·
Ceiling paint
Never
paint a ceiling dead white because all white paint has a bit of gray in it, and
it takes the room down. Paint the ceiling a cream shade.
·
Matching shades
Never
match you walls to a colour in one of your fabrics. It will be too strong. Find
a grayed-out version of the colour.
·
Neutral balance
The
biggest mistake people make when they’re trying to be colourful and exciting is
to forget that you need to balance it with neutrals, otherwise it ends up
looking like a colour wheel.
·
Continuity matters
Even if
you don’t use the same colours everywhere, the rooms still feel connected. The
bedroom should never feel like it’s in a completely different house from the
living room – the whole house has to make sense as one.
·
Contrast concerns
One of
the biggest mistakes people make with neutrals is not enough contrast. A room
of creams and beiges needs something stark and shiny white. And something
black. You have to interject elements that add intense personality. Make it
gusty, or else it’s boring.
·
Don’t go overboard
When
any colour scheme is taken too seriously, it loses its power. You need to know
when to pull back.
·
Picture yourself in the space
People
don’t take into account how they’ll look in a room when choosing a colour.
·
Let a room evolve
You
don’t have to commit to colour all at once, play with it as the rooms evolve.
Start with one palette and then mix things in.
·
Choose the right finish
Darker
colours can read very flat, so use a high-luster finish. Good prep is key to
any high-luster paint finish, so skim-coating the walls really helps. If the
walls are well prepared, you can get a deep, rich gloss without going to the
expense of lacquering.
·
Depth issues
Deep
colours contain many other hues, and you have to be just as concerned about the
secondary shades that are blended in. Colours that have no depth are oddly
fluorescent. They will leap out at you, rather than pull you in. it’s a subtle
difference, but failure to recognize it is what sometimes makes people afraid
of using colour.
