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Decorating a home may have numerous hassles, but it has its rewards too. No, we are not talking about the sweet satisfaction that comes at the end of the process, but during it. Planning for various elements of décor is a pleasure in itself. One of the major enjoyments of the entire process can be gained while deciding on the right colour scheme for the different areas of your home.
Isn’t it wonderful to see the bare walls coming to life just by the mere touches of a paintbrush? We know how elated everyone feels after seeing the bright face of their home steeped in the colours of joy. Choosing perfect home colours involve a few more steps than just choosing the right shade. These are important for the refreshing look of the façade and interior of your house.
Let’s find out what are these aspects that you need to focus on. Choose colours that do not drastically fade with an exposure to the harsh sunlight. It should be able to protect your exterior walls from rain and must be easy to maintain. Oil and acrylic latex based paints are favoured for their water resistant nature and durability. A glossy paint is best avoided for the exterior.
In a moderate proportion these rules also apply in the interiors as well. Here however, you have greater liberty of choosing for various finishes and a reasonable amount of sheen on the particular walls or ceilings is not discouraged.
White is a popular choice for the exterior of a building as well as its interior. It is a safe choice that appears tidy and looks glowing under the sunshine or moon. If you want a white façade for your home, try to play with the texture or introduce an accent tone that increases its charm. Alternatively, consider using some other materials like wood, bamboo or stone to accentuate its beauty.
While selecting the exterior wall colours, you must also pay due attention to the surroundings. You can experiment more with the colour scheme if a building is surrounded by greenery. A landscaped garden always increases the charm of the residence. The same is not applicable for the city homes, but you need to take a look around and see the façade colours of your neighbouring buildings. Try to make a statement with an imaginative colour scheme, but ensure that the colour palette chosen by you is not clashing with your neighbour’s residence.
Try to select sunnier or softer hues for those areas of your home that do not receive sufficient sunlight. You can choose a dazzling colour scheme for your living room, but avoid opting for riotous colours in the bedroom, kid’s room or mediation space. The bathroom interior also needs to be soothing.
It is often better to slightly tone down the impacts of such vibrant hues as carmine or any other intense shades of red, flaming orange and sunny yellow. This helps to have a more calming effect on the mind. Shades of blue and grey look best for those areas which receive ample natural light all year long. Otherwise, your home may start to resemble a cloud covered sky without any ray of sunshine larking behind.
Always try to mix and match between two colours. You can go for matching or contrasting effects. Choose paler or brighter colours for those walls that are closer to each other. For example, for a north facing oblong room the north and south walls should be painted with darker hues. If your rooms are more squarish or very spacious you need not bother too much about this.
While choosing appropriate colour combinations for various portions of your dwelling, remember the words of famous artist Marc Chagall, “All colours are the friends of their neighbours and the lovers of their opposites.” If you have a careful look at the colour wheel you will come to understand the truth of this comment. The overall effect should always be pleasing to the eyes.
Cool colours like shades of blue, pale green and purple must be complemented with warmer tones and vice versa. Remember, your brilliant white walls may start looking greyish and lacklustre in the absence of sufficient light. Accent tones need not always be in the form of wall colours. Through your choice of textile, you can introduce the required accents. Fabric has a different texture and often helps to introduce a sense of welcome surprise.
You can also accentuate the rooms by using glossier or brighter shades on the ceiling. If you have a vividly shaded ceiling, you can afford to leave your entire room soaked in neutrals. However if you have a small home, don’t choose an overly dark shade for the ceiling. Don’t introduce more than two or three complementary shades for any space. The room may start looking tacky under the effects of so many clashing colours.
Wallpaper with subtle motifs is also good for adding varying in bedroom, living room and dining room. Consider using it on the feature wall only and coordinate well with the colour scheme of the entire room.
There are literally thousands of colour ideas for you to explore. You can consider taking inspirations from nature – an inexhaustible source for everyone. Be inclined to experiment and design a scheme of your own. Know that the colour do not appear exactly the same when painted on the walls. You can buy small samples and use them to paint tiny portions to see if it is coming close to your colour ideas.
Since this is a place for social gathering you are free to choose more vibrant shades. Before buying any paint colour make a floor plan to envisage the positioning of the furniture, electronic and sources of light. Create several mood boards or rough sketches to find out which of your ideas suit the area best. For further inspirations, you can check homify anytime and go through our ideabooks on a regular basis.
This is a space for gathering as well, with your family members as well as close friends. Warm colours suit this space fine, especially if built as an extension to the kitchen. When choosing more muted tones like shades of grey for the walls, try to go for furniture, cushions and curtains of more cheerful tone. Luscious red chairs with a shiny metallic or wooden table could be the perfect side dish if the main course consists of pale grey walls and white ceiling.
Having wood flooring helps to brighten up the ambience. A combination of soothing green and cheery orange may also give a delightful effect to the interiors. Balance the warm colours with more soothing ones. Too much of excitement may not be good for the long term.
This seems to be somewhat of a tricky area and some people play safe by opting for an all white look. This may be very fashionable, but if you do not know how to introduce a variation of texture this may make your bathroom look lacklustre. If you are using tiles for the walls refrain from using too busy a motif or limit it to the feature wall only.
Use geometric patterns to create a border of a sort. Pastel shades look relaxing for a small bathroom as well as a big one. Combining them with neutrals would be a smart choice. If the space is lacking in light, try to elect shades that look slightly more uplifting. Continue to learn from your earlier mistakes till you find the right colouring solution for your home.
