Paint shades can be as unpredictable as the flora, fauna and phenomena that inspire them, and how they react to your unique environment depends on how you light your home, when you’re looking at the walls, what else you’ve used to furnish your rooms and so on. Explore the one-of-a-kind ways colors and finishes react to your spaces by buying sample pots of paint, then applying it to poster boards that you can move around and observe in different areas. Take in more tips for pro-level painting with our guide, below. (Love this room? It features Annie Sloan’s Winged Wildlife RHS Decoupage Paper and Carnaby Yellow Wall Paint.)

Southern designer James Farmer gave this family retreat in Georgia a sense of place by referencing the spectacular woods surrounding it. The medium-green tone he chose for these kitchen cabinets complements stone treatments like the marble he used on the countertops and backsplash; its earthiness also pairs beautifully with wood, of course, and warm metals like gold, bronze and copper. Deploy a shade like this to infuse your room with sylvan tranquility.

Try This Shade: Jade Romanesque, Benjamin Moore

This cooler, deeper green is the perfect choice for a contemporary cabin: Its deep tones add dimension to the wall’s repurposed shingles and beckon the snowy Montana landscape inside. Try carrying a tone like this one across window hardware and built-in cabinetry to let your interior frame dissolve seamlessly into the outdoors.

Try This Shade: Tarrytown Green, Benjamin Moore

Cultivate a serene feel in a home office by reaching for a smooth grayish blue that evokes a motionless body of water just before the last light of day fades. This color’s cool undertones contrast beautifully with warm organic elements (like the hardwood floor here) and rich accessories in gold and bronze.

Try This Shade: Philipsburg Blue, Benjamin Moore