THE NAME GAME…do the paint color names influence your choices?

Have you ever chosen a paint color because of the name? Serenity or Liveable Green sound so pleasant that they must make your home beautiful, right? I mean, no one would pick a color called Barf Green, Snotty Yellow, Dung Brown, or Cow Chip Black would they? But pin those same colors with Sassy Green, Optimistic Yellow, Cocoa Brown, or Black Swan and now they don’t look so bad.

Color names are suggestive and play on the psyche when you are making decisions. And this is all intentional. The gods that choose (actually color marketers) try to appeal to your senses and evoke emotions. That’s why many names are floral, foodie, or exotic. Or many times they are playful, textural, or historical. All bring out some emotion, memory or visual sense that appeals to you. Of course, the color ultimately also needs to fit the rooms and go with other things you have.

We are always being influenced by everything about a color. The way the light hits it on the wall and what it is seen beside are the major contributing factors in how you see a color. Put it against white to see the true color, but that only tells you how it looks against white. If your trim or furniture pieces are tan or cream or gray, then the color placed against it will look different.

When helping customers choose colors, I start with the color options that may work in the room irregardless of the name, and then once we decide, I have often had them exclaim “Oh I really like the name, too.” Only on a few occasions have I had a customer not like the name…but didn’t change the decision because of it. So, yes, the names evoke the senses, but getting the right color is much more than picking the names you like best.