The Thing About Colour

"What's the colour of your wall?" is one of my favorite questions to ask a customer. It gives me a little insight on their house and design style. Most people love and fear colour. They love to have it but fear to make the commitment. There are a lot of rules regarding colour but I am going to tell you about the basics.

Wall Colours
As a general rule, use a maximum of 3 colours. Any more than your house will look visually fragmented. Keep in mind that using only one wall colour throughout will make your space look bigger. Use an accent wall colour on areas that you want to highlight. If you want create the mood, paint the entire room one colour.

Furniture
There are many factors regarding colour in furniture.Selecting a neutral colour like greys or browns for large furniture pieces will add versatility and longevity. Feel free to go with bolder colours on smaller pieces of furniture like armchairs.

Cushions
This is where you can go wild here because its an inexpensive way to add the pop of colour into your home. Cushions can be changed with the current trends or seasons. If you followed my advice on neutral coloured furniture, it will need some colour! 

Home wares
Same as cushions, home wares can be used to put your design scheme together. .

Art
Use the rule of contrasts in determining the placement of art. A bold art piece should not be placed on a bold wall colour.

Rugs
The right rug is the X factor in making an average room to looking fabulous. Again, use the rule of contrasts against the furniture that is resting on the rug. Patterned rug goes great with solid coloured sofa or vice versa.

Cool or warm colours?
Ultimately, its a personal preference. Whatever you choose will direct the rest of your decor in that direction. For example, cool colour like blue goes great with white and greys. Warm colours like red compliments nicely with yellow and browns.

I hope this has given you some insight and confidence when shopping for furniture and home wares. These rules are not set in stone because there are many exceptions to the rule. That's what makes decorating fun. By the way, if you are wondering that the answer is to my wall colour question, it's white.