Choosing Wall Colours – Keeping it Neutral

When decorating and picking wall colours, there are some important rules to follow to ensure mistakes aren’t made and a harmonious look is achieved. 

Keep in mind the purpose of the room.  Will it be used for relaxing, entertaining, eating or sleeping?  

The type of room you are decorating will dictate the mood you wish to create and the hue that will work the best.  Neutral colours will always work the best.  They deliver a classic and timeless look that will be flexible with different soft finishes and decorative accessories.

Always test colour on large pieces of card before painting. Paint changes colour depending on the hard finishes that surround it as well as the light that is available in the room.

Don’t choose paint first.  It is very important to take stock of colours and undertones already in place.  Fixed elements such as flooring or ceiling colour also need to be considered prior to choosing paint.  The best rooms start with inspiration led by either artwork or fabrics.

Next, make sure the furniture you have or buy can work with the colour you pick for walls.  Once you have decided on fabrics and finishes of soft furnishings, you can then pick colours for walls and rugs etc.  It’s so much easier to find a paint colour that will work with different elements already in the room than it is to find a sofa in a fabric that will work with the paint colour that you already have on your walls.

Bear in mind the importance of rooms flowing from one to another and co-ordinating with each other. All rooms should relate to one another, be it with depth of colour or variations of the same hue. Many people choose to decorate all their rooms with one basic colour and change the unfixed elements within each room.  This works well and enables interchange of fabrics, art and soft furnishings from one room to another when desired.

The mood boards below show how the same paint and floor finishes will work with different art and soft furnishings.

See the two different options above for soft furnishings that use the same fixed elements of floor and wall colour.

The rule of thumb to check that harmony and flow has been achieved with colour is to imagine all the colours that you have used are put together in one piece of fabric or a cushion or piece of art and that they all work well together.  A newly created space should be welcoming, feel uplifting and above all, make you feel at home.

Interior Decorating Tips by House Design