Decorating
5 Fool-Proof Steps to a Spot On Colour Scheme
When used effectively, colour can be the strongest design element in your home. Make your colour choice the right one with these easy steps
As a designer, I’m often asked, “Can you throw some colours together?” However, paint colours should never be ‘thrown together’ and actually need careful consideration. Get the colours wrong and your whole space won’t gel. As designers, we study the theory of colour in Year One and even after years of experience we instinctively refer to the theory to get it right.
The following steps are what we consider before making any colour selection.
The following steps are what we consider before making any colour selection.
STEP 2: Grab some paint samples
As designers, we use fan decks of paint colours when putting together a new colour scheme and we order A4 brushout samples of the colours we think will suit.
If you don’t have access to a fan deck, go to your local paint shop or hardware store and grab the paint card samples that appeal to you –and don’t just grab one, grab a few. Paint samples tend to look quite different once you get them home.
DESIGN TIP: When looking at colour samples, we always take a piece of white paper and place it under the sample. Doing this lets us see what base colour the sample is throwing. A sample on its own may look ‘off white’, but when placed on top of the white paper it may look more grey, beige or even pink, and this base colour may not work with the scheme you are creating.
Read more: Colour Forecast: Key Trends for 2015
As designers, we use fan decks of paint colours when putting together a new colour scheme and we order A4 brushout samples of the colours we think will suit.
If you don’t have access to a fan deck, go to your local paint shop or hardware store and grab the paint card samples that appeal to you –and don’t just grab one, grab a few. Paint samples tend to look quite different once you get them home.
DESIGN TIP: When looking at colour samples, we always take a piece of white paper and place it under the sample. Doing this lets us see what base colour the sample is throwing. A sample on its own may look ‘off white’, but when placed on top of the white paper it may look more grey, beige or even pink, and this base colour may not work with the scheme you are creating.
Read more: Colour Forecast: Key Trends for 2015
STEP 3: Always consider the lighting
We always consider both the natural light and the artificial light in a space when selecting paint. Lighting has an effect on the mood within a space and it is often overlooked when considering a new paint colour scheme. The amount of light within a space may determine the intensity of the colours you use.
Remember colour can appear quite different throughout the day and into the night as the lighting type changes from natural to artificial.
Want to know which paints and colours work best under the Australian sun? Find out here.
We always consider both the natural light and the artificial light in a space when selecting paint. Lighting has an effect on the mood within a space and it is often overlooked when considering a new paint colour scheme. The amount of light within a space may determine the intensity of the colours you use.
Remember colour can appear quite different throughout the day and into the night as the lighting type changes from natural to artificial.
Want to know which paints and colours work best under the Australian sun? Find out here.
STEP 4: Look at the existing colours within the space
When choosing a colour scheme, you have to consider the existing elements within the space. For example, a timber floor will have its own colour to consider within the scheme you are creating. The same can be said for tiles and carpet, whether existing or new.
Consider any items of furniture that are to remain or that may be purchased. Colour is in every fixture and fitting within a space and all should be considered and compliment a new paint scheme.
When choosing a colour scheme, you have to consider the existing elements within the space. For example, a timber floor will have its own colour to consider within the scheme you are creating. The same can be said for tiles and carpet, whether existing or new.
Consider any items of furniture that are to remain or that may be purchased. Colour is in every fixture and fitting within a space and all should be considered and compliment a new paint scheme.
STEP 5: Final colour check
Once you have edited the samples you brought home from the paint shop and you have chosen your colour scheme, you have two options:
Finally, don’t fear colour. If the wall you have painted doesn’t look right, you can always start over again … it’s only paint!
Once you have edited the samples you brought home from the paint shop and you have chosen your colour scheme, you have two options:
- If you are still a little unsure of your choices, go and buy sample pots of the colours you like and paint large pieces of white cardboard with them, then hang them on your wall. Live with them for a few days to help you confirm or eliminate your choices.
- Be confident that you have followed our tips and have taken into consideration the space, the light, the existing elements and go ahead and paint those tired walls!
Finally, don’t fear colour. If the wall you have painted doesn’t look right, you can always start over again … it’s only paint!
TELL US
Which winning colour combinations have you used? Tell us in the comments section.
MORE
Brush Up on Paint: Know Your Matts From Your Glosses
From the Pros: 7 Top Tips for Painting Interior Walls
20 Ways to Inject Personality With Paint … Inside and Out
How to Stop Procrastinating on Paint Colours
Which winning colour combinations have you used? Tell us in the comments section.
MORE
Brush Up on Paint: Know Your Matts From Your Glosses
From the Pros: 7 Top Tips for Painting Interior Walls
20 Ways to Inject Personality With Paint … Inside and Out
How to Stop Procrastinating on Paint Colours
When you embark on a painting project, first consider the space you are painting and decide what mood you wish to create – will it bea dramatic scheme, serene, harmonious or neutral? Then,decide if the surfaces you intend on painting will play a staring role in the overall scheme, or if the walls will play a more subdued part.