You want to spruce up your home and you’ve decided everything needs doing. So you might want to consider having a cohesive feel and look and have colours that work together throughout your soon-to-be stunning domain.
But where to start? Here’s a guide to help you through the countless colours available and to ensure the colours you choose work together.
Colours that work together: pick a colour, any colour
The obvious question is what’s your favourite colour? Fuchsia? Excellent choice. But your partner has no desire to live in a fuchsia cocoon of your making. They say fuchsia induces headaches and vomiting. Dump them. But if you decide they can stay, you can look elsewhere for inspiration. Do you have a favourite item? A shawl, a vase, a cushion? Perhaps you have a thing for the Roaring Twenties or an interest in Art Nouveau. Is there a favourite holiday destination that inspires you? Let that be your starting point and let it guide you to a choice of colours and you can figure out how to ensure those colours work together in just a moment.
Colours that work together: choosing a colour palette
Once you have one colour in mind, you’ll want to find the colours that will complement it, and that’s as easy as looking at a colour wheel. Literally. The colours immediately next to your chosen colour are going to be similar shades and will match. Colours directly opposite will offer the perfect contrast. For one room, you want three to four colours. Since we’re looking to tie the whole house together, try not to exceed six colours. This is your home, not the play area in a nursery (but if you want to recapture your childhood, you go for it!) It’s also a good idea to start with the most commonly used area in your home and let everything else lead off from there.
You’ll also want to consider sightlines. If you can see through to your kitchen from your dining room, you’ll want the colours in both areas to work together. A room out of a sightline can take a break from the decor. This will be a relief to parents and children, knowing their rooms do not have to match at all. If a door is closed, any colour scheme can go behind it.
Colours that have similar undertones, such as blues and greens, work well together. Cool colours go with cool colours and warm colours with warm colours. With all the different shades and tones within all colours, each of them has a cool and warm range. Blues and greys can be warm, and reds and greens can be cool.
A neutral scheme throughout will be calming and chic, and neutral colours will naturally go together.
Colours that work together: making your colour palette work
A classic guideline when working with colour in interior design is the 60-30-10 rule (guideline). So you’ll have a primary colour, a secondary colour and one for accents. If you’re keeping to three colours which work together, you can swap around which one is the primary, secondary or the accent colour as you move from room to room.
Ensure the same neutrals, or the same tone, are used in each room and throughout your home. Having the same colour in connecting areas, such as the hallway and landing, will also help keep the look of the house cohesive with colours that work together.
Colours that work together: accents alone can pull your home together
Accessories such as blinds, cushions and rugs are the perfect way to let one accent colour tie the whole house together. The same colour, but with different patterns and textures, will bring your home together while still accommodating the tastes of different family members and the suitability for each room.
The choice of blinds is vast, from Roman blinds for a traditional look, or Roller blinds for simplicity. Venetian blinds and Vertical blinds give ultimate control over just how much light and privacy you need. Shutters cross over from traditional to modern, and even add value to your house. Depending on whether privacy or shade is the main concern, or if you need something easy to clean and moisture resistant for the kitchen or bathroom, the range of fabrics for blinds is vast and you’ll be able to find something for all tastes, all needs, and for all design schemes, ensuring your chosen colours work together.
