One of the most frustrating things that homeowners share with me is how challenging it is for them to choose colours for their home. They don’t know where to begin and want to ensure they make the right choices the first time.
Here’s a Design 101 quick lesson to help you with your colour journey.
The direction of your room will have an impact on the colour you select. Different colours suit different rooms, so the first step is to assess the direction of your space.
North Facing Rooms:
- Have a cooler natural light, so can sometimes feel a little dark and cold.
- Select shades containing warmer tones to help your room feel more welcoming and cosy
South Facing Rooms:
- Spaces that face south enjoy strong clear natural light, so all colours work well. However, cool shades such as blue, green and violet balance the intensity of sunlight.
East and West-Facing Rooms:
- East-facing rooms will have natural light in the morning
- West-facing rooms benefit from natural light in the early evening
Find Inspiration for Your Color Scheme
For an easy way to create a color scheme, base your choices on something that you love. This could be a piece of artwork, an area rug or a patterned fabric. This gives you a good starting point.
Colour & How it Affects a Space
- Lighter colors can make a small space feel more open.
- Dark colors can make surfaces appear closer, giving larger rooms a more intimate feel. Bright, cool whites can make a space feel larger and more open.
- Warmer shades can make a space feel intimate and cozy.
A long narrow room will look wider if you use a slightly darker color on the shorter walls and a lighter color on the longer walls. You can make a ceiling appear higher by selecting a lighter color, or lower with a darker color
It’s time to select your colours.Â
Here are a few tips:
- Visit your nearest paint store – gather swatches and take them home
- Place the swatches around your inspiration piece, remove any you don’t like
- Tape the swatches on the wall together so you can see the subtle differences in them – remove the ones you are not happy with
 Be sure to move the swatches around the room as the light is different on each wall as natural daylight changes throughout the day
- Narrow down your selection to two
- Sleep on it and then decide which is the colour for your room
Everyone always asks me what my two favourite colours are and here they are:
- Benjamin Moore Cloud White CC-40 for trim, doors & ceiling
- Sherwin Williams Agreeable Grey SW-7029 for walls
Once your colour has been decided, it’s time to paint!
Submitted photos
