Colour is the secret weapon that will take your home makeover to the next level. However, it’s not always easy to choose the best hues. There’s more to choosing the right paint than focusing solely on the colours you like.
Let’s take a closer look at interior painting and decorating and choosing the right colour for every room.
Consider the direction your room faces
The direction your room faces is one of the most important factors to consider when looking at how to choose your colours for paint and wallcoverings. This is because the quality of the light entering the room differs from direction to direction, and this changes the appearance of the colour when it’s on the walls.
North-facing rooms receive cooler light, so it’s best to avoid cool colours that tend to look flat and even cooler in this light. If you want a neutral colour scheme, opt for colours with yellow or pink undertones for some warmth. If you want to introduce bursts of colour, go for pinks or yellows.
East-facing rooms receive bright light early in the day and become cooler as the day goes by. You could choose either a strong colour that will liven up with the morning sun, or a green, blue, or pale neutral with a green or blue base to balance the brilliant morning sun.
South-facing rooms receive warm light that flatters colours throughout the day, although most colours will look more yellow in this light than they do on a paint chart.
Cooler colours will create a breezier atmosphere. If you’re looking at neutrals, choose those with a cooler base than you’d normally prefer, as the light will warm them.
West-facing rooms are cool earlier in the day and receive warm light in the afternoon, so you can apply the same principles used for choosing the colour(s) for east-facing rooms, intensify them with strong colours or balance them with cool colours.
How to choose colours for different rooms
When choosing the colours for your home’s interiors, it’s important that your choices complement the rooms’ functions. It’s also important to think about having a common link throughout all of the rooms in your home to bind the whole design together.
Having a singular colour that is used in every room, whether that’s in the skirtings or doors and windows, helps with the flow of your home.
For living rooms, choose white, off-white, or cream if you want the walls to provide a backdrop for strongly coloured furniture, accessories, and rugs. Grey neutrals are great if you want to introduce vibrant colour accents or layer with other grey tones. Peaceful blues are good if you’re looking for something trendy, while black is perfect for adding a sense of drama.
For Kitchens, white or deep blue are a good choice if you’ve got white kitchen units. White and off-white walls also create a lovely backdrop for colourful kitchen cabinets. Alternatively, consider a warm paint colour, such as orange or yellow, to highlight the room as a sociable space, even if you only use the colour for a feature wall. If you want a fresher feel, pick mid-toned blues or greens.
In Bedrooms choose pale neutrals if you want a calm feel in your bedroom or tap into the botanicals trend with foliage green walls. If you want to make the room feel snug, deep grey or indigo blue is great, especially if you have pale flooring. Wondering how to choose paint for a child’s bedroom? Colours such as blue or yellow, or stripes are all easy to update as the child gets older.
For Bathrooms again white’s a good choice if you want to keep the look clean and spacious. Alternatively, focus on the element of water with ocean-inspired blues or greens. If your bathroom has a traditional style, a soft neutral such as pale grey or cream is ideal. A family bathroom can handle the boldness of fizzy orange, sunshine yellow, or acid green.
To check out your ideas we recommend you create a colour scheme. Start by choosing three colours from an object in your home that you have an emotional connection with or that conveys a sense of comfort. This can be anything from a favourite piece of furniture, a cushion, or a painting you love.
Take that object to the paint shop and look for three sample strips with your chosen colours. This should give you a good select of colours to work with. Next, choose one of the three colours for your walls, choose one for furnishings or fabric and use the remaining colour for accents.
Contact Haven Decorators to discuss your decorating needs and receive a free quote and if happy with our quote you can book us to start work from the 11th March.
We provide painting, wallpapering and decorating services in the Newark-on-Trent, South Lincoln, Woodhall Spa, Sleaford, Grantham and Southwell areas and surrounding villages.
Our services include interior decorating and exterior painting. We welcome both light commercial work and private clients.
Our fee's are very competitive. We are not registered for VAT, so our quotes are VAT free for our residential clients!
Telephone: 01400 272536 or email: info@havendecorators.co.uk
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