General advice before selecting colours

It's time for that revamp...but what colours will you choose?

Picking the perfect colour combination is always a bit of a struggle. I aim to offer you some practical tips, help you to understand how colour impacts your mood, and educate you a little on the different colour schemes. Hopefully this will get you on track to choosing something that looks good and matches your taste. You may also fancy a peek at the inspiration page if you’re feeling courageous!

SVG of a woman sat on a chair with floating emoticons around her head

Colour and Mood SVG of a chair in a room with colour samples on the verticle and horizontal axis of the wall behind it. Mouse cursor hovering over samples.

SVG of a chair in a room with colour samples on the verticle and horizontal axis of the wall behind it. Mouse cursor hovering over samples.

Colour Schemes SVG of a light bulb

Inspiration

Totally at a loss?

Soemtimes a good starting point is to think of an art piece that you like that has a beautiful colour scheme. Try picking some colours from the art piece and do some basic sketches of the room. Decorate it with the colours that you see in the art piece.

Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night with 5 colour swatches extracted from the painting positioned below it.

A few general rules of thumb...

Hallways and transitional spaces are best painted in neutral colours (cream, white, beige, grey etc). This is especially important in the upstairs of your home since bedrooms tend to have unique styles going on. Keeping the hallway neutral means that it won’t clash with any of them.
It is best to keep expensive furnishings such as baths and sinks neutral. It is likely that you will tire of that pink bathroom suite in a few years, and renovations will quickly become expensive!
If you want furnishings and accessories to be a bold source of colour – it is best to go neutral on the walls.
Neutral furnishings and accessories? You can afford to go bold on your walls.