One of our favourite social media accounts is @doingupmyhome which is run by Ash – an Irish homeowner who has built up years of experience in decor through home projects and helping friends and family with their projects. These are Ash’s top tips on choosing colours based on her experiences…
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When painting a room and thinking about colour, here is what helps me decide.
Orientation – does the room get sun light? Knowing this, eliminates colour options. A north facing room gets no direct sun light whilst an east facing room gets morning sun only.
Avoid blues and cold greys In north facing rooms.
Existing fixtures
At the moment there is a trend to paint bedrooms dark colours which is super but if you are not changing existing fixtures such as headboards, lamps, bedside lockers etc. ensure new colour works with existing fixtures.
Mood
What type of mood are you trying to create. ?
For calmness – green is a great colour choice. Particular good for bedrooms and/ or where people might be studying etc. Red is for energy, passion and danger. Orange is for creativity, youth and enthusiasm. Yellow is for happiness, hope and spontaneity. Yellow is also for happiness, optimism, inspiration and summer. Pink is the delicate color that can work well in the bedroom.
If I think a colour might be too overpowering, I will often paint a feature wall. The hue from the feature wall reflects to the other walls creating a new look in a room without committing to a full colour makeover.
Now you have figured out what colour will create the right mood and works with the orientation, go to a paint shop and get samples.
It can be overwhelming going into a paint shop and seeing lots of paint brands. But if you have decided on the main colour, it is easy to eliminate various shades quickly. I pick a neutral white shade and the other colour options so I can sit the new colour on a background of white to see the true shade.
I often bring the colour cards to a naturally lit area in the shop so I can see the colour without artificial light.
Dulux and Colourtrend have physical colour cards you can buy. Buy 2-3 of these and put them up on at least 2 on opposing walls in the room. Tikkurila Ireland offer free colour cards too which are a great help when choosing colours.
Don’t put them up against the existing wall colour as it won’t work, instead put white behind the colour card and then stick to the wall using blue tack.
If you had to buy sample pots – I recommend painting 2 coats onto card. Painting onto the actual wall creates 2 issues. Firstly painting on top of existing colour will need 2 coats and it is hard to see the impact of the new colour when surrounded by the old colour.
Secondly people generally apply the paint sample with a brush- this has to be sanded flat before you paint the room. In other words it creates more work.
Now you have chosen the colour, the next question is – what type of paint…
By Ash of @doingupmyhome
We would like to give a massive thanks to Ash and be sure to follow her on Instagram on @doingupmyhome for more practical tips, decor advice and brilliant DIY reels.
