Match
You wouldn't match your nail colour to your eyeliner, so don't try to make your walls complement your candle collection. Ideally, the colour on the walls should exist harmoniously with the largest pieces in the room. Make sure the colour you select for the walls works well with the shades in the carpet. For that matter, limit your paint options to only those shades that match favourably with most of your big-ticket items, including the sofa, broadloom and window coverings. While repainting is no treat, it is less expensive than redecorating around the beautiful shade of teal you chose for the walls.
Sample
You've set a mood, matched your preliminary selections to your existing furnishings and you're ready to paint. “Wait!” says Chris. “Before you do anything, sample, sample, sample and then sample again.”
“Never trust a paint chip,” adds Steven. It takes a little extra time, but in the long-term you'll net savings in both money and labour if you test your colour theories before painting the room. Purchase a quart of your favourite shade and paint a sample-preferably a piece of plywood or even cardboard that you can move around the room.
“Colours will change drastically from day to night and in various types of lighting,” says Chris. “So move the sample around.”
And make it count. Paint a large (24-inch by 24-inch) sample so that you get a true feeling for the colour. After all, you'll have to live with this.
| Colour psychology 101 Psychologists have determined that certain colours can actually elicit typical, physiological responses. What mood will your favourite colour incite? Red, and red-based shades like burgundy excite the senses. Scientists say our hearts beat faster when we see red. Blue is the colour of tranquillity, with research telling us that the sight of blue causes the body to produce calming chemicals. Green, the colour of nature, is known to calm and refresh the spirit. Yellow not only speeds the metabolism, it also enhances concentration, which is perhaps why legal pads are yellow. Purple, the colour of wealth and status, is also know to inspire imagination. Wagner composed his operas in a purple room as violet was the colour he found most inspiring. |
Image courtesy of Pottery Barn
3 Comments
I am so cautious about colour. I have decided to do my tiny new west facing apartment in cream plus trim and the kitchne area in a deeper shade on the same pallette. (open concept). I am struggling with the bedroom - north facing, and the bathroom - south facing. I like tuscan i.e light olive in bathroom and mauvy blue in bedroom or should I do all three room in same cream/darker hue combo? I love colour accents - blue, green, rusty red. Help
I am planning on painting my appartment, which is fairly old. I have not quite decided on the shades of yellows that i would like to use. The lower part of the kitchen has a pannelling which is seperated by a base board. The cupboards are also very old and i would like to paint them as well. I am open to suggestions. If you have any ideas please let me know.
I have a friend that wants to choose the perfect blue for her walls that would go with white furniture and a dark floor. I like the blue in the picture above does anyone have any idea what that colour is?