Madison Russell is a Style Editor who lives in Chelsea, Manhattan. Here she shares the lessons she learned when tackling her apartment painting project.

I’ve been debating a fresh coat paint for every single wall, piece of trim and ceiling of my home since the very first moment I toured it at a Sunday open house in New York City. The place was beautiful, but the walls were a drag. Painted a dated light gray, the small place felt even smaller. There was so much light coming in from the windows but no refraction. So, I set out on a mission to coat this home in the brightest white color I could find.

Enter Clare: the seriously better way to shop for paint. As a style editor, it’s so nice to see that the selection of hues has been edited already—you won’t find a “bad” color on the site.

My apartment renovation has been the most stressful and most fun thing I’ve done in a while, and throughout the process, I learned a few things about how to properly plan an apartment painting project. Here are my five top tips for painting a small, city apartment.

1. Make a Pinterest board.

Before delving into apartment painting, you should know what the dream space looks like. Start a Pinterest account and add images of interiors, films, colors or anything that captures the feeling of your future space. I made one and could quickly see that all my dream homes had bright white walls.

2. Find your color.

When you’re dealing with limited space, it’s important to nail down the exact shade before committing to gallon paint. Clare’s Perfect Color Swatch solution is perfect. Load up on the peel and stick swatches and don’t rule out any hue.

3. Get everything you need delivered to your door.

This step is where Clare takes the cake. Instead of slugging yourself to the corner paint store, order your supplies and paint online from Clare’s website. This step alone saved me so much time. I chose Fresh Kicks to turn my dull gray walls into my dream bright white!

4. Take your time.

Time is the singularly most precious resource. Your paint project will take a lot of time. It’s OK! Ours took almost four days. We painted every wall, piece of trim and the entire ceiling. We patched up almost every nail and screw hole. It was more important to have a feeling of a fresh start than speed. Cut yourself some slack and relish in the DIY.