How to Decorate with Colour in Your Home
Many of us shy away from being bold and decorating our homes the way we want, instead opting for neutral tones to please potential future buyers but by playing it safe when it comes to colour schemes, we could find ourselves living in someone else’s dream home rather than our own. If you’re tired of sticking to safe shades or bored of magnolia, here are some ways to experiment with different colour schemes in your home.
Where to Start
It can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to finding the right colour palette for your home so start with the basics – colours you like. You may think you’re too old to have a ‘favourite colour’ but what colours are you drawn towards? Which colours repeat most often in your wardrobe? Look at the jewellery, makeup and accessories you wear.
You want a colour palette that flows throughout the house without each room having the same colour scheme. That means you need to find colours that sit well together. If you’re struggling, use a colour wheel or pick up wallpaper or fabric swatches to help you build your colour scheme. You may be surprised at which colour combinations look good together.
Use the Rule of Three
Choosing three colours for each room means you can use the rule of three to guide you. Your main colour should be the focus – use this on your walls, floors or the largest pieces of furniture. Your secondary colour can be used for smaller pieces of furniture and soft furnishings such as curtains, rugs and throws.
Finally, your accent colour should be used to add pops of colour through accessories like cushions or vases. Don’t be afraid to include neutrals alongside your new colour scheme – adding glass lamps to a darker living room interior will help the bolder colours shine without distracting from them. Make use of any naturally-occurring colours in the room too, such as wooden window frames or floorboards.
Be Brave
Gather up paint, fabric and wallpaper samples and play around with them to see if they work together. You might want to create a physical mood board, scrapbook or a Pinterest board of ideas for your colour scheme. However, the only way to know for sure if your colour palette is right is to put it into action so at some point you’re going to have to be brave and pick up that paintbrush!
Start with the walls in your home and layer up the colour as you go, adding in furnishings and textiles once you’re confident in your choice. At the end of the day, it’s only a bit of paint and you can always paint over it again if you change your mind
