Beginner’s guide to decorating your home with colour
Spring is the perfect time to give your home a makeover and there’s no better way to freshen up a space with an injection of colour. Adding colour to the home is an easy and cheap way to transform your space, but many people are often too afraid to take the plunge and give their interiors a lick of paint.
Dulux colour expert Andrea Lucena-Orr says there’s no need to be afraid of colour, telling Over60, "never feel afraid of changing colour on a wall. A fresh coat of paint is a simple and inexpensive way to add colour, personality and create a place where you feel comfortable, inspired and happy.”
When it comes to home decorating, changing the colours of a wall or walls is such an easy and cheap way to transform the entire feel of your home. It’s big on impact without getting into a major decorating project.
“Colour plays a pivotal role in the home as it helps define the feeling and mood of a space and it so simple to create with a simple painting project,” says Andrea, continuing, “Adding small changes more regularly to your home will ensure your home stays up-to-date and the projects can remain on a small and cost effective scale rather than having to do a whole home at once.”
So how do you go about picking the right colour for your home? Remember colour is a personal preference so Andrea advises you to think about what you want to achieve with your home.
“Colour choice should always be based on the outcome you are trying to achieve,” she says. “Think about the overall ambience you want and do not think of colour as flat. In-between spaces such as corridors and circulation spaces between rooms are often overlooked. They act as transition spaces and can add delight, linking spaces in the home.”
Andrea’s top tips for decorating with colour:
- Consider what aspect the room is facing. For example, north or west rooms will receive most intense light so you need to consider this before colour selection.
- Consider the lighting in the space to ensure you are making the most of natural daylight.
- Review your existing fittings and furnishings to ensure these colours will work with elements that cannot be changed easily.
- Always use a sample pot to check how your colour appears either on the wall or painted on a large cardboard sheet, so that you can move around the room and look in different areas. Leave the sample ‘on’ for at least three days before making a final decision.
- Don’t select colours on advice from friends or neighbours visiting - great that they want to help but unless they are professional designers/colour consultants it will be their personal preferences selected rather than yours or your families. To make it your own treasured space it has to be your own taste and considerations taken into the thought process and final decisions.
Do you have any advice for simple and cheap ways to decorate the home? Share your tips with us in the comments section below.
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