Selecting the right paint color can be a daunting process, especially if you’re unsure of what you’re looking for. Before I had any experience working with paint, I would gravitate towards all neutral, unassuming colors in fear of covering my walls with something I would eventually get sick of or would clash with the rest of the room. I figured if I stuck to painting using soft greys and warm whites, I would be able to design and decorate with anything I wanted for years to come.

In some aspects, my theory wasn’t wrong, as choosing a neutral backdrop does indeed allow you to go a little crazy when designing the foreground. What I didn’t realize was that in doing so I was capping the potential of a space, relying too heavily on the influence of the furniture and decor. Once I finally gained the confidence to step outside my color comfort zone and started experimenting with new shades, I quickly learned how powerful paint is in establishing the look and feel of a space. Our home office is a perfect example, painted using a stately shade of deep blue. When designing the room, I knew I wanted to differentiate the look and feel from the rest of our house, making it feel like a true workspace. The bold color did exactly that, grounding the room while adding a fresh dose of difference.