How to: Pick the perfect interior colours for your home.

When it comes to choosing the perfect interior colours for your home, there’s no doubt the decision can be a little daunting. After all, the palette is one of the most important design decisions you can make!

As we all know, colour plays a major role in setting the right tone for a space. It has a large impact on the way our homes look and feel, as well as creating an overall mood within a space. 

To help you make all the right decisions (and bypass all the wrong ones), we've put together our guide to understanding the basics of colour and how you can ensure you are selecting the right ones for your home. 

The Colour Wheel. 

Let’s start with the basics; the colour wheel. This baby is about to become your best friend and, once you understand the basics of this tool, it will be essential in choosing colour for the different rooms of your home. So, let’s get started! 

Warm and Cool Colours. 

One side of the colour wheel will display the warm colours which include reds, oranges and yellows. The other side displays the cool colours such as your blues, greens and purples. 

Monochromatic Colours. 

A monochromatic colour scheme in interiors has become very popular over the last few years and this palette is certainly up there with our favourites. 

An interior using a monochromatic palette will be using various shades of the same colour, such as blacks and greys on repeat. To find a monochromatic scheme, you’ll only be looking at one slice of the colour wheel.

Complimentary Colours. 

One of the toughest decisions to make with colour is finding the right complimentary colours for your home. In order to find some that work well together, you’ll want to look at the opposite side of the colour wheel. For example, reds are on one side and greens are on the other which make these complimentary colours to one another. 

Analogous Colours.

Analogous colours include several slices (typically three) of the colour wheel. These are colours that work well together without the contrast you’d experience by using complementary colour schemes. Looking at the colour wheel, you’ll see an analogous colour example of red, red-violet and violet or yellow, yellow-green and green. 

Colour and moods.

As you’re looking at the colour wheel, it’s a wise idea to consider how each colour will affect the space and mood of your room. Different temperatures, tones and shades will also affect how a person feels in the interior.

Warm colours tend to be more vibrant and inspire confidence. These colours typically work well in dining and entertaining spaces as they are inviting and promote intimacy. 

Cooler colours, on the other hand, are often used to create a relaxed mood and bring calm to a space. Natural colour tones can also achieve a relaxed and peaceful environment. These colours are particularly great for bedrooms and living areas as they promote a restful atmosphere. 

Our Top Colour Tips

Seek inspiration. 

Like most interior projects, the best place to start is with inspiration. Start with what you already have in the room - look at the furniture, the flooring and your accessories including artwork and decorative accents. Draw clues from these interior aspects to help strengthen your colour palette.

We also suggest checking out different interior magazines, Pinterest, Houzz and other design blogs for colour inspiration. Look for rooms that evoke a feeling for you. What colours are you drawn to? It may be helpful to put together a mood board to ensure your colour palette is coherent with the rest of your interior. 

Think about the architecture and interior finishes. 

Some interior experts suggest choosing the paint colour of your room last after considering the architecture and finishes of the home first. That’s because there is such an extensive array of paint colours available, whilst in other design elements like flooring, the options are more limited. 

If you’re redecorating, we suggest thinking about the tones of your flooring, cabinetry and existing furniture before you select your colour palette. Work these materials, finishes and colours into your mood board so you can see the space coming together ahead of time. It’s so important to consider how the architectural features of your interior will work with your chosen colour palette.  

Reinforce your colour palette.

Whether you’re choosing colours for your walls or for your furnishings, reinforcing your palette through other items in the room which can help in creating a cohesive design aesthetic. Look back at your colour wheel and inspirational images to consider colours that work well together and think about how you can embrace those through different artwork and decorative pieces.

For example, if you’ve chosen various shades of green as your scheme, look for other colours that work well to enhance it. This may mean adding more neutrals, blacks or greys in the form of cushions, fabrics, linen or accessories to strengthen the overall appearance of your interior. 

PSCO. Tip; If you are lacking colour combination inspiration, be sure to check out our Instagram page for our favourite combos. 

Keep selecting colours for yourself.  

Finding a complimentary colour palette is one thing, but liking it can be an entirely different prospect! Remember, you’re going to have to live with your colour choice for some time, unless you want to experience the expense of redecorating again soon. So, our advice here is don’t get too hung up on the colour wheel or different trends. Make sure your colour selection is in line with your personal taste because you’re the one that needs to love it!