Forget the times your mother used to murmur, “Blue and green should never be seen.” Nowadays, anything goes. Choosing colour is a very subjective and personal process, but it still tends to be influenced by prevailing fashions. The trick is finding a balance between the two. In our modern world, there are many distinct looks and no rigid rules. Home decorators are encouraged to be bold and express themselves with innovative use of colour but if you still like the traditional look, don’t fear. It’s just as acceptable to stick with schemes that are tried and true.
Because colour is all around us, it can influence the way we feel. For example, red is known as a passionate colour while purple is regal, and blue is calm and soothing. Try bearing these attributes in mind when making colour choices for your home. An all-red bedroom might look dramatic but prove hard to sleep in, while blue can be tranquil in a bathroom, yet too cold for the living area.
If you do fancy using these colours, look for variations; aqua generally appears warmer than a pale blue and if you combine it with, say, bright green accents in a family area, it can positively come alive. What’s more, that red bedroom might work really well if you tone down the intensity, and turn up the exotic influences by adding some lighter pink or orange for contrast.
Light is a very important factor when choosing colours for your home. A dark room can be hugely enhanced with the use of warm colours such as yellow or even shades of white. Meanwhile, in a bright sunny room you can get away with almost anything, including cool shades such as blue or violet, which may even help to tone down the brightness a little.
In areas such as kitchens many people generally still stay on the conservative side with their colour choices, but there is a noticeable trend towards adding splashes of brilliance – either on the walls, the splash-backs or in the cabinetry. Of course, choosing joinery in classic colours leaves you scope to go a little wild and treat yourself to a bold feature wall. It’s something you can afford to change as often as you like – which is kind of fun!
Wherever you’re planning to add colour to your home and your life this summer, there’s a perfect paint just waiting to be discovered, bought and brushed on!
Down at your local paint store, the staff can advise you on all aspects of choosing colour, selecting the right kind of paint finish and equipping yourself with the right tools for the job.
TIP OF THE WEEK
If you plan to go a step or two further and launch into more major renovations big hardware stores can help, with kitchen, bathroom and laundry experts on hand, in-store, 7 days a week to help you get the transformation underway, quickly, easily and without fuss.
HERE’S A HINT
Make sure you choose the right paint finish for each surface in your home. A hard- wearing, easy-to-clean enamel is essential for areas such as doors and window frames, which are regularly exposed to elements such as water. The good news is that many modern enamel paints are acrylic or water-based, which cuts drying time, and reduces all the messy cleaning-up that was once the bane of DIY decorators’ lives. These paints are ideal for use in heavy-duty areas such as kitchens, bathrooms and laundries, and they’re getting better and more effective all the time!
