Refresh Your Palette: 5 Tips for Decorating With Colour

The average person in the UK redecorates their home 36 times in their lifetime.

If your home decor is looking a bit drab, you probably want to know how to create a coherent and timeless look. A new colour palette may be all you really need. But for this to work, you need to do it the right way.

Read on for our 5 expert tips on decorating with colour.

Use Colour Theory

Changing your colour scheme is an easy way to change the mood and design. If you’re going to do this, it’s important to know and understand the colour families. They’re divided into three types:

• Warm colours
• Cool colours
• Neutral colours

While you can mix and match, a design will most likely have an overall feeling of neutrality, warmth, or coolness. Working with different hues of the colours within a family is a good way to build the feeling you want the room to give off.

Pick a Palette

Picking a streamlined colour palette helps the rooms feel cohesive. But, it also helps with transitioning between each room.

Create your palette using shades of the same hue. Once you have the colours you want for the first room, move on to the next room using the same paint colour strip. But, pick a shade lighter or darker than the first colour.

This method adds interest and depth to the rooms. Each room has uniqueness. It also ensures the colours match well together.

Flip-Flop Your Colours

A great way to push the mileage of a small group of colours is to ‘flip-flop’ the colours. In other words, a colour you used for an accent, you now push it to the foreground.

By doing this you’re helping to streamline your rooms. You can get a lot of variety in your looks from a limited colour pool.

Colour-and-Pattern Boldness

If you’re using patterns, sometimes it’s better to tone down the colour. Otherwise, you can end up with a more chaotic effect than you planned for.

By toning down the colour and avoiding bolder choices, you can add a calmer tone. This also works for bolder, less quiet fabrics and patterns too. The right colour choice can bring calmness and a quieter feel while still allowing you to use show-stopping bold pattern choices.

Use White

White is a colour that can modernise and add freshness to a room. A popular style is to apply the colour to the walls and then add white gloss to any woodwork. This is a very clean look but for some can come across harsh.

If you want to soften it up, try picking a companion colour that goes well with the walls to colour the ceiling. This can soften the transition between colours. It can actually make the room appear more spacious.

Decorating with Colour the Right Way

As you can see, there are a few tricks to be aware of when decorating with colour. If you follow these tips, you’ll have a bold and cohesive redesign of your home.

If you found these tips useful, check out our other articles on styling your home. At Primrose & Plum, we know that every home is put together with love, and can help you decorate to reflect your style.