Dear Jean and Richard, I want to paint my house in different colors, but don’t want it to look like a carnival. How do you choose different colors for different rooms? -Harry, Black Mountain

Jean: Hi Harry. I recently had a call from a potential client asking how to buy furniture to match her paint colors, not realizing she was putting the cart before the horse. I explained most designers agree it is far easier to match paint colors to fabrics and finishes than the other way around.

Richard: Was she painting the cart or the horse? Did you explain you weren’t into horses, but you might help her choose colors for the stable?

Jean: You’re not stable, Richard. I was trying to point out that other factors might dictate the choices of room colors, like pieces of furniture or drapery or even a nice rug. But once you have a direction or have made a color choice in one room, that choice may help you decide what to do in the next room.

Richard: Well, that’s a horse of a different color! I don’t advocate formulas, but one concept that works well for me is to use the predominant color in one room as an accent color in the adjoining room. And I don’t mean a whole wall or ceiling, but rather a repeated color on a chair, on a lampshade, or in a painting.

Jean: I hope you don’t think that’s an original idea! I would elaborate on that concept by using a limited palette of four to five colors and repeat them throughout the home, but in a mixture of different proportions. If you want to be safe, choose colors that have similar values. For example, if you use a light, celery green in one room, you may not want to use a bright coral in the next. You can have consistency and different colors as long they’re shades are similar.

Richard: I agree that the idea is continuity. Another way to relate one room to the next is with a mirror. Depending on its placement, you can literally have a framed picture of the next room. However you decide to do it, the idea here is to create a flow from one part of the house to the next, using coordinated colors. And you can do that by repeating the same colors as accents.

Jean: Speaking of flow, perhaps the most important place to first present those coordinating colors is in the entry or foyer, which will also help tie together the entire palette. If you want to impress your guests, you need to “catch them at the door.”

Richard: There’s always a catch with Jean, but I like this one. A well-thought entry can set the tone for the entire house. Make it friendly and inviting, maybe employing the “most cheerful” color in your palette for the assignment.

Jean: Harry, if you are unsure where to begin, I would suggest deciding on what that first color might be, again based on what it will be paired with. If it’s a fabric pattern, it may already have several colors that will work for your scheme. Begin with your most confident choice, then move onto the next room. But choose the palette with a plan—don’t finish one room before even looking at the other paint choices.

Richard: And if you paint the horse before the cart, use a horsehair brush.