Nate Berkus And Jeremiah Brent Give Realistic Advice About Picking A Paint Color For Your Home

Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent are interior home experts with a world-class knowledge of design principles and rules. But when it comes to paint colors, they actually take a slightly looser approach. Berkus and Brent recommend looking inward before deciding what to paint, both agreeing (via TLC) that what we wear can be well-reflected in our personal spaces.  

Time and time again, blue is consistently voted as the most popular color to wear. Design Confidential reports that nearly 8% of Americans choose blue as their preferred color of choice. From the universality of blue jeans to sentiments of peace and tradition, blue's popularity transfers strongly in the world of home design. This preference is strongly showcased in bathroom aesthetics, with blue regularly ranked as the top color choice for these rooms. And it is still showcasing in fresh and trendy ways, with Bath Fitter reporting that light blue is its choice for the top bathroom color for 2023. Thus, Berkus and Brent's paint insight proves strong, with our personal wardrobes regularly carrying over into our interior sensibilities.

Nate and Jeremiah also stress the ephemeral nature of paint choices. Jeremiah recommends (via TLC) that you "Break the rules. It's the one design choice you can make that you can change instantaneously." This is excellent advice, as it can help a homeowner prioritize their decision-making when designing a room. So what does this suggest? First, focus on everything else before you get to the paint color. 

This is a sentiment shared not just by Berkus and Brent. When designing a room, first focus on the function of the room. For example, who uses it and what it is for are great starting points. From there, you can slowly narrow your choices around other aspects, such as existing materials, color palettes, textures, and mood (as outlined by Style By Emily Henderson). By deciding on critical pieces like flooring, that signature sofa you have been eyeing, or that killer lamp at the top of your list, you will have tons of inspiration and reference points for what the wall paint color should be and how it will fit with the rest of the room. In fact, why not try a couple out? See which ones complement the existing pieces the best and which ones don't pan out the way you thought. Experiment and don't feel tied down to any one option. After all, as Nate and Jeremiah point out, you can always change it.