How to Colour Coordinate Your Home

If you are planning to repaint or paper your interior, it is generally best to research the right colours and tones for your home. There are a number of very good websites to help you decide and we would like to draw your attention to a few:

1) Thisoldhouse.com has great ideas and one article we read recently gives great tips on colour coordinating your home interior. In it the author quoted Bonnie Krims an expert designer with an interesting idea. "Her sure-fire method for creating a color scheme? Start by selecting three colors from an existing object in your home. 'Take a pillow from the family-room sofa, your favorite tie or scarf, or a painting—anything that conveys comfort or has an emotional connection for you—and take that object to the paint store,' says Krims. 'Find three sample strips with those colors, and you instantly have 15 to 18 colors you can use, since each sample strip typically contains six paint colors.' The full article can be viewed here

 2) bbc.co.uk has some useful tips on creating a mood for the rooms in your home. "Colour is the easiest and most effective way of instantly creating a mood for every room in your home.Try using warm, advancing colours in areas where you want people to feel welcomed such as living rooms, dining rooms and halls. You may want to make your bathroom a relaxing, stress free spa with watery colours reminiscent of the sea. Or you may want to nudge your family to get going in the morning and inject some energy with splashes of zesty acid pastels. You may want your dining room to be smart and formal for lots of corporate entertaining with navy blue or you may want a relaxed, informal feel where all the family can chill. A chic, contemporary bedroom could be conjured from layering neutrals or create a dramatic boudoir with purples and reds." The full article may be viewed here

 3) lifehacker.com.au is closer to our neck of the woods and has a great article on how to choose the right colours. Actually it goes into an amazing amount of detail on the theory of colour coordination so after reading the complete article you will be a "colour geek" and will impress your friends at parties - or not! Long explanations are given on colour wheels and how to use them. However the best piece of advice is at the end of the otherwise technical article:

"Three Rules To Keep in Mind:

• More than one colour in a room can look great, but if you go in that direction, keep it to three colours maximum. If you are going with two bold colours, the third should be a neutral to give your eye a break.

• When choosing your colours start by choosing your boldest colour, and then choose the others with the first colour in mind.

• Don’t be scared! Paint is not permanent and you can always change it."

The rest of the article can be read here