• Consider the function of the room being painted and choose an appropriate color.

• If you have already chosen the furnishings for the room bring swatches and samples when choosing the paint color.

• Is your style modern, traditional, or eclectic? You may want to research colors from different periods like Victorian, Colonial, or Arts & Crafts for the color roots of an old house, or for colors appropriate to the period that inspired your home's design and decorating details.

• There should be some relationship between adjacent rooms and the new paint color for the sake of flow and continuity.

• Look at the exposure the room has, as lots of sunny southern exposure may be a good spot for cool color tones while a shaded and northerly facing room might be best served with warmer hues.

• If you want to manipulate the perceived size of the room with color, choose an appropriate palate; light monochromatic colors and white ceilings to increase size, dark bold tones with a darker ceiling color to shrink.

• Decide on the mood you want the room to evoke for its inhabitants and visitors and then explore the psychology of colors.