Choosing Interior Paint Colours

Interior paint colour can transform your home. Choosing the right colour can be tricky, so we have listed a couple of things to keep in mind.

Paint Colour Creates Mood

The colour of the walls establishes the mood of a room. When you are deciding on a colour, consider how you want a room to feel.

For a dining area, are you looking to create a quiet, close setting, or a social setting? Deep colours, such as teal and dark blues, will create a smaller, more formal environment, and bright, warm colours will encourage sociability.

In the bedroom, are you looking for a relaxing, soft ambience, or something more dramatic? Soft, neutral colours with cool undertones will create a quiet, airy atmosphere, where as bold, dark colours will create a more intimate mood.

The mood of kid’s rooms can be a little more difficult to define. Children generally gravitate toward bright colours, rather than restful hues. There are two reasons why it is best to opt for softer neutrals in a kid’s room:

• Consider the longevity of the colour scheme. A 7-year-old girl may love pink walls now, but in 8 years time she may think otherwise.
• Bright colours can cause restlessness. Your children’s mood will be influenced by the colour of their room. Soft colours will create a restful atmosphere.

Ultimately, it may be best to add colour and playfulness with accent colours and décor.

Paint Colour Creates Style

Interior paint colour is the basis of your homes overall style. For a modern style, stark whites and deep accents work well. For a traditional style, warmer colours in neutral hues play up the homely atmosphere.

Also keep in mind that wall colour determines how décor is perceived. Consider your favourite pieces of furniture and art, and use these as a basis for style.

Usually, it is important to have an overall colour scheme for the house. Pick one or two base colours, and then decide on accent colours that set the mood of each room. This way, your home will have a cohesive style, and individual rooms will have a mood and personality of their own. This method will also help you avoid over-using trendy colours that will soon go out of style.

Paint Colour Creates Architecture

Interior paint colour can showcase your homes architectural features. Use bold accent colours to draw attention to doorways,

built-in bookcases, shelving, window frames, mantels, and other interesting features. Feature walls work in the same way, and establish a focal point in the room. Accent colours used on architectural elements can create a sense of continuity throughout a home.

Colour can also influence how big a room feels. For larger rooms, use warmer hues, which will draw the walls in and make the space more personal. For smaller rooms, go for cooler colours in order to make the space feel larger.

Try Before You Buy

Lighting is often the cause of colour variation between paint colour cards and how the colour looks on your walls. That is why it is essential to buy a sample pot of paint, and try it out in different parts of your house. You will find that bold colours work better away from natural light, and neutral hues work best next to windows.

Generally, natural light will show the truest hue, incandescent lighting will cast a warm tone over a colour, and fluorescent lighting will produce a cold, blue tone. Natural light can also reflect off other surfaces, causing a variation in colour. A nearby garden can cast a creamy yellow/green tone onto a wall, and brightly coloured curtains can reflect their colour throughout the room.

Be aware of these variations, and test out a few shades of your chosen colour before making a final decision.

If you are looking for professional painters, we’d love to hear from you. Call us on 07 3829 5735 or shoot us an email to receive a fast and accurate quote. We also provide a bonus Colour Consultation with a professional Colour Consultant for jobs over $2000.