With such a large palette of colours available to us now, it can be extremely difficult to know which ones to use in our home. We can stand forever and debate the difference between dusty pink and nude pink, but it can get tedious rather quickly and it’s not as difficult as you think.
What’s Your Favourite Colour?
A good place to start is thinking about what your favourite colours actually are. By starting with colours that you love yourself, not only are you choosing something more personal but you’re not bound by the color schemes of specific decorating styles. By choosing the colour that’s right for you as a base colour, you can literally build the patterns and schemes of the entire room around it. What’s more inspirational than your favourite colour and an entire theme stemming from it?
Look for Design Inspiration
Websites and magazines dedicated to interior design are the obvious places to go and look for inspiration if you’re struggling yourself. In the age of technology we’re lucky enough to be able to scroll through pages and pages of design inspiration at our leisure. Specifically retail websites are a great way to give you overall room inspiration, because remember that
whatever colour you go, you’ll need furniture to match! Sometimes it’s a lot easier to go neutral on the walls in order to be able to be more extravagant with your furniture. Another plus to going neutral on your walls, is that if you’re looking to sell your home, particularly if you’re looking to sell quick with Ready Steady Sell, you’re more likely to get more interest in a house that’s neutrally painted because it leaves a blank canvas for the buyer to work on.
Other great places to look at online inspiration are Instagram and Pinterest, which are updated and refreshed in real time meaning you’ll get new ideas through all the time.
Use Colour Theory to Create Your Scheme
You don’t have to study Colour Theory in depth to be able to use it effectively. A little colour wheel can help you all the same. With something as simple as the turn of a wheel, you can see how well different colours relate to each other, and see for yourself the very basics of colour theory. It’s safe to say you’ll probably not want to use the exact colours on the wheel, but they can be used to inspire you with the same colour but in different shades.
Pull Colour from Patterns
Sometimes using a statement pattern can be a great way to pull out the colours you might want to use for your walls. For example patterned bed covers, pillowcases and throws can provide you with ideas for painting – and if you’re looking to create a feature wall, you can choose the boldest colour available on these! If you are however looking for something a little more subtle, looking at the patterns in more depth and picking out the colour in small details of the fabric might be better for you. If you take a swatch of whatever fabric it is you’re using to the paint shop, you can’t go wrong. Match them up, and you’re ready to go!
Look for the Colour in Art
No, it’s nothing complex. Literally look for the colours in the artwork you’re hanging in the room of your choice, and use select shades to inspire you for your overall colour scheme. Whether you’re wanting to match them or compliment them, using your art to create your room is a lovely, creative way to fill your home with colour.
Be Inspired by the Outdoors
Last but certainly not least, allow yourself to be inspired by nature in the outside world. Bringing the outside in, whether that’s by filling your room with houseplants or taking design ideas from outside colours, is very popular in interior design currently. You could look the using the laid-black blues that mimic the sea, the foliage greens of the forest, or the luscious reds and oranges of the sunset depending on the vibe of the room you’re creating, and either way it’ll look beautiful. However, before making any major decisions (like painting your entire living room burnt orange), remember to view the paint sample in natural lighting, both in the day time and night time, with your windows open and closed. This way, no matter what the season or weather, you’ll know how well your chosen colour compliments your home.
