooms or flatter north facing light,” Studholme says.
And temperature makes a difference too—but not celsius or Fahrenheit. Lighting color temperature, measured in Kelvin, describes the warmth or coolness of light, with lower values indicating warmer, yellowish light and higher values indicating cooler, bluish-white light. Different light temperatures significantly affect how colors appear, with warmer light temperatures enhancing reds, oranges and yellows, while cooler light temperatures make blues and green seem more vibrant.
How to test paint colors
How color behaves in relation to other colors and in different light conditions is extremely complex, and nothing beats seeing them in situ, Studholme says. Your perception of the color will almost certainly change when you look at it in different light conditions and as the day progresses. “The fact that the color on the walls alters when a cloud passes over the sun and looks different across the seasons is what makes the paint feel alive. It is this quality that gives an interior a unique sense of depth and atmosphere,” Studholme explains.
Some guidelines to begin? Don’t paint sample colors directly onto the wall—“it’s very distracting and they are difficult to remove,” according to Studholme. Paint two coats of a color onto a couple of pieces of paper or card—the larger, the better—and place them in two different areas of the room, and then check them at different times throughout the day to see how the color changes. “You’ll be amazed,” she says. If you are decorating a space used exclusively at night, look at the colors with the curtains closed; you might even light a candle. And it is very important to look at your wall color alongside your trim color in the right proportions—this will affect the way you perceive both tones.
Room proportions and how they influence your color selection
Color can appear to alter the proportions of a room visually, effectively changing its size and shape. Lighter colors are often best suited to big rooms because they maximize the space and won’t feel overpowering, Studholme advises. Making a bold statement in a large room can be daunting: “Patterns and strong colors can be overwhelming, and in very large doses, it can also counterbalance the light,” she says. Darker tones will enhance a small room and make it feel more intimate.
If you’re trying to make a small space feel bigger, consider using strong colors. In a confined space, they can disguise the corners so that you can’t read the boundaries, and this, in turn, will make the room feel larger; restricting the number of colors you use will also make it feel bigger. And if you have the unusual conundrum of needing to make your room appear smaller, then a strongly contrasting trim color, either lighter or darker than the walls, will help to define the space so that it doesn’t feel endless. Be wary of feature walls, Studholme warns, which often cause havoc by playing with a room’s proportions. Painting a strong color on the two longest walls in a room will make them appear closer together, giving the impression of a narrower space; in contrast, a dark wall at one end (or both ends) of a long, thin corridor or room will also have the effect of bringing the walls closer, making the space seem squarer in shape.
Commonly made color selection mistakes, and how to avoid them
“Sampling is absolutely key to decorating and should never be skipped,” Studholme says matter-of-factly. Defaulting to a ubiquitous white for the ceiling and trim is also a great mistake, as you can both ruin or enhance a scheme with the right trim color. But most importantly, Studholme says, “you should follow your heart and not the latest trends—it is such a huge mistake to choose colors that you don't feel comfortable with. Clashing is all in the eye of the beholder, as far as I am concerned.”
How to Choose Paint Colors—and Find the Right Shade for Your Home
At this year’s Milan Design Week, one name in particular kept cropping up everywhere: Faye Toogood. The British designer had a bumper year, presenting new collections for Tacchini and Noritake, appearing on billboards for Archiproducts’ 25th anniversary, and receiving the Designer of the Year award from EDIDA—as well as flitting between various launches and events all throughout the week. And now, hot on the heels of her Salone whirlwind, Toogood is arriving in New York City for not one, but two concurrent and connected exhibitions split across some of the city’s hottest design galleries. “I’m a bit sick of myself,” Toogood jokes to Vogue, before acknowledging that while her very busy past 18 months have proved impressively fruitful, there’s been little time left for genuine creativity. Daydreamed ideas and late-night work sessions became her only opportunity to exercise that muscle, and the result is Lucid Dream, which opens at both The Future Perfect and TIWA Select on May 2, 2025. These two separate yet entwined collections both showcase her love of hand-painting, a skill from her fine art days that she recently rediscovered after going “years and years” without picking up a paintbrush. The incorporation of this rekindled talent into her design work signals a shift in Toogood’s output. “I’m on a precipice of change in terms of my work,” she says. “I’m trying to take myself in a different direction. And I think this is the first step in whatever direction it’s going to be.”
The designer explains that the co-presented sister shows are manifestations of her own “left brain vs. right brain” thinking, and represent the dualities of the ethereal vs. the visceral; emotional intuition vs. dream logic. At The Future Perfect’s grand, immaculate West Village townhouse, several of Toogood’s best-loved designs are covered in her boldly colorful, expressive markings. The instantly recognizable, cast-fiberglass Roly Poly Dining Table and Chair; the plump, upholstered Gummy Armchairs, Sofa and Footstools; and the rounded, intersecting Palette Tables have all received this special treatment—along with a new set of wooden folding screens, a version of the Palette Console in aluminum, and a large mobile in the same metal. “The challenge was letting myself loose in a daydream-like way, with just paint and color and hands and brushes and pens and squeegees and sponges,” she remembers, noting she was egged on by The Future Perfect founder David Alhadeff. “For a week, I just went for it.”