It’s natural to think of the walls first when you’re designing, but you really do pick the paint last.
Pick your floors and key design features first, because the paint is the last thing that goes on in a reno project or build and is the easiest thing to change if it’s wrong.
If you’re struggling to visualise what different wall colours will look like with different flooring options, paint a portion of a wall to determine how you are feeling about that colour in the space.
And when you’re looking at your new colour or colours, don’t look at it by the existing one, as both those colours will interact and affect how you see your new colour. I always tell my clients to paint the new colour on a section of wall and surround it with newspaper so you are seeing the colour against a neutral grey.
Be brave and use the colours you love. Colour is emotive and what we all base or likes and dislikes on, so don’t go for something you’re not drawn to.
Create a palette, (or we’ve created some for you) don’t just think ‘I’ll paint it white’, just be cohesive in your approach. Having colours that complement each other makes it feel like there’s a flow rather than jarring change from room to room. If you do just paint white, consider shades of white so that there is movement from room to room, or from wood work to wall colour.
If you’re struggling, it might sound silly but refer to nature. Often the answer can be right outside your window – look at the cool greens of plant and tree foliage against the soft blues of the sky and greys stone or many of our native plants. Then it becomes natural to consider muddy browns and burnished reds as an accent.
When picking a palette of colours for your space stick to 3, but you can change the combination of where you use each colour.
