Choosing the right paint colour for your home is trickier than you think! Painting your home is a huge undertaking, so making sure your choose the right paint colour will have a huge impact on the result!
A fresh coat of paint can instantly refresh any room, whether that's a bright coat of crisp white paint, a bold colour choice, or the creation of a dark and moody feature wall.
Choosing a colour isn't a decision to take lightly as it sets a room's mood and impacts how your furniture looks. And ideally, you shouldn't need to paint your home too frequently, so making sure you choose the perfect colour will ensure you enjoy your home for years to come.
1. COMMON MISTAKE - PAINT THE CEILING THE SAME COLOUR AS THE WALLS
Just like the four walls around it, a painted ceiling can do a lot to transform a room. Considered the fifth wall by interior designers, ceilings shouldn’t just be an afterthought. In fact a ceiling can be a blank canvas for creativity and experimentation.
I feel that ceilings should differentiate from walls and painting the ceiling the same colour can be monotonous,lacking freshness or contrast for the room. A ceiling in white will help to freshen the room and add depth and interest. A black ceiling looks great in certain environments and I love art ceilings too but not for the faint hearted!
2. COMMON MISTAKE - TOO 'MATCHY-MATCHY' OR TOO SAFE
It can be tempting to just colour match a piece of fabric or create a scheme that is very monochromatic. This can result in a lifeless interior, lacking interest. If you have struggled with the headaches of trying to put a room together using color schemes, a range of textures, and décor pieces, it can be difficult to pull it all together, which is why many people love the monochromatic design theme. Not only is the finished product a simple look for a room, but it’s much easier to pull it together than traditional design techniques. One of the biggest mistakes people make with neutrals is not using enough contrast. You have to interject elements that add intense personality. Make it gutsy, or else it's boring. No matter how scared of colour you might be, it will be evident in the result if you don't step outside your comfort zone.
3. COMMON MISTAKE - LEAVING OUT PALETTE CLEANSERS
Once you fall in love with colour, it's easy to go overboard. The biggest mistake people make when they're trying to be colourful and exciting is to forget that you need to balance it with neutrals.
Architectural elements in white or simply a few neutral throws can give your eye a place to rest. It gives the scheme visual relief and helps to create balance for the space as a whole.
4. COMMON MISTAKE - LACK OF CONTINUITY THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE.
You know it when you see it: The neutral living room says "relaxed, coastal chic," but then the vivid bathroom goes "1920's decadence".
Even when I don't use the same colours everywhere, I still like the rooms to feel connected. There should be a reasonable amount of continuity throughout. A bedroom should never feel like it's in a completely different house from the living room – the whole house has to make sense as one.
5. COMMON MISTAKE - USING THE SAME COLOUR PALETTE EVERYWHERE
Faithfully sticking to your favourite hues in every room can create an "uptight" feel.
You need to know when to pull back. A two-colour scheme can be great, but there has to be some relief, or it makes everything seem stiff and contrived.
6. COMMON MISTAKE - FORGETTING HOW IMPORTANT FINISHES ARE
For instance, an eggshell finish can take the intensity out of a rich hue — for better or worse.
Darker colours in general can read very flat, so use a high-lustre finish in some instances to provide life.
Good prep is key to any high-lustre paint finish, so skim-coating the walls really helps. You can get a deep, rich gloss without going to the expense of lacquering.Don't forget to use quality paint - you know I love Dulux so nothing compares to this quality paint in my opinion. Walls are typically low sheen and trims are semi gloss for standard schemes but its when you are getting cute with dark colours or specialty finishes - you must do your research and collect samples to be sure.
7. COMMON MISTAKE - CHOOSING A ONE DIMENSIONAL HUE
This is another pitfall that often comes up with more dramatic choices.
Colours that have no depth are oddly fluorescent. They will leap out at you, rather than pull you in. It's a subtle difference, but failure to recognise it is what sometimes makes people afraid of using colour. If you love experimenting with colour, try 'Porter's Paints'. The intensity of their colours is amazing! - the saturation achieved creates sumptuous moody interiors.
8. COMMON MISTAKE - PRESSURING YOURSELF TO FIND A FOREVER COLOUR
With all the hassle of painting, it's understandable to keep falling back to the same look you've always had in your homes. But like personal style, our rooms can change over time.
You have to trust yourself, but you don't have to commit to colour all at once - you can play with it as the rooms evolve.
If all else fails and you really are losing sleep over your project, you can always come back to me for help.....one meeting with a professional can get your colours all sorted!
You know where to find me right?
Bye for now,
Lisa
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