When it comes to your home’s decor, colour is everything. Picking the perfect palette can take your home to a new level of style, comfort, and value. Here are some tips for choosing colours that will make your house feel like a home!
Getting Started
When choosing the colours for your interior, don’t get caught up in rules and trends; when it comes to decorating your home, do what feels right for you. Start with the interior elements already present by evaluating tile colours and wood tones to ensure your new palette fits into the existing scheme. Think about furniture, fabrics, and accessories as inspiration for paint choices. Mix colour values to prevent a multi-coloured palette from becoming overwhelming. Choosing lighter and darker hues within the same colour family adds depth and visual interest to your space. When planning your colour scheme, always consider how one room will flow into the next, the mood you hope to achieve, and how your furnishings and decor will be incorporated into your palette. For easy flow between rooms, use one colour in all rooms; as a wall colour in one room and an accent wall in another.
Consider the Light
Colour is a reflection of light, so make sure to take your home’s lighting into account when choosing your colour scheme. Evaluate the light in your home. Is it natural or from fixtures? How much or how little light fills the room? Choose your colour palette so that it will be best received during daylight hours, as that is when the light is most uniform. For a room that has little natural light, a warmer colour palette will help to soften the shadows and work well in artificial light. Know your lighting source: incandescents emit warmer light than sunlight, while fluorescents emit cooler light than sunlights. Always consider the impact of artificial light on the colours you choose.
The Power of Colour
Adding colour doesn’t necessarily have to mean a long-term commitment to any one palette in particular. If colour makes you apprehensive, start with a neutral palette for any space, and add pops of colour with accent walls, accessories, fabrics and textiles, artwork, window treatments and furniture. Inject your personality into your space with colours that represent how you want to feel in the room. Don’t be shy when it comes to colour. Nothing perks up a traditionally styled house like a bold injection of colour, and using colour can also manipulate the sense of space in your home. Lighter colours can make a small room seem larger, while darker colours can shrink large rooms to create a cozy and welcoming space. Similarly, dark colours on a ceiling will visually lower it, while lighter colours will create the illusion of more height.
Open Concept Colour
An open floor plan can make selecting a palette tricky, but colour can transform even the most open of spaces. When planning your colour scheme in an open concept home, let the architecture in the space guide you. Corners and transitional areas are natural places to start and stop a paint colour. For accent walls, be sure to select a self-contained wall, and break up endless walls with built- ins, shelving, or screens. Monochromatic colour palettes work very well in open plan homes; increasing or decreasing the value of a colour from space to space can create visual interest while not appearing busy. Add pops of colour with space-defining area rugs, and stick to a three-colour scheme; one colour on the walls, one on the trim, and a third on the ceiling.
By following these simple tips, you can successfully select a colour scheme that will fulfill your decor desires, meet the needs of your space, and maximize the value of your home. Let your space be a reflection of your personality and lifestyle, and create a place you’re excited to show off to guests.
