Choosing Paint Colours
Choosing paint colours might sound simple but it can actually be one of the most difficult things to get right. The number of paint brands has proliferated in recent years and whilst this means there is a wonderful array of choice when it comes to decorating a home, the endless possibilities can also be intimidating. Too much choice can be overwhelming and can lead to decision paralysis! We’ll look at some of the things that you need to think about when creating a colour scheme and why hiring an interior designer can be a really cost effective solution.
Light and orientation
Paint colours respond to light (both natural and artificial) and will change throughout the day. When deciding on a shade, it's important to look at the aspect of the room and determine which way it faces and what sort of light you will get at different times of the day. You also need to think about how and when you use the room and the sort of feel that you want to achieve. A north facing room will benefit from less natural light and the light that it does get will be cooler, bringing out cooler tones in the paint. To avoid a north facing room feeling unwelcoming, you might consider using a warmer (yellow or pink based) paint colour which will help to bounce light around the room. Alternatively, you might want to embrace the cooler light of a north facing room to create a cosy atmosphere using dark enveloping colours. The best dark colours are rich and deep. These will feel instantly warm and inviting, particularly in the evening. Such a choice might depend on how and when you use the room.
East and west facing rooms can change dramatically through the day in the amount and type of light that they receive. It’s important to work out how and when you’ll be using the room. An east facing room can be quite cool particularly in the afternoon although it will have warmer and brighter light in the morning. If this is one of the rooms that you use the most throughout the day, such as a family room, then a neutral with pink or yellow tones would work well as would a colour that is on the warmer side of the colour spectrum (think yellows, pinks and yellow based greens). A west facing room will have warm light in the afternoon and cooler light in the morning. If this is a room which you use more in the afternoon you can afford to use a cooler colour. If, on the other hand, this is a room where you spend the most time in the morning, a warm colour will help to add a feeling of cosiness.
Most colours will work well in a bright south facing room although some colours can appear more yellow so you may prefer to choose a cooler based neutral or a cooler colour such as a blue or green. Some greens can be quite warm particularly if they have a yellow base and blues (traditionally considered a cool colour) can be warmer if they have a green base to them (think of a duck egg or turquoise blue). The coolest colours in the spectrum are the cool blues and blue based greys.
Mood and atmosphere
Once you have determined the orientation of your room and when you will use it, consider how you want to use the space. If you want a space to feel relaxing, choose a light, warm, and cosy colour whereas a more lively room like a dining and sitting room would work well with a stronger or more dynamic colour. Remember that different colours will change the mood and feel of a room - earthy colours (very popular at the moment) will give you a cocooning feel; warm colours such as oranges and reds will have an energising effect while cooler tones can be more soothing (think of Scandi interiors).
In very bright and well lit rooms an off white or neutral will work really well. It’s worth noting that in period properties, the very whitest whites can look out of place. This is where Farrow & Ball neutrals work very well. Some of their “whites” don’t look white on the paint chart but when used throughout a room or even the whole house, will be very soothing to the eye and will read as a soft white.
When using paler colours it is often worth taking the colour on to the doors, architraves and skirting boards to emphasise the feeling of space and light. Painting everything the same colour draws your eye away from details and makes the room feel larger. Many paint companies sell their paints in different tints, Little Greene and Edward Bulmer do this with their most popular colours. You could choose three tints of the same colour and use the lighter shades on the ceiling and woodwork. This arrangement creates a seamless and elegant feel.
Strong colours should be used in smaller doses and are great for giving a room an element of surprise or playfulness. Every room can benefit from some strong colour but not necessarily on the walls; instead consider painting a piece of furniture, a fireplace or even the window frames.
Dark colours have a lovely cocooning effect and work particularly well in spaces that don’t have a lot of natural light. Consider doing a basement or cinema space in a deep olive green or a plum. In these spaces, you could use colour drenching where you paint all the walls, ceiling and woodwork in the same colour. Colour drenching will make a space feel larger as your eye isn’t drawn to the detail.
Flow
It’s really important that your choice of colours flow from one space to the next in order that the whole scheme feels harmonious. Creating flow is one of the things that we get asked most about. At Hurst+Gillanders, we use mood boards for each space to ensure that all the rooms work together. To create flow, you can use a cohesive palette throughout the house and choose complementary colours. Alternatively, you can focus on the connecting spaces and use different shades of the same colour on the walls. If you choose a dramatic shade for a room, think about picking out accents of this shade in other rooms to link them together. This could be as small as a cushion or a painted item of furniture. When choosing a paint colour, one of the most important things to do is to test a paint sample. At Hurst+Gillanders, we have a full selection of colour samples, from all the main paint brands that we use for our projects. These are essential to us to ensure that colours work beautifully together. They are also great to take to site to ensure the colour works in the space and with the lighting. This method works much better than painting an area of a wall, as the new colour will always be affected by the colour behind it.
A good alternative to colour samples is to choose some paint samples that you like and paint them onto cardboard to see how they look on different walls and in different lights. You can also try them against existing furnishings, furniture and flooring. It’s worth noting that, in reality, paint colours can appear much lighter or darker than they do on a sample card, where they will often be on a white background.
Our approach
At Hurst + Gillanders, our aim is to create spaces that feel natural and where colours effortlessly flow between the spaces. We don’t believe in restricting the number of colours or the way in which we use the colours. We will always respond to the natural features of your home and the personality of the people living there.
