Whether you own or rent your property (as long as you ask your landlord or lady!), painting a room or even a single wall is a quick and easy way to transform your living space and make it yours.
The first few months of a new year are a great time to experiment with painting, and different colour combinations – the madness of Christmas is over and we tend to hibernate at home. The start of a fresh year is also a symbolic time to make changes or organise our lives. While it’s grey outside, introducing new colours inside our homes can help lift our moods until spring arrives.
Choosing the perfect paint colour
Colour is a personal choice, but there are a number of things that can make selecting the best paint colour a little easier, or simply inspire you to be bold!
If you’re painting a larger space, such as a bedroom or living room, find an item or a piece of furniture that you love and use it as a starting point. For example, if you own some teal cushions or a mustard yellow lamp that you love, you could paint a feature wall in the same colour – or paint the whole room in a complementary colour (the opposite colour on the colour wheel).
Starting with objects you already own makes it easier to create a colour palette for a particular room, because you won’t need to buy new things – unless you want to! If you own neutral furniture or you’re starting from scratch, there are less limitations and you can easily pick a colour or set of colours you feel drawn to. Professional painters and decorators can help you decide on a colour scheme or bring your dream colour palette to life.
Learn how to put together a colour scheme.
Colour psychology is an alternative way to think about paint colour that’s right for you. How does each room in your home make you feel, or how would you like a particular room to make you feel? Our living spaces – the ways we decorate and the furniture or lighting we choose – can have a real impact on our mental health.
Colour influences our moods and behaviour – orange hues can make us feel optimistic, while green tones can provide a sense of harmony in our lives. If there’s a particular mood you want to create in 2020, find the paint shades associated with it.
You can find more tips on putting together a colour scheme here.
Interior design and fashion trends can inspire our colour choices too. Pantone named Classic Blue the colour of 2020 – a calm, confident and secure colour choice, suitable for a cosy living room filled with lots of ambient lighting.
Single painted walls are great for creating a focal point in a room, but they’re also the best way to test out living with a punchy colour, if you’ve been unsure in the past. If you’re after more pops of colour and energy, experiment with contemporary colour blocking (abstract shapes painted in bright or complementary colours).
Once you’re close to knowing your colour scheme, buy tester pots and paint small samples of your chosen colours on your wall. Colours usually look different out of the pot and you may realise you want or need a different shade, especially if you’re trying to match a colour with a piece of furniture, carpet or skirting.
The next step is to prepare your walls and get painting. If you’re not sure how to prepare your walls or you’d like a helping hand,
Find a professional painter and decorator here.
