When taking on a home makeover project, there is so much planning and organising to do that it can sometimes be difficult to know where to start. In our opinion, the most efficient and effective thing to starting point designing the look of your new space is to decide on the perfect colour scheme for you!
The colour scheme that you go with will influence not just the furniture, wallpaper and other decorative pieces that you place into your new room, but will also affect the atmosphere of the space overall. For that reason, this is one part of your home makeover project that you certainly want to get right!
To help your project go smoothly and bring your dream space to life, here is our guide to bringing together the perfect colour scheme.
Decide On Your Aesthetic ‘Theme’
Start by deciding what the aesthetic ‘theme’ of your space is going to be. Are you giving your kitchen a revamp and are looking to take some influence from countryside farmhouse-style kitchens? Or perhaps you are looking to refresh your living room and would like to create a soft, bohemian feel.
Whatever your theme, this will not only influence the colours that you choose, but will also give you a handy starting point for looking for inspiration online and creating a ‘mood board’ of ideas.
If you haven’t yet decided on your aesthetic theme, look up the term ‘interior design themes’ on the internet, along with the room that you are looking to decorate – this is sure to turn up plenty of ideas and may just be the key to deciding exactly what you want from your new space.
Consider The Atmosphere Of The Space
Don’t forget to consider the effect that your chosen colour scheme will have on the overall theme of the room.
For instance, if you’d decided on ‘modern industrial’ as the aesthetic theme of your new space, it may seem tempting to create a colour scheme which ties in darker colours – black, slate grey, dark metal fittings, etc. Whilst this will fit the theme very well, you should also consider that this will give the room as a whole a much ‘darker’ feel and could even leave it feeling smaller and less open than it is. Certain colours always seem to give the room itself a certain ‘mood’.
If you’re looking to create an airy, open feel to your space, stick to lighter colours – white, light blue, light green, yellow and other such colours. If you’re looking create a modern, muted feel, it’s good to stick to neutral colours, such as taupe and grey – you can also add in accents of vibrant, rich colours like maroon and burnt orange to create a cosier feel.
Whatever atmosphere you’re looking to create, take this into account when considering the colours that you choose, as they have a lot more impact on the overall feel of your room than you may have imagined.
Make The Most Versatile Colour The Most Prominent
When looking into your colour scheme, check that your most prominent colour is your most versatile.
The most versatile colours are generally a little more neutral in tone, such as white, pale grey, beige, light beige. It’s good to incorporate one of these colours in your colour scheme, whatever look you’re going for overall. Whichever you choose, this makes an ideal ‘base’ colour – generally the one you use on your walls.
There are a few reasons why a neutral colour is the best to use on your walls, as the colour of paint or base colour of printed wallpaper. For one, using a bolder colour for the walls than you use for other accents and soft furnishings almost makes those accents far less effective, leaving them to fade into the background a little. Using your boldest colour as the most prominent almost ‘swallows’ the other colours in a way.
Another reason to use your most versatile colour on the walls is that it makes it much easier to refresh your space further down the line, allowing you to make small, yet effective changes without needing to repaint your walls entirely.
Play Around With Mood Boards
If you’ve narrowed down your choices to a few different colour schemes, play around by creating a mood board with each one, incorporating potential furniture pieces and furnishings to see how to look would come together as a whole.
There are plenty of sites and applications that you can use for this purpose, or you can simply do it by printing out photographs and putting them together manually on a large cut of paper.
Start by placing your ‘base’ colour in the background, before finding photographs and clippings of other furniture or features that you might like to incorporate into your space and fit in with the other colours of your colour scheme.
This can be a very effective way of previewing how everything might look, as well as whether your chosen colour scheme will work as a part of the ‘theme’ that you decided on.
Ask A Professional!
If you’re planning on using the services of a painting or decorating company during your home makeover project, why not ask them for their opinion before you make your final decision? Their advice may just help you get an idea of whether or not your colour scheme will work out as well as you’d like.
Here at Neil Hayes Painting & Decorating, we have over 15 years experience helping clients bring their interior design vision to life – and we’d love to do the same for you.
If you’re looking to refresh your space, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for your free quote and survey – at Neil Hayes Painting & Decorating, we’re always happy to help!