Inside design: Jane Hall

S@H: So how do we ensure that we get the colour we want?
JH: It doesn't need to be all that complicated. You walk into most paint stores and find yourself surrounded by 6,000 colour choices. Of those, there are really only about 250 that you need to consider. But which 250? The first step is to know what you like, which sounds easy, but you'd be surprised. For example, you tell me you like yellow – but which yellow? There are bright, lemony, almost neon yellows, and then there are earthy yellows. In order to put together a palette, you have to understand undertones and value. The undertone can be either warm or cool, and the value refers to the strength, or saturation, of the colour. What you want to do is create groupings that share the same undertone and value. A warm yellow works well with a warm orangey red but doesn't coexist harmoniously with a cool blue red.

S@H: That's pretty technical. But you have an easier way of guiding people in colour choices, don't you?
JH: Yes. Colours have unique characters. What I do is group colours by themes, according to their attributes. Some shades are playful, others powerful or elegant or tranquil. You need to first determine which of those attributes you're most drawn to, and then you can narrow your search down to the specific shades that create that feeling.

S@H: But most of us have multifaceted personalities. What if we're drawn to more than one colour family?
JH: First off, most people are drawn to shades that share very similar undertones, whether warm or cool, so going from one colour to another isn't a problem. Really, any time there's a jog in the wall there's an opportunity to change the colour – within the same colour family. I advise people to use hallways to bridge from one colour to another. That way, you can play around with colour and truly express yourself. That's the only way that you can really take emotional possession of your space. And, ultimately, that's what we all want to do, isn't it?

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