No... I'm not suggesting you take a crayon to your interiors, although there are some great murals around so never rule it out. We're talking about choosing colours for your space. It sounds like an easy task, but is it really?
This is where so many of us go wrong and I want to tell you why so hopefully you won’t the next time you are creating your perfect space.
Infinite possibilities
Firstly consider the science: there are literally an unlimited number of colours you can paint a wall. For paint there are colour match systems that allow you to be exact on your choice, but for fabrics and materials that’s a whole lot harder. There are only so many colours of fabric and each is individual to the material it is on, and sometimes with a combination of colours on each fabric design.
There's nothing worse - although it's extremely common - than choosing a wall colour you've fallen in love with without thinking about the smaller elements that are harder to match. Then you find out that the particular shade of Pavilion Grey is impossible to match to.
Start from materials, not paint
We recommend you work backwards - start by choosing your materials. For a living room, for example, choose the sofa, the material of the units and even the curtains. You don't have to buy these items - you could just get samples and create a mood board.
Once you've decided on these items and have the samples in front of you it's much easier to start looking at wall colours that will match your materials, or indeed to use a colour match system to match to one of the colours in your chosen scheme.
Sourcing samples
Next it is sample time. Now you have chosen your selection of colours you ‘think’ you like, can you live with them?
And we come to Mistake #2 for us can’t-wait-to-see-it-done people.
Natural light changes throughout the day. The contrast increases through the morning and then decreases during the afternoon. This has a great effect on colour. Then of course there's the fact you use artificial light in the night time and that every room faces a different direction.
So how can we think that a small sample on paper or a few strokes on our wall can be accurate for what we will have to live with for what is possibly years to come? The best way is to go big and do it for a week! Paint a large sample on the wall in a corner so you can see shadows and then leave it there for a week. Ensure you visit the room regularly throughout the day but especially at the specific times you'll most likely be using the space.
If you're worried about testing a dark colour on a wall that you may later paint white, paint the dark colour onto a large piece of lining paper, which you can pick up cheaply from any good DIY store, and tack or tape it to the corner of the wall.
Once dry and if possible, I would also highly recommend taping the samples of materials you have to the wall too. It will really bring it together and allow you to see the design. Only then will you really be making the most informed decision on the colour for your space.
Of course, if sampling and painting aren't for you but you're desperate to check your space out before making costly purchases, I would definitely recommend a 3D render. This allows you to see the light at various times of the day and to ensure the colours and space planning works for you. As part of your interior design package this is done as standard to ensure we too are making the most informed decision on your behalf.
I hope this has helped in starting your design and for further information on our 3D render packages or for help creating a perfect space individually tailored to you, please call 0208 133 0702.