How to choose the right colours for your home

Get inspired

Finding inspiration should be your starting point when selecting a new colour palette for your home. There are hundreds of magazines and websites that are devoted to interior design and current trends. You could also try looking through a book of colour swatches or look online for some inspiration.

Decide on a light or dark colour theme

Lighter colours can open up a space, while darker colours have the opposite effect. Also, consider how colours will flow from room to room and how the new colour scheme will match key pieces of furniture.

Trend or classic?

Like all aspects of design, colours do come and go. Mission brown anyone?

If re-painting every couple of years isn't your idea of a good way to spend a weekend, then a neutral palette (think whites and greys) is for you.

But if you crave colour then there's no shortage of options. To minimise re-painting in the future, limit your use of colour to 1 or 2 walls as opposed to the entire room. Another way to add colour is through accessories or wall hangings, which are much easier to switch out when trends change, which they inevitably will.

Testing paint samples

Now that you've narrowed down your options, it's time to get some test pots. Pick a wall and paint a generous section with each of your sample pots. How do the colours look at different times of the day? How are they affected by sunlight? In shade? With the lights on? If you can, try living with your sample colours for at least a week before making a final decision.

Remember, it's better to spend a small amount of time and money on testing different colours or shades than going to a lot of effort and expense painting an entire room only to find you don't completely love the colour.

Ready to paint?

Now you've decided on your colour scheme, find out how easy it is to paint your home.

Photo credit: Dulux