One of the easiest ways to change up a room is to paint it. Of course, a key factor is picking out the perfect color for that room.

For our master bathroom, the perfect color, to me, was a chocolate brown. I thought it would go well with the green of the bedroom walls and the greens and browns in the bathroom towels and bedroom sheets, curtains, and comforter. But it was also a very dark color, and I was afraid it might be too dark for a small bathroom.

For more than two years, I put off painting, feeling uncertain about the color but unable to think of one I preferred. Finally, I realized the worst that could happen was that it would look awful and I’d have to repaint. And repainting wasn’t such a big job.

It took three coats, but once I finished painting, I liked what I saw.  The color was dark, but not too dark. And there were lighter colors in the room—a new coat of white paint on the baseboards, doors, and ceiling; the white bathtub and toilet; and lighter flooring—to it balance out. I also lightened the room by painting some old picture frames white and adding some photos to hang on the walls.

Overall, I was very happy with the result. My husband admitted he’d been a little concerned with the dark color but was pleasantly surprised how it turned out.

Lesson learned? Go with your gut. If you think a color will work well, use it. If you’ve been thinking for two-plus years about that color, then definitely use it.

Of course, a little validation never hurts. I recently read a report from a major paint company about upcoming color trends for 2013. One of their suggestions was a selection of earthy tones, including—you guessed it—browns and greens. Maybe I picked a pretty good color after all!

Once you’ve chosen the perfect color, be sure to read take a look at our How to Prepare a Room for Painting video how-to project.