How To Choose The Right Colour for your Home

There are so many different articles that advise you on what colours are on trend or ones that give you tips on the various designs that are on trend, and where you should place your furniture, but, the reality is that not every on trend colour or pattern is going to work in everyone’s home. There are many different factors that will affect the colour, including the size of the room and lighting. It is useful to use the above to help inspire you, but when it comes to actually painting your room, there are many different tips to ensure that you have the best colour for your home.

Before you start decorating, it is important to decide what you want from the colour. Although you may have to tweak the exact colour you end up with, you need to identify whether you are looking for something that stands out, or is more natural and blends in. Equally, decide if there are any colours that are completely out of the option. It is, after all, your home and regardless of whether you have all of the colours that are right on trend, if you just do not like that colour, you will not be able to enjoy your room. If there are any particularly themes that you are really keen on, make sure you have this in mind when you are shopping for paint, wallpaper or tiles. If it is easier, cut the pages out and carry them around with you so you can easily reference them should you need to.

Remember that paint will always look different in your home compared to in the shop. This means that you have to be organised and visit the shop on a few occasions prior to actually decorating. It is so important not to buy a large tub of paint before you have seen exactly what it looks like in your home. Do not rely solely on a colour card either. These will only show a small patch of the colour that has been printed onto the card, as opposed to the real thing. If you do have to use these, try and choose a shade that is a couple of shades lighter than the desired one. Also, place a piece of white paper underneath the colour card, so you can see exactly what the colour looks like on its own, without it being affected by the surrounding shades.

If you are planning on painting your room, buy at least three tester pots in various similar colours and paint these onto a piece of lining paper that is at least 60cm squared. Once these have completely dried, place them on the walls of your home, so you can really see which one looks best with the lighting etc. It is so important to wait for these to dry as paint will often dry a little darker than they first appear. If you are using tiles to decorate your home, make sure that you order sample tiles prior to ordering the tiles that you will actually be using. You can work in a similar way to the paint samples, and place the sample tiles on your wall, before making your final decision. This way, you can not only see them in the natural light in your home, but also how it looks with the lighting that you have in your home, so it important to leave them up for a few days, to get used to the colour and see it at different times.

Another point to bear in mind prior to decorating is whether you are looking at changing your entire room, furniture and all. If you are simply changing the walls of your home, be it with wallpaper, paint or tiles, you will need to ensure that you chose a colour that will go with your existing furniture. Again, ensure that you have placed any testers up in the room with the furniture in to check that you are happy with the match. If there is a particular piece of furniture that you want your paint to match with, many shops can match the fabric to the paint. They will require a swab of fabric, but it will ensure that you have a near perfect match. Again, do bear in mind that paint will dry darker so it is still important to invest in some tester pots before committing to one colour.

However you decide to decorate, it is important to pick something that suits your personality, as you will only end up regretting it later if you don’t. Some colours can change your mood, as well as changing the appearance for a room. A lighter shade of blue is a colour that works best when there is a lot of natural light, and can work very well with wooden floor. It can also be a very calming and healing colour, but do be aware. Very light blues can look a little babyish and very dark blues can make rooms feel small and claustrophobic. Green tones are similar to the right shade of blue. They can look wonderful in rooms that lend itself to a lot of natural light. They can have a brightening effect on areas, and is a great choice for both males and females. Yellow is an incredibly feel good colour and is guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face when they walk into the room. It can give a sense of freedom, peace and energy, and is seen as a pick me up colour. Yellow tones are often a very popular choice for those decorating a nursery.

If you are considering a bolder colour, red walls will show that you have got confidence, pride and strength. It is a very versatile colour and can work well in both natural and artificial lights, and can actually make a room feel very spacious. However; the disadvantages of red is that it is a very hot colour, and is therefore better suited as a feature wall, as opposed to all walls being that colour. Pink tones can be very fun and girly, and can actually give your room a calm and relaxed look that appears bigger and airy. That said it is again, better suited to feature walls, or for smaller areas, as opposed to whole rooms, as this can look a little childish, or superficial. A colour that really is best to be avoided is black. It can work incredibly well with greys, silvers and some blues, but too much can very quickly turn a room ‘gothic’. It can make a room feel very small and cramped, and does not always look the best in natural light. If you have children, it can appear scary for them at night because it is so dark, as well as bringing the mood down, and giving you headaches. This is a colour that really should be kept to a minimum.

With any colour choice though, the most important thing is that you enjoy it. You will be spending your time looking at the chosen colour, and regardless of what colours are on-trend, if you do not like them it is utterly pointless. Whilst some colours can help make the most of an area, it is not going to change it. The room will still be the same size, regardless. As long as you have picked colours that complement each other and the accessories that you have in room, you are on to a winner.