Often the most difficult part of a big project is figuring out where to begin. Whether you are looking to paint a room in a new house, or just looking to revamp a bland space, finding inspiration for the direction you want to do can seem like a daunting task.

Idea generators

Traditional media such as home interior design magazines and home makeover television shows are a tried and true method for sparking inspiration, but the new age of the internet has made the task faster and more convenient than ever.

• The website of just about every paint brand from Behr and Benjamin Moore has an inspiration section of their website with tools and pictures to help you – however, you may not want to restrict yourself to just one brand.
• Pinterest can be a very helpful tool for finding inspiration for a myriad of things. It’s as simple as creating a board, searching keywords and pinning away things that catch your eye. Once you accumulate a lot of pins, you can easily scroll through the board to see any common threads and get a better idea of what you like. Gauging the colors you are drawn to for a space before going to the store can make sea of paint chips seem a lot less daunting.

Envisioning the final result

At times it can be difficult to visualize how a space would look with a different color, especially if you are very accustomed to the color it is. Luckily, there are many websites that allow you to upload your own picture of a room and preview different colors on the surfaces.

When planning to paint a room, you may want to look to the current trends for inspiration. Brand websites release color trend predictions each year, and trends for 2017 are primarily soft, earthy colors.

Choosing a color

Olive greens, navy blues, and blue-grays dominate the trend predictions, and an interesting color popping up a lot is pastel pink. Going with a bold or unusual color is a great way to spice up a room, and many sites are also able to provide you with a palette of other colors that will complement a main bold color.

If you aren’t one who enjoys redecorating rooms, and don’t think you’ll want to repaint again for a long time – if ever – you will probably want to be wary of bold colors and stick to colors that don’t seem to go out of style. Neutrals are safe colors to go with, such as shades of brown, white, and gray.

Don’t paint yourself into a corner

You aren’t confined to a single color for a room. There are many unique ways to color the walls of a room. An accent wall is a great way to bring in a bold color without making the space feel overwhelming. On your accent wall, stripes and lines are simple to create with painters tape, but add a level of interest and design to a room.

There are lots of surprisingly simple ways to create interesting texture or illusion of texture in interior paint, so Pinterest and Google can be great tools for finding ways to take your DIY to the next level.