Are you considering painting or choosing a new color scheme for your home or your next decorating project and you don’t know which color scheme to choose when designing a room?
Here are some tips and ideas to follow when you are choosing a color scheme for your interior design project:
- Select colors that suit you, your family, and your lifestyle.
- Consider the rest of your home especially in open layout spaces when picking a color scheme.
- Pick colors that compliment the existing theme of your home’s interior design.
- Consider your design style and your personality when selecting colors.
- Consider the mood of the room when choosing a color.
- Decide whether you want to choose a cool (blue, green) or a warm (red, yellow) color scheme.
- Choose a dominant color first that will tie everything else together in a room then choose two other colors.
- Don’t use more than four colors in the same room. Too many colors in the same room make the space look busy and overwhelming.
- Match colors to your existing furniture rather than trying to replace your furniture to match colors.
- Select a color scheme from the largest pattern in a room.
- Make your chosen colors flow by using darker and lighter shades of the same color throughout your home.
- Apply the same ceiling and floor color in all open concept rooms to produce a sense of unity.
- Use the rule of 60-30-10. Dominant colors (walls) 60%, secondary colors (furniture, window treatments) 30%, and one or two accent colors (accessories) 10%.
- Connect your colors by selecting color hues with related undertones. If you love orange with green undertones, look for other colors with green undertones.
- Paint door and window trims and frames the same color.
- Make a room look larger by using lighter color tones and make a room look smaller by using darker color tones.
- Use a color wheel to choose colors that are harmonious with your furniture and accessories.
- Repeat at least one color from your color scheme in every room of your home to create harmony. You can use this color on different items in each room.
- Think about painting the top and the bottom parts of your walls that are separated by wainscoting with two different colors. Choose the lighter of the two colors for the higher part of your wall and the darker of the two colors for the lower part.
- Keep in mind that each color you use creates a different feeling. For example, red is for romance and blue is for relaxation.
- Utilize warm colors such as yellow, orange, and red in entertainment rooms such as your kitchen and your living room; to liven up the space.
- Paint a room that has a lot of sun exposure and gets very hot in the summer a cool color such as blue, green, or violet.
- Paint your ceilings a lighter tone than the walls to make the room feel higher.
- Paint your ceilings a darker tone than the walls to make the room feel lower.
- Remember that different shades of the same color can suggest various ambiances.
- Balance your interior design by using a combination of warm and cool colors in the same room design (red and green).
- Don’t paint a room with high ceiling a pale or neutral color because these tones make a room feel cold.
- Consider the light in your room when selecting colors. Each kind of light reflects a different mood from colors. Natural daylight lets you see the original color picked. Artificial lighting such as incandescent lighting gives the colors picked a warm yellow tone and fluorescent lighting radiates a cooler blue tone.
- Test your paint colors on a large board before painting your entire room.
- Apply one paint color throughout the main floor if you have a modern or contemporary open concept home.
- Consider the color of furniture and features such as flooring, area rugs, and artwork before choosing a paint color.
- Select the right paint finish. There are many paint finishes to choose from. Matte or flat paint finishes are good for hiding imperfections on walls, but are not durable or easy to clean. Eggshell paint finishes are easier to clean and more durable, but do not hide imperfections as well as flat paint finishes. Satin paint finishes are similar to eggshell but glossier and more expensive. Semi-gloss and high-gloss paint finishes are the most durable and easy to clean, they are recommended for use on baseboards, and high moisture areas such as the bathroom and kitchen.
- Use an eggshell paint finish on walls and a semi gloss paint finish on door and window frames.
- Use latex paints for most of your walls, they are fade resistant and dry faster than oil paints.
- Consider eco-friendly paints. Reduce toxins by choosing low or non-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints. VOC’s are known to cause health issues such as dizziness, headaches, and nausea.
- Think about your interior design focal point when you pick colors for a space. Colors can be used to create a focal point in a room.
- Paint the focal point wall a complementary color or a darker shade of the dominant color in a room.
- Make the fireplace a focal point by painting it a color that contrasts with your walls.
- Make your home more sellable by painting it with neutral colors if you are planning to put it on the market.
Color is one of the simplest ways to change the energy in your design space and to create good feng shui in your home. Changing the color scheme in your home is one of the least expensive ways to update your home. It’s always a good idea to test different color pallets before deciding on a final color scheme for your design project. Colors in interior design and home décor should bring out your personality, reflect your preferences and fit your lifestyle.
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