BEING BRAVE: STEPPING AWAY FROM NEUTRAL PALETTES & INTO A WORLD OF COLOUR
When it comes to transforming your home, whether it be a retreat of tranquillity and warmth, or a space of high productivity: few elements are as powerful as the paint colours you choose. Colour has an incredible power of influencing the energy of a space, whether you prefer dark hues or light, stepping bravely into a world of colour can support with enhancing the mood and dictating a journey within your space.
Dark and Dramatic
One of the most compelling reasons to opt for dark colours on your walls is the unparalleled atmosphere they create. Darker hues instantly evoke a sense of drama and intimacy, enveloping a room in a cosy, cocoon-like embrace. Picture a living room bathed in the rich, velvety tones of midnight blue—every corner becomes a canvas for shadows to dance, adding depth and intrigue to the space.
You can even extend darker colours onto the ceiling, allowing it to embrace the entire space and those who enter. Using this technique will create an illusion of taller ceiling and receding walls, as there are no lines or boundaries, just depth, warmth and colour.
A light touch
For those who feel a little reserved about the use of dark colours, taking the path of softer, lighter shades, such as a pastel or mid-tone can be a little less daunting.
Light paint colours stand out for their ability to subtly enhance ambiance and create a welcoming atmosphere. Whether you’re redesigning a cosy bedroom, revamping a vibrant kitchen, or refreshing a serene living room, light paint colours can work wonders in elevating the mood and functionality of any room.
Lighter tones, even when using colour, will reflect the light in a space, making it feel bright and airy. This may be helpful in areas of high productivity such as a kitchen, breakfast nook or office.
Warming your walls
Warm reflective colours such as yellow based greens, pinks or citrus tones; lemon, cumquat and lime, can create the illusion of natural light in low light situations. This is particularly helpful in refreshing and revitalising rooms with south facing window or in bathrooms where windows are often small and don’t let a lot of light in.
Cooling off
Cool colours can recede into the background, giving the illusion of space and calmness. No matter the shade, blue is a colour which consistently expresses tranquillity within nature (think about a lake, ocean, or blue summer sky).
This makes cool colours a wonderful addition for bedrooms, entries, lounge spaces and enhance the cosiness of smaller rooms.
Using colour to create a journey
Keeping in mind that colour can enhance an experience or create a mood; then mindfully choosing colours to enhance that experience can further accentuate and harmonise a journey from one space to the next.
For example, a lighter tone used in an entry foyer, can become more dramatic in an adjoining, formal lounge space. This creates a sense of harmony between the spaces yet evokes a differing sense of occasion.
Using this technique can also make a space feel larger, as you step into a new world from one room to the next.
A room within a room
If you have an open plan space which is used for different functions, for example a combined kitchen, dining and lounge space, you can create the illusions of separate ‘rooms’ through use of colour. The walls surrounding lounge area may be of a darker tone of green to a lighter tone in the kitchen, inducing the idea that each area has a different function. The lighter tone of the kitchen providing energy, freshness and productivity, next to the darkness of the lounge space which offers an opportunity to relax and retreat. This will also give the illusion of a bigger space.
Feature this!
Choosing a colour for a feature wall, as opposed to staying safe with is a wonderful way to enhance a piece of art, furniture or even your television. Darker colours are great for wall mounted televisions, as the wall will recede to provide a better vision and illumination of the TV screen.
Colour can evoke a specific design period
Mid Century Anyone? If you have a period home or are drawn to a specific design style, the colours you choose can help support this idea. Certain design styles and periods have specific colours, whether it is a original Georgian home, a workers cottage, a contemporary eco build or you are drawn to a fusion of styles, using certain colours for your space can help bring these styles to the forefront of your room design.
Feeling overwhelmed? Help is available
With so many colours, tones and paint finishes available, choosing paint colours can be very overwhelming. If you find you love the idea of colour, but have no idea of where to begin, a colour consultation might be the best step forward in ensuring you nail your colour palette, without the expense of umpteen sample pots.
T&B’s colour expert Ellisha has over 20 years paint colour experience in her toolbox. For a small fee she will visit your home and work together with you in demystifying colour options, sheen levels and application. After your colour consult you will walk away with a full colour design for your interior or exterior, including specified paint colours, application and sheen levels. Whether you are a DIY enthusiast, or handing the reins to a professional painter, there will be no wasted investment on paint (or sample pots), just a clear direction and beautiful spaces for you to relax and enjoy.
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