This week Jo Woodward gives us her advice on incorporating a new colour into your home…
The very thought of introducing a new colour scheme into your home or adding new life into an existing colour scheme, can be overwhelming especially when deciding which colours compliment each other or compliment your existing furniture.
If you feel overwhelmed then you may want to remember the following:
There are no such things as bad colours just bad colour schemes!
Mother nature is a wonderful guide to finding beautiful colour schemes. Using colours from nature are a fail-safe combination for a new colour scheme.
Creating a foundation for your new colour scheme
The easiest rule to follow when creating a colour scheme is the 60%, 30%, 10% proportion rule.
This is where for 60% of your room the colours chosen are in a neutral tone.
Large parts of the room are flooring, walls and ceiling. The floor is usually the darkest shade whilst the ceiling is usually the lightest of the chosen neutral.
60% neutral tones used in flooring, walls & ceiling
The next 30% will consist of your larger pieces of furniture, cabinets, doors, woodwork & larger scale soft furnishings such as curtains, these all look better if they contrast or compliment the neutral 60%.
30% darker contrasting furniture & Soft furnishings
The final 10% is usually the most forgotten part of the rule, it’s what adds the interest or pop of colour to your room. This will be via your accent pieces & will usually consist of the darkest and strongest hues in your colour scheme.
Consider them the jewellery of a room, the pieces you use to complete the look. New cushions, a throw, art or new lampshades, can freshen a room instantly.
10% Added interest with a pop of colour using different textures
It is the red coming through within the fabrics, the flex on the bedside lamp & in the art. Pulling our 60,30,10 rule together.
& Finally – how to create flow, and how do you transition the colour from one room to another?
An easy way to create flow, especially in a new home, is to take one colour and alter it from the lightest tone to a darker version and use throughout the house. Choosing a few accent colours to add in via accessories, art, rugs, lampshades and flowers will add interest and life. Choose no more than 3 to 5 accent colours for the whole home or the scheme will stop feeling cohesive and just look a little jarring.
As most of us do not have the scenario where we can decorate in one fell swoop you will have to decide whether to have a future proof plan and slowly work towards a cohesive scheme as you decorate room by room or just decide which rooms you cannot change but can coordinate and create a better colour flow by the addition of your chosen accent colours.
Incorporate colour by the addition of cushions and art.
Ensure that your existing colours work with the new addition.
Photo credits
Images from Sienna Interiors owned by Jo Woodward our resident interior designer.