An Oprah-Endorsed Interior Designer Explains Why Repainting a Room Is Easier Than You Think

Michaela Bechler
Updated

Whether you've just moved into a new home or your bedroom needs a dose of feng shui, switching the colors of your wall might be the easiest way to improve a room. Did you just cringe with memories of long Saturdays at the hardware store comparing hundreds and hundreds of paint chips just to return hours later for the paint itself? Nicole Gibbons, an interior designer on Oprah Winfrey Network's Home Made Simple, knows your struggle, and is here to fix it with her latest venture. Clare (which comes from the latin root word that means bright and brilliant) is the website that aspiring painters need, with a streamlined paint offering (only 55 colors), large peel and stick swatches, and all of the necessary supplies for painless painting.

As Gibbons was building her career in the design world, she knew that she wanted to create her own brand that tackled a nuisance many people faced. "I wanted to do something new and impactful," she tells Vogue. "Home is a really sleepy and archaic industry. I didn't want to do the obvious, I wanted to really solve a problem, and I recognized that shopping for paint is really frustrating for a lot of people."

Nicole Gibbons, founder and CEO of Clare
Nicole Gibbons, founder and CEO of Clare
Photo: Courtesy of Clare

With legacy brands that have dominated the paint market for hundreds of years, Gibbons knew she needed to do the polar opposite to make an impact in the industry. That meant fewer colors, and services like the Clare Color Genius, which recommends the one perfect color based on a series of questions that analyze the natural light of a room and personal style, among other factors. "The old-school way of doing things is really cumbersome and time consuming. At the end of the process, people are generally over it. Paint is one the easiest, least expensive ways to update the look of your space. It should be a really fun, exciting, and inspiring process," Gibbons says. While browsing the pared-back color options, a customer might even smile at the color names. From Nairobi Blue (similar to the shade of Lupita Nyong'o's stunning Oscar dress) to the Cardi B-inspired shade of green called Money Moves, Gibbons said the team had a lot of fun naming each hue.

Gibbons hopes that people will realize that although painting takes some prep, it's not as difficult or daunting as it seems. Here’s why:

<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Clare</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Clare

1. You Can Try Out a Color Before You Commit
Unlike furniture and fixtures, you can truly test out colors before opening the can of paint. Gibbons designed Clare's peel and stick swatches to be mess-free and easy to move around, which Gibbons recommends doing a few times. "Color can be perceived very differently depending on the lighting conditions. When you're testing colors you should reposition it around different areas of the room and look at it at least a couple different times of day."

2. It's the Cheapest Way to Make Your Room Look Bigger
So you live in New York and your entire apartment is the size of your childhood bedroom...we get it. Instead of dropping money on mirrors or art, an airy new paint color can help expand your space. "Universally, a lighter color always works," Gibbons advises. Whether that is a shade of white or a lovely take on beige, a neutral coat can make even the smallest room appear grand. Still, Gibbons notes that dark colors shouldn't be avoided. "In certain rooms that you have more freedom in, like a powder room, you can use black, chocolate brown, or anything like that. In the right kind of small space, a dark bold color can be beautiful and dramatic."

<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Clare</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Clare

3. It’s Changeable
If the color you brought home isn't everything you wanted and more, there’s obvious good news: you can paint over it. Unlike trendy wallpaper, which can be hard to remove, paint colors can be swapped out with a little labor. Gibbons also notes that more people who rent are afraid to paint, but that fear is somewhat misguided. "I always encourage them to paint, as it is something that is so easy to change back."

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