The work area must be free of all small breakable items, pictures, and personal items including tooth brushes and clothes.
If you will need to move furniture during painting, unload china cabinets and book shelves.
Prepare the area for painting by removing built-in cabinetry and shelving.
Buy samples of about 3 or 4 colors and paint a small area next to the floor or counter tops in each. If you want to paint the entire room, apply two coats of each sample. You can do this to get an inkling of the paint-to-surface color cohesion. The color swatch is printed off of a printing press, and doesn't represent actual paint, so it's important to see a sample of the real thing.
When painting, take steps to keep children and animals away from the work area.