Picking a paint color can make your head spin. Here are some tips.

Let’s say you visit a friend’s house and see a paint color you think would look smashing in your own home. “What a beautiful shade of gray,” you say – praising your friend’s good taste. You jot down the paint brand, color name and number.

Then, eager to dive into a DIY project, you prep your walls, crack open your newly purchased can of paint, grab the roller and get to work.

But, once on the wall, that beautiful shade of gray now looks – blah blue.

Ask any paint pro for tips on choosing a color and this reminder inevitably tops the list: The paint color you like in a friend’s home – or anywhere else – will probably look different in your own place.

Same paint. Different space. Different result.

And, once on your walls, the color you choose will also look different at different times of the day.

Whether you’re a DIYer or working with a professional, a lot goes into picking a paint color.

“When I pick a color for a space, the elements that I take into consideration would be the lighting in the space, the color of the wood floor or the carpeting, the trim, the furnishings that they already have if they have furnishings, and probably what the color is in the next space,” said Laura Fulciniti, co-owner of Buffalo Paint & Wallpaper, 2917 Bailey Ave.

When choosing a color, people also need to ask themselves what they want to achieve. “What’s the mood you want? What’s the feeling you want in that space?,” she said.

Other designers stress that point. “There’s a whole color theory on choosing paint colors for rooms that will evoke emotion or a feeling. When people are trying to look for some calmness and tranquility, they tend to choose spa-blue kinds of colors,” said Karen Bialkowski, president of the Interior Design Association of Western New York.

If one of the things you’re trying to evoke is excitement and enthusiasm – perhaps in a room where people gather to eat – red is the color, she said.

Locally, other factors come into play.

“Here in Western New York we have a lot of grayish days in the wintertime,” said Bialkowski, co-owner of Kittinger Furniture and president of Interiors of WNY, 4675 Transit Road, Clarence.

As a result, people still lean toward greige, beiges, taupes and even off-whites – especially in older homes with a lot of natural woodwork and hardwood floors that make a room dark. Or toward lighter tones of a color that fits their décor, as can be found on color strips.

“So we do tend to use lighter tones of colors for people who want it to be lighter and brighter,” Bialkowski said. “Unless we’re looking for a good saturation of color in the room, we’re tending to stay on the lighter side.

“I’ll look at the ceiling, too, and definitely take that a little lighter or sometimes a little darker depending on how high the ceilings are. I’ll say ‘let’s pull that color up there as well but let’s do it in a different shade of the color strip that we’re using for your walls,” she said.

Again, it’s taking the whole room into account when selecting colors – but also the exterior. Shrubbery, trees and other landscaping that change with the season as well as awnings that go up in the spring and are removed in the fall can all affect interior paint colors because of a change in the natural lighting.

Pros also advise sampling color before you pick up a paint brush. Whether you tape or paint a sample of the color on the wall (or on a poster board you place on a wall), be sure to observe it for several days and at different times – morning, afternoon and night.

But don’t go overboard. “People come in to see me and say, ‘I have 15 paint colors on my wall and I can’t pick.’ And I say, ‘That’s probably the problem. Let’s start with two or three,’ ” Fulciniti said.

Then there’s the matter of paint finish, for which both personal choice and maintenance are to be considered.

“I like to use high gloss and semi-gloss for trim because it’s easy to wash, and I prefer matte walls. People don’t use flat because you can’t wash it,” Fulciniti said.

At the same time “a high sheen, in and of itself, also creates a feeling. If you were doing the walls in something shiny, it’s a little bit more contemporary, not so traditional,” she said.

“Stuck about where to start? Sherwin-Williams offers this tip: “Think of a favorite rug or fabric you own. Often these objects are your favorites because they feature all the colors you like. Use the combinations as a guide to choosing colors for your wall.”

• Paint brands offer many online color tools, tips and ideas. Visit their websites.

• Think beyond the walls. You can add color to the back walls of bookcases, railings, stair risers.

“And don’t forget that ceiling, please,” Fulciniti said.

Ceilings – the “fifth wall” – don’t have to be white. A painted ceiling adds depth to a room – as well as an unexpected twist or touch of whimsy.

“I’ve been painting my ceilings pale blue,” she said.

A beautiful chandelier in silver, black or gold against a pale-blue background, as opposed to white, is going to stand out more, she said.

“It has to coordinate with the walls, but I find for the most part pale blue is almost universal,” said Fulciniti, who also painted the ceiling of her white porch pale blue.

• Don’t be afraid to use the same color or shades of the same color in all your rooms.

“I love when spaces flow; I love when they work together. I really like the idea of taking one color through the house. The funny part is that sometimes it looks different in each space. I wish people wouldn’t be afraid to attempt that. If it works in this room and works in that room, why does it have to be a different color? Change it out in your furnishings or your window treatments,” Fulciniti said.

A final tip from Bialkowski: You want to give the room next to the one you are working on respect and consideration.

“Again, going back to that color strip, sometimes I’ll do a room in one shade and then go another shade down and say, ‘OK, this is a brighter room. Let’s go a little darker in here.’ So it has a good color relationship going on,” she said.

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Picking a paint color can make your head spin. Here are some tips.

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