Choosing the right colour for a room can be a challenge but it’s not a process you should rush, because getting it wrong is not only expensive, it’s time consuming, too.
It might seem as though finding colour scheme inspiration has never been so easy – after all, we live in a digital age where we’re bombarded with visual imagery on social media. But having so much information can be overwhelming and decision fatigue is a real problem.
‘When we first meet clients and start a new project, we often have to ‘undo’ a lot of their research to be able to start,’ reveals interior designer Melissa Hutley of Hutley & Humm. ‘People consume so many images on Pinterest and Instagram that often they've got too many ideas and, by the time we meet them, they're totally confused.’
The problem is that you can love many different images of colour schemes for totally different reasons. ‘It doesn't mean those paint colours are going to look great in your home, it doesn't mean they're all going to work together, and it doesn't mean they're right for your property or its heritage,’ adds Melissa.
It’s also important to remember that images online rarely accurately convey paint colours due to screen resolutions, editing and the way that different devices display – and distort – images.
‘It’s impossible to see what a colour is really like from an online image or a little cardboard paint swatch,’ agrees interior designer Laura Stephens. ‘I always advise people to get big bits of lining paper and paint them, then fix them temporarily to several walls using masking tape in various positions around a room because colour can look very different in different places and at different times, depending on light.’
The paint colours we choose to use in our homes might seem unimportant, but they have a much bigger impact on the way we feel than we might think.
‘Colours can really affect your mood,’ says Laura. ‘Energetic colours have the power to enliven you, whereas calming neutrals will relax you,’ she explains. ‘Colour definitely affects how people feel and it impacts everybody differently.’
While paint colour choices are subjective, dependent largely on personal taste, there are a few specific colours that experts agree it’s wise to steer clear of…
1. Deep Purple
There’s no denying that rich plummy shades are very fashionable at the moment, but they’re not suited to every space, and using deep purple is often a risk that’s not worth taking. ‘A very deep, rich purple shade can look beautiful on a swatch or an image, but it's a lot to live with,’ warns Laura.
‘I painted a client's bedroom this colour once and she phoned me up to say she felt as if she was living inside a Quality Street sweet wrapper and just couldn’t cope with it. It was really overwhelming as a colour and it wasn't calming, which is not the effect you want in a bedroom. She felt quite claustrophobic.’
While Laura’s advice is to avoid this powerful colour, she says if you really love it, it can work, but only if it’s used in small doses. ‘It’s safer to use it in a transitional space, such as a boot room or small WC, than a bigger room or one where you spend a lot of time,’ she advises.
2. Blue-grey
‘Avoid blue-based greys, because they can make a room feel very cold, very clinical,’ advises Laura. ‘It’s very difficult to get a room that’s painted in this colour to feel homely. Instead, opt for warmer greys with a red base – a warmer undertone – for a more inviting result.’
3. Yellows
Experts agree that yellow is a very difficult paint colour to get right. ‘If you paint a dark room – any room that lacks natural light – in yellow, then it always goes badly,’ reveals interior designer Melissa. ‘People often wrongly assume that yellow will brighten up a gloomy space, but it has the opposite effect in fact. Yellows need bright sunshine and nice light in order to look warm and welcoming.’
Laura agrees: ‘Buttery yellow is popular at the moment, but I’m a bit sick of it, and yellow in general can be very tricky to use. Even if you get it right and it looks really warm and lovely in the daytime, it can turn quite orangey in the evenings, which is not to everybody’s taste,’ she explains. Laura says if you’re still keen, some yellows are easier to work with than others. ‘Sunlight by Little Greene is a very lovely, soft, sort of stony yellow.’
are much easier to work with. - -
Strong yellows can look great in small quantities. ‘We recently used Babouche by Farrow & Ball on a front door, and also on the back of the door in the hallway,’ says Laura. ‘It would be too much if it was used on all the walls in the whole hallway, but just a pop of yellow like this looks so good. I also like Aeoli – a lovely soft yellow by Paint & Paper Library.’
4. Pink
Pink is another paint colour that can be difficult to get right. ‘I think pink can be lovely, but it can also look a bit saccharine if you choose the wrong hue,’ warns Laura. ‘Avoid the really sugary, red-based baby pinks and instead look for a pink which has got some grey in it to take off the sugary edge,’ she advises.
Laura says the most beautiful pink paint colours are closer to plaster. ‘They’re sort of muddy pinks, almost brown-pinks,’ she explains. ‘An understated pink with an earthy tone is almost like a neutral, so you can add other coloured furnishings to it easily, too. For example, Clove by Edward Bulmer Natural Paint is a great choice if you want to dip your toe into a pink scheme,’ explains Laura. ‘It’s slightly pinky, but definitely not a super-sweet pink.’
5. Magnolia
It’s less popular now than it was 20 years ago, but there’s still a temptation to paint walls in this seemingly safe ‘warm white’ option. ‘People still do it,’ sighs interior designer Melissa. ‘They think: we want white, we want pale walls, but we don’t want it to look too cold or sterile, so we’ll use a yellowy-white to warm things up.
‘It's just awful, because it doesn't do what they want it to do. It doesn't give you warmth, it just makes a cold room look even sadder and cooler than ever. We associate yellow with sunlight, but that very pale creamy yellow doesn't do it, it does the opposite. In order to get warmth in a room, you actually need a saturation of colour – a pigment that's earthy, that absorbs the light more.’
Melissa’s advice is to accept that you can never make a north-facing room look or feel light. ‘It's never going to be a room flooded with natural sunlight, so what you need to do is embrace where it is, potentially even go darker on the walls, and have really lovely lighting so you can create a cosy atmosphere.’
She points out that using a brighter cooler white in a room that lacks natural light is also a mistake. ‘It will just feel sterile and clinical, like a little warehouse back room,’ she says.
3 PAINT COLOURS THAT NEVER FAIL
In a realm where there are hundreds of thousands of options, it’s reassuring to learn that there are some colours homeowners consistently love – these timelessly stylish, fail-safe paints seem to work well in any setting:
Green Blue, by Farrow & Ball
‘This is a colour we use a lot in our clients’ homes,’ reveals interior designer Melissa Hutley of Hutley & Humm. ‘It works very well in schemes that are heavily blue or green, and it works brilliantly with warmer tones, too,’ she points out.
Caddie, by Paint and Paper Library
‘This caramel-pink colour is a good choice if you want to go for a bit of a stronger colour, but you don't want to use dark green or dark blue,’ advises Laura. ‘Other colours look amazing against it and it really makes furnishings pop. It's just a really lovely colour. I've used it in bedrooms, living rooms – and it's always gorgeous.’
Canvas, by Paint and Paper Library
‘This colour comes in lots of tones, from light to dark. It seems to work in both north – and south-facing rooms – I’ve used it in lots of clients’ homes and it's never failed,’ enthuses interior designer Laura Stephens. ‘It's really calm. It's a neutral, bit it’s got real warmth and depth to it. I think it's probably the most asked about paint colour when I put an image online. I absolutely love it.’
