Art Studio Wall Colors | Choosing paint colors

You’ve moved into a new space, carved out some room at home, or feel like your current art studio space could use a refresh — How do you pick a paint color for your art studio? Use the tips below to pick just the right color for your creative space.

1. Neutral is almost always better

   Creating a space that inspires creativity might feel like the perfect opportunity to surround yourself with that teal you fell in love with when you were on vacation in Mexico. But trying to make art in a room painted a bold color can be tough. Your work is going to be influenced by that color whether you are aware of it or not.
   Keeping your wall colors neutral lets your artwork shine and be the star of the space.

2. How your space is going to be used?

   Are you going to be working from life? Say for a portrait or for a still life?  Your wall colors will have a huge impact on how your setup looks. Whatever color you paint on your walls is going to reflect on anything you set up in your studio. You may love having red in every still life now, but it will get old.
   

3. How’s the lighting?

   My current art studio space has 2 gigantic sets of windows.  I have more natural light pouring in than I need, so my space can handle a darker color. If your space is a bit darker, to begin with, choose a color on the lighter and of the paint card.

4. Go for the warmer.

   People respond to warmer colors.  We often feel better when surrounded by warm colors. Try picking an off-white that has just a hint of yellow or pink in it but still feels neutral. It can be as simple as the difference between a stark cold, clinical white, and a warm, antique white.

5. Avoid browns that match the woodwork

   If your space has woodwork in it, don’t try to match it.  Usually, the colors don’t really match all that well and either the walls or the wood end up looking dirty.  Pick a color that complements the woodwork instead.

6. Do I have to paint everything?

   The short answer, no — I didn’t!  My space has a crazy network of pipes, conduits, ducts, and wires. There is no way that I was going to try and paint up around all of that.
   If your space has a bunch of “stuff” running through it, see if you can just stop at a consistent height all the way around the room.  For me, it was 12 feet, for my last studio it was at 8 feet.  You’re trying to freshen up and make the space as usable as possible.  Don’t drive yourself nuts by trying to paint around all of the stuff.
   Another option is to just paint one wall or a section. If you’ve created an art studio in a section of a multi-purpose room, consider just painting an accent wall where you’ll be doing your creative work.