Colour is a crucial determinant to the feeling and mood of a room. It can be the difference between a lively, vibrant living space that encourages activity and a dull, macabre setting, which alienates owners and visitors alike. There are many tips and tricks that decorators utilise to ensure that the colour scheme creates more of the former and less of the latter.

Generate Balance

To create the right colour scheme, a well followed rule that many professionals use is known as the 60-30-10 rule. 60% of the dominant colour should be used in a room constituting mainly the walls, 30% of a secondary colour such as a feature wall, cabinetry, carpet or upholstery, and 10% of an accent colour such as a vibrant rug, cushions or a window trim.

Utilise a Mood Board

As a part of helping to generate balance with the room, creating a mood board can help initiate the process. A mood board is a piece of cardboard with all the swatches of colour proportionately placed upon it to represent the features of a room from the paint on the walls to the fabric of the furniture to the texture of the flooring. It is a useful tool in determining the potential atmosphere of a room.

Differing Spectrums

Choosing colours that have the desired effect on emotion, mood and behaviour are important to consider when deciding how you want the space to feel. Living spaces and bedrooms are places of calmness and relaxation and this should be reflected in the tone of the colours used. A kitchen or playroom are highly functional areas that would benefit from uplifting and vibrant tones. Red is a favourite option in the kitchen that’s associated with passion and ambition. This brilliant hue actually stimulates appetite, so many colour-backed splashbacks and polyurethane-painted cupboard doors look stunning in fire-engine red.

Consider the Big Picture

A good way to unify the different rooms of your house is to use one colour on all the walls. If you can’t resist using different colours, particularly for feature walls, then make sure they tonally match. It’s best to avoid any clashing colours even if they are in different ends of the house!