I often get asked to create a colour scheme and although I think the design process is linear and there are more things to consider here are some tips that you would hopefully find useful:
- The easiest way to choose the best interior paint colours is to start with the colours you love. When you start with the colours you love, you are not bound by the traditional colour schemes for a particular decorating style. Using your own favourite colour as your base colour, you can use it to create a colour scheme around it. Your favourite colours can be the perfect inspiration for your new colour palette.
- Magazines and catalogues have always been the staple of decorating inspiration. We’re lucky that now we have thousands of pages of inspiration on the internet. Retailer sites can be inspiring with their room vignettes, paint company sites can also show you ways to use colour in your home. Social media sites like Pinterest and Instagram offer colour inspiration that is refreshed in real time.
- You don’t have to study colour theory to get great ideas from a little colour wheel. These inexpensive colour tools can generate colour scheme ideas quickly. With a turn of the wheel, you can see how colours might relate to each other, and learn the basics of colour theory. While you probably won’t be painting your home in the exact colours you see on the wheel, you can choose shades of those colours at your favourite paint store.
- One of the easiest ways to choose the interior paint colour is to start with a print fabric. Throw pillows, bedding, and even table linens can provide you with paint colour ideas. If you’re creating an accent wall, look to the boldest colours in the print. If you would like to choose a paint colour that is more subtle or for a larger space, look at the colour in the small details of your print fabric.
- This is a simple rule that should never be ignored. Always sample any paint colour you’re considering. Use two coats of paint, on two walls (corner) and leave for at least two days. When you are committing gallons of paint and hours to your project, you have to get the colour right the first time.
- Use the colour matching service to get the exact colour you want for your walls or furniture. It can be the colour of your scarf or a colour you think it will go well with your sofa. Places like the Paint Shed and Homebase are doing a colour match and it takes only minutes.
