If you've ever stood under the fluorescent lights of the paint store, brow furrowed, clutching a fistful of tiny swatches, completely confused, this article just might change your life.

If you think I’m being dramatic…you’re probably right. But just humor me, okay? I’m writing an article about one of my most favorite things.

Keep reading to learn how to pick a paint color the way decorators and designers do: by using a color fan deck.

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The problem with the paint aisle

The paint chip rack was literally set up to make you fail, or at least it feels that way. The swatches themselves are barely bigger than a business card, and thousands of colors are displayed under harsh fluorescent lighting.

You pick out a nice selection, bring them home, and they look completely different in your home’s lighting, with your home’s decor (color theory is wild).

So you go back and forth, over and over, and eventually you do one of two things:

1. You settle for the least offensive option out of sheer exhaustion, the room gets painted, and you hate it anyway.

2. Or worse, you’re overcome with decision paralysis so you decide that white walls aren’t really that bad after all.

Allow me to introduce you to color fan decks

Instead of pulling tiny swatches at the local paint shop, designers and decorators use a tool that truly simplifies paint color selection: a color fan deck.

A fan deck is a tightly edited collection of (usually) larger-than-normal paint chips, usually from one paint brand, bound together (so you can fan them out…get it?).

The primary value of a color fan is that you have fewer, better options, in your actual home.

My favorite color fan decks

I own several color fan decks, but I most often reach for the ones from Farrow & Ball.

Both their classic and archive fans are full of colors that will actually look stunning in your home. Unlike the paint store racks, you don’t have to second-guess whether a color is going to look insane on your walls or not.

If you just moved into a new place or you've got several rooms to paint, it's worth investing in both the classic and archive fans. You'll use them for years (decades, even), and the total cost is still way less than a gallon of paint you’ll probably end up hating.

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How to pick a paint color using my paint color testing process

Once you've got your fan decks, here’s what to do:

1. Before you do anything else, number your swatches.

Grab a pencil and number each swatch lightly on the back. Fan decks are ordered in a specific sequence, and you’re about to take yours apart.

If you don't track which swatch came from where, you'll spend way too much time later trying to put them back in order (ask me how I know this).

2. Play around with color combos.

Don’t take your fan deck apart just yet. Fan it out and play around with different color combinations for your walls, ceiling, and woodwork.

Hold your swatches up to different elements in your space, including your flooring and any other architectural features that won’t get painted.

See how the undertones of different paint swatches work with your existing pieces.

3. Take your fan deck apart

Once you have your selection narrowed down a bit, it’s time to take your fan deck apart. Most are held together with a long pin and screw, and unscrewing it will give you a stack of loose swatches. This is what you want.

4. Tape up your swatches

Pull out swatches you selected and use a bit of painter’s tape to stick them on the wall you’re painting. Make sure the tape is on the back of the swatch so the tape color doesn’t skew your perception.

You can also place a piece of white cardboard or paper behind the swatches if your existing wall color is throwing things off.

5. Then just…look at them

I like to leave the swatches up for at least a full day, but usually more like a week so I can see them on different walls. You’ll want to look at them throughout the day and see how the light in your room interacts with each color.

You also want to see how they look in the evenings with lamps on. The same color can look warm and inviting at breakfast and feel like a prison by bedtime.

As you rule swatches out, pull them out of the lineup.

6. Order samples of your top three

Once you've narrowed down your selection to three options or so, order actual paint samples in the finish you're planning to use on the wall. Colors can shift depending on the sheen, so testing in your final finish is preferable.

7. Paint BIG swatches

This is the step most people get wrong, and it's arguably the one that matters most.

Paint large swatches, at least two feet by two feet, and do two full coats.

You can paint directly on the wall, or paint poster board and move it around the room instead. Leaving a white border can also help you see the true color without getting skewed by your existing walls.

Move around the room and check your swatches at different times of day before you make a final decision.

The tester pot alternative: peel-and-stick swatches

Tester pots can be tedious, so I often order samples from Samplize instead. They sell large peel-and-stick paint swatches in most colors from major paint brands (including Farrow & Ball).

They’re basically oversized stickers, but they’re made with the real paint instead of a printed image. The color you see is the color you'll actually get on your wall.

Order your swatches directly from Samplize.com and use my code MAGGIEW10 for a discount.

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Pro Tip: Color-match any paint to your fan deck

Most people don't realize that you can use a curated fan deck as your color-picking tool, then take it to your local paint store and have them color-match your selections.

Most paint stores can match a color from anything you bring in (I once had a vase color-matched). You're not locked into ordering directly from Farrow & Ball if they’re out of your budget or you prefer a different formula.

The fan deck's job is narrowing down your choices to only the best options and allowing you to see them in your actual home, not tying you to one single paint brand.

How to pick a paint color: Making the final call

Even after all that testing, pulling the trigger can be the hardest part for some people. If you're stuck between two options that both feel equally right, just pick one and go with it.

Remember that paint is one of the lowest-stakes decisions in your whole house. It's paint, not a tattoo. If you hate it once it's up, you can repaint it.

Ready to stop guessing and start decorating with an actual plan?

The Designer Home Formula is the exact decorating method I use and teach in my course. It walks you through how to figure out your own unique interior design style mix, then use the formula to make every decorating decision (without overwhelm or second-guessing).

There are only 3 hardware finishes you should be using in your home (brushed gold isn’t one of them).

I know that’s a bold thing to say when brushed gold and champagne are on everyone’s wish list right now. But if you’ve ever ripped out hardware because it looked super dated, you already know how this story ends.

Think back to the ’80s and ’90s (or use your imagination if you weren’t born yet). Bright, shiny faux brass was everywhere: doorknobs, cabinet pulls, faucets, and lighting. A decade later we were so collectively horrified by it that there was no choice but to rip it all out.

Then came brushed nickel. Every new build used it on faucets, doorknobs, and cabinet hardware. It was still the standard until another finish overtook it in popularity.

Now it’s brushed gold’s turn (and in between, matte black has already come and gone).

Here’s what all of these finishes have in common: they were all THE hot trend of the moment. They were so popular that cheap, faux-finish versions abounded. They trickled down to being the choice for every new build and flip house because of the high demand.

When you start seeing a finish (or any other design element) reach this level of popularity, it’s almost guaranteed to become associated with a certain decade. That’s what puts it in danger of reading as “dated” later on.

If you’re going through the trouble and expense of installing good-quality hardware (especially doorknobs and plumbing fixtures), you want it to age gracefully.

Before we get to the finishes I recommend, two quick notes on quality:

• Skip any hardware that feels lightweight or hollow. Look for solid, weighty materials that feel heavy when you pick them up.

• Avoid faux “aged” or “antiqued” finishes. They never look quite like the real thing, and they tend to show wear in a way that looks worn-out instead of lived-in.

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The 3 timeless hardware finishes

These are the only 3 finishes I’d put in a home if I wanted it to still feel fresh in 10-20 years (consider this your cheat sheet):

Shop My Home's Hardware

1. Unlacquered Brass

This isn’t the bright, shiny gold from your grandma’s house. Unlacquered brass is solid brass with a living finish, meaning it changes over time. It gets darker and less shiny with use, but you can always polish it periodically to get that original shine back. It can work beautifully with many different design styles, and it’s the primary finish I chose for my Asheville home.

2. Polished Nickel

Polished nickel is gorgeous in more traditional spaces. It reads as silver, but leans warm, which is what makes it feel softer and less stark than chrome. This warm undertone is also what makes polished nickel the right choice for countertop materials that lean warm.

3. Polished Chrome

Chrome often gets a bad rap, but it’s my #1 finish choice for midcentury and modern kitchens and bathrooms. Chrome is cooler than nickel, so keep that in mind when you’re coordinating it with your countertops and other finishes.

A warm stone countertop can feel slightly off paired with a chrome faucet, while a cooler stone or a crisp white will feel like it’s meant to be. Chrome is the primary kitchen and bathroom finish I chose for my home in Mérida, Mexico, which leans much more modern.

Shop All My Hardware Picks Here

Honorable mentions

Iron, oil-rubbed bronze, and copper can all be timeless choices, but you’ll often find these with faux finishes that tend to look cheap (even if they’re not).

Look for options that are not faux-antiqued and don’t appear to have a brushed-on finish. Often these types of finishes come with names that include “brushed,” “aged,” “burnished,” or “antiqued.”

A note on “living finishes”

Living finishes are a wonderful choice for hardware you will be interacting with often (think doorknobs, faucets, and cabinet pulls). Hardware pieces with living finishes are not coated with a protective material (like lacquer), so they age over time.

You’ll often see these referred to as “unlacquered” or “raw”; the aged appearance is what we call “patina.” Living finishes can always be polished back to their original state if the patina goes too far for your preference.

If you prefer the look of the original material, look for lacquered versions. The clear coating protects the original finish and prevents patina. Lacquered finishes can chip over time, so just be aware of this possibility.

Unlacquered or raw brass, nickel, copper, and oil-rubbed bronze can all be considered living finishes.

The current trendy finishes that date your home

Brushed gold and champagne finishes are on everyone’s renovation wish list right now, and I kind of get it. You get the warmth of unlacquered brass without the perceived maintenance.

But the popularity is exactly the problem. When a finish has trickled down to every single new build and flip house and the cheap Amazon reproductions are everywhere, that’s when you know it’s going to feel time-stamped.

Matte black hardware is another recent example. It gained popularity along with the “modern farmhouse” aesthetic and has already become a punchline among many designers, decorators, and interiors enthusiasts (along with millennial gray walls and flooring).

While these finishes can be fine for lighting and curtain hardware, I don’t recommend them for hardware you’ll be handling on a regular basis (like doorknobs, plumbing fixtures, and cabinet pulls).

Can you mix metals?

I always get this question when I talk about hardware finishes: can you mix metals? The answer is yes (and you should!), but with restraint. Here’s my cheat sheet:

• Keep plumbing hardware within one room consistent. In a bathroom, choose the same finish for sink, shower, and tub hardware. For kitchens, keep your faucets and pot fillers the same finish.

• When in doubt, limit yourself to 2 finishes per room. Less is usually more when it comes to mixing metals.

• Carry at least one finish throughout your home. Pick one hardware finish as your primary and use it in every room. This is what creates cohesion throughout your home. Vary the accent finish from room to room, or keep the mix consistent.

• Consider your undertones. Warm finishes (unlacquered brass, bronze, nickel) pair well with warm wood tones and warm whites. Cool finishes (polished chrome, iron) pair well with cooler stone, black accents, and crisp whites. While mixing warm and cool can certainly work, it’s tougher to pull off.

• Lighting gets a little more freedom. I’m less picky about matching my lighting finishes because this tends to read as a separate layer instead of a piece of hardware. For example, instead of trying to find true unlacquered brass light fixtures for my bathroom, I’d mix in some brushed gold.

If you’re still not sure which finish to choose for your home, that’s exactly the kind of decision The Designer Home Formula helps you with: how to name your interior design style, then use it as the filter for every selection going forward.

My favorite finish pairings

When choosing finishes to mix together, I like to use ones that share an undertone but still have contrast:

1. Brass + Nickel, Oil-Rubbed Bronze, or Copper

2. Nickel + Brass or Oil-Rubbed Bronze

3. Chrome + Iron

4. Oil-Rubbed Bronze + Brass, Nickel, or Copper

Ready to stop guessing and start decorating with an actual plan?

The Designer Home Formula is the exact decorating method I use and teach in my mini-course. It walks you through how to figure out your own unique interior design style mix, then use the formula to make every decorating decision (without overwhelm or second-guessing).

Drapery hardware is curtain jewelry and you can’t convince me otherwise.

A simple white t-shirt and jeans can still look put together when paired with great jewelry, right?

The same applies to your windows. Simple, off-the-shelf curtain panels immediately look more elevated and expensive when paired with the right hardware.

But the opposite can also be true: bad hardware can make even the most expensive custom drapes fall flat (sometimes literally).

Here’s how to do curtain jewelry the right way:

The four pieces of curtain jewelry you need to know

Buying window treatments can be confusing and overwhelming because there are so many details to consider (and many are easy to overlook). Consider this your cheat sheet for choosing hardware for your curtains.

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1. The Curtain Rod

This is the piece everything hangs from. I always recommend going with a thicker diameter, around 1”+ for most windows. Make sure to mount it high and wide (grab my curtain measurement guide for the specifics).

Shop My Curtain Rods Picks

2. The Rings

What the curtains actually hang from, and how the fabric moves. Rings on a rod give you soft, even folds. Pinch pleat hooks give you a more tailored, custom look. It’s the detail people feel before they can name it.

Shop My Curtain Ring Picks

3. The Finials (or go with a French return rod instead)

Finials are the decorative caps on each end of a curtain rod. Some rods come with finials; others are sold separately so you can really customize the look.

If you want a clean, custom look, French return rods are also a great choice. French return curtain rods curve back to the wall so there’s no finial needed. I always recommend these for bedrooms and nurseries because they help block more light (there’s no side gap).

Shop My Finial Picks

4. The Accessories

If you want your windows to be a little extra, consider adding even more jewelry like pull wands and tie backs. Bonus: they’re also functional.

Shop My Accessory Picks

How to choose a curtain hardware finish

This is the step that stumps most people: choosing a finish for your curtain hardware.

The most important thing is that all your hardware pieces for a window are the same finish (I don’t recommend mixing metals here).

If you’re dressing multiple windows in the same room, keep the hardware consistent across all of them

• Brass or bronze: leans more traditional but can work with many different design styles

• Black: modern & graphic (bronze is a great option if black feels to harsh)

• Nickel or chrome: feels fresh & modern (but can give shower curtain vibes)

• Wood: can lean natural and casual, modern, or traditional, depending on the style of the rod

• Acrylic: glam, adds a touch of Hollywood Regency

And if you’re stumped on your design style, that’s exactly what The Designer Home Formula helps you figure out.

Shop All Our Curtain Jewelry Picks

Get the Free Curtain Guide + Calculator

Don’t forget to measure before you buy your curtains and hardware! I put together a free curtain guide and calculator that walks you through exactly what to measure and how to size everything correctly for your specific window. Grab it here.

The problem isn’t your taste, it’s your light bulbs (specifically the fact that they’re likely the wrong temperature). The good news is this is probably the cheapest fix in your whole house.

Here’s what each of those looks like:

Hospital vibes. Your bulbs are running too cool. The light is bright and bluish and makes everything look flat, no matter what you’ve done to the room.

Orange or yellow cast over everything. Your bulbs are too warm, or you’ve got an old incandescent somewhere in the mix throwing a heavy orange glow across the whole room.

A mix of both. You’ve got different color temperatures in different fixtures, and the room never really feels cohesive.

The fix for all three is the same: Goldilocks bulbs. They’re not too warm, not too cool, but just right.

Luckily, color temperature is measured on a numerical scale and there’s just one number you need to look out for: 2700.

What “color temperature” actually means

Color temperature is how warm or cool a bulb’s light looks, and it’s measured on the Kelvin (K) scale. You’ll find this printed right on the box and on the base of a lightbulb.

Lower numbers look more warm and orange, higher numbers look cool and blue. That one number controls almost the entire mood of a room.

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The Goldilocks number: 2700K

I always recommend using 2700K bulbs throughout your home. It’s the warm, just-right temperature that makes a space feel cozy.

Some people prefer slightly less warm light in their kitchens and bathrooms, so that’s where you can move up to a 3000K bulb if you like. It will still read warm enough to keep things feeling cohesive, but give you clearer light for daily tasks.

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Brightness = lumens (but consider dimmable bulbs)

A quick word on lightbulb brightness: this is measured in lumens. The higher the number, the brighter the light. For a cozy living room lamp, something in the 400-to-800 lumen range is plenty.

I always recommend putting your overhead lights on a dimmer switch, though, and using dimmable smart bulbs in the lamps in your living spaces and bedrooms.

Being able to knock a room down to 40% at night does more for the vibe than almost any piece of furniture you’ll buy.

The method: replace as you go

If you’ve got a house with mis-matched bulbs, you don’t need to stress about replacing them all right away (we’re not about creating more waste here!).

Here’s exactly what to do:

Step 1: Pick up a pack of 2700K bulbs and stash them somewhere handy.

Step 2: The next time a bulb burns out anywhere in your living spaces, replace it with a 2700K instead of something random.

Step 3: Rinse & repeat. Every burned-out bulb is one more fixture on the same page.

Your home gets better over time as the oddball bulbs get replaced.

How to find the numbers

Not sure what temperature your current bulbs are? Unscrew one and look for the 4-digit number printed near the base that ends in “K”. You want this to say “2700K” for the perfect Goldilocks glow.

What about outdoor bulbs?

While I’m not as picky about bulb temperature outside, I do recommend sticking with the same Kelvin value.

I also recommend using dusk-to-dawn bulbs. They have a tiny built-in light sensor, so they switch on by themselves when the sun goes down and off when it comes back up.

There’s no timer, app, or WiFi to mess with. Just screw one into your outdoor fixture and never think about it again (so you’re never again walking up to a dark front door with your arms full of groceries).

Shop Dusk to Dawn Bulbs

Bonus: smart bulbs & smart plugs

If you want even more of a lighting upgrade, consider investing in smart bulbs or smart plugs. Brands like Philips Hue and GE make tunable LED bulbs that let you adjust the color temperature and brightness or put lights on a schedule from your phone.

And if you don’t want to mess around with smart bulbs, smart plugs are another option (I use a mix of both in my home). These are especially useful with lamps that have more than one bulb where multiples can start to add up. These are the smart plugs I use throughout my home.

The best part is that smart bulbs and plugs connect with Alexa, Google Home, and other smart home systems so you can control your lights from your phone or by voice. I have mine set to come on at sunset every day.

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If your room still feels off, take my free Designer Diagnosis

If your room still feels off after the bulbs are sorted, lighting probably isn’t the only culprit. My free 10-Minute Designer Diagnosis walks you through the exact spots to check, so you can figure out what’s actually making the space feel unfinished.

So you’ve decided you need some curtains.

Maybe you’re replacing ones you never really liked, maybe you just moved in and you’re staring at bare glass, or maybe you’re tired of giving your neighbors a free show every night.

Either way, you went online to start shopping and got overwhelmed within about five minutes, right?

Rod pocket or grommet? Clip rings or back tab? Do you need blinds underneath? Blackout or light filtering? And what, exactly, is a pinch pleat?

The options are seemingly endless.

But before you hit “add to cart” on the first curtain panel that shows up in your search results, I want to walk you through the recipe I recommend for almost every window.

There are only four ingredients, and once you know them, you’ll never have to guess again.

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Why Your New Curtains Still Don’t Look “Designer”

Here’s what usually happens: you buy a curtain rod and a pair of curtains with decent ratings, hang them up, and they just look…meh. Not bad, exactly. But not like any of the rooms from your Pinterest board.

That gap between “fine” and “finished” isn’t about spending more money. It’s about layers and details. Most of us stop at one layer and ignore the details altogether. A window that actually looks designed has four specific pieces working together, and each one is doing a job the others can’t.

The 4-Ingredient Window Treatment Recipe

This is my favorite window treatment recipe and once you know it, you’ll start seeing it all over the place. That’s because interior designers and decorators love it too. The finishes and fabric change depending on the room, but the four components stay the same.

1. A French Return Curtain Rod

Start with a French return rod in a brass, bronze, or iron finish. “Return” means the rod wraps around and meets the wall instead of stopping short with exposed brackets and finials.

As a bonus, the wall-hugging return also blocks a little extra light around the edges, which matters if the room is a bedroom or nursery.

Shop French Return Curtain Rods

2. Curtain Rings With Hooks

Skip clip rings, rod pockets, or grommet tops.

Instead, rings with hooks are the move: they give you that tailored drape you see in almost every well-styled room, and they help the panel glide across the rod the way it’s supposed to.

This is the finishing touch that most people skip, but it’s the detail that makes the biggest difference.

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3. Pinch Pleat Curtain Panels

Pinch pleats are part of the curtain header, the top few inches of the curtain that determine how it falls.

Pinch pleats create structure and fullness without looking fussy, and they’re what makes a curtain look like it was made for your window, not pulled from a bargain bin.

I usually recommend custom or semi-custom if your budget allows, but you can also buy pinch pleat panels completely off the shelf. They don’t have to be custom to look polished.

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4. A Woven or Roman Shade Underneath

This is the layer most people skip, and it’s the one that can make the biggest difference. Without a second layer behind your curtains, windows can look bare and unfinished. Layering in a shade is also an opportunity to add more interest to your space.

A woven shade in a natural material like bamboo or jute adds texture and warmth. A Roman shade lets you bring in color or pattern instead.

Leave your shades unlined for soft, filtered light, or line them in blackout fabric for a bedroom or nursery. Either way, this is the piece that takes a window from “curtains hung on glass” to actually finished.

Shop Woven & Roman Shades

Follow this recipe and you'll end up with designer-looking windows every single time.

Get the Free Curtain Guide + Calculator

Don’t forget to measure before you buy your curtains and hardware! I put together a free curtain guide and calculator that walks you through exactly what to measure and how to size everything correctly for your specific window. Grab it here.