How to Choose Colours for House Refurbishment

Choosing colours for a house refurbishment is one of the most important decisions during the renovation process. The right colour palette can dramatically transform the look and feel of your home, enhancing architectural features and creating an atmosphere that reflects your personal style. With endless choices available, picking the right shades can be overwhelming. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you make informed decisions when selecting colours for your home refurbishment.

1. Understand the Space and Purpose

Each room in your home serves a different purpose, and this should guide your colour choices. Colours evoke emotions and can significantly affect mood, so think about how you want each space to feel:

• Living Room: This is often a space for relaxation and socialising. Neutral tones like beige, soft greys, or warm whites create a calm, inviting atmosphere. For a more vibrant feel, introduce accent colours through furniture or accessories.

• Bedrooms: Bedrooms are personal sanctuaries, so softer, soothing colours like pastels, blues, and greens are popular. Darker shades can make a room feel cosy, while lighter tones can make it feel more open and airy.

• Kitchen and Dining Areas: These spaces are hubs of activity, so you can afford to be a bit bolder with colours. Warm tones like soft yellows, creamy whites, or muted reds can stimulate appetite and create an inviting atmosphere. For a modern feel, consider darker colours like navy or charcoal paired with lighter cabinetry.

• Bathrooms: Light, crisp colours like whites, light blues, and soft greens work well in bathrooms, reflecting cleanliness and freshness. For a more luxurious feel, try darker hues like deep blues or charcoal greys, balanced with white tiles or fittings.

2. Consider Natural Light and Room Size

Lighting plays a major role in how colours are perceived. Before choosing a colour, evaluate how much natural light the room gets:

• Rooms with plenty of natural light: Natural light can make bold or dark colours look more balanced and vibrant. You can use deep, saturated colours without making the space feel closed in.

• Low-light rooms: For rooms that lack natural light, lighter colours or warm neutrals work best. These reflect light, making the room feel brighter and more spacious.

3. Create a Cohesive Colour Palette

To create a unified look throughout your home, it’s essential to establish a cohesive colour scheme. Here are some popular approaches:

• Monochromatic Scheme: This involves using varying shades of a single colour. For example, light grey, charcoal, and white create a modern, minimalist feel. It’s a sophisticated approach but requires careful attention to textures to avoid monotony.

• Analogous Scheme: Choose colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel, such as blue, green, and teal. These colours tend to work harmoniously together and create a layered, dynamic space.

• Complementary Scheme: For a bold contrast, opt for colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel, like blue and orange or yellow and purple. This creates a high-energy vibe but should be balanced with neutral tones to avoid overwhelming the space.

• Neutral Palette with Accents: Neutrals like beige, cream, or grey can form the foundation of your colour scheme, with pops of colour added through furniture, art, or textiles. This is a great way to keep the space versatile while adding personality.

4. Use Colour to Highlight Architectural Features

Colours can be used strategically to highlight or downplay architectural features in your home.

• Accentuate focal points: If you have a feature wall, fireplace, or unique architectural details, consider painting them in a bold or contrasting colour to make them stand out. For example, a deep green or navy feature wall in the living room can create depth and draw attention to it.

• Balance proportions: If a room feels too large or cavernous, darker colours on the walls can make it feel more intimate. Conversely, if a room feels small, light colours can open it up and make it appear more spacious.

5. Consider the Psychology of Colour

Colours have the power to affect your mood and behaviour. When refurbishing, think about the psychological impact of the colours you choose:

• Blue: Known for its calming effects, blue is a great choice for bedrooms, bathrooms, or offices where you want to encourage relaxation or focus.

• Green: Representing nature, green has a soothing effect and works well in almost any room. It’s particularly popular for living rooms and kitchens due to its calming yet refreshing properties.

• Yellow: Cheerful and uplifting, yellow can brighten kitchens, dining areas, or playrooms. However, too much bright yellow can be overstimulating.

• Grey: A versatile neutral, grey can either warm up or cool down a space, depending on the undertone. It’s a modern choice that works in nearly any room, offering a sophisticated backdrop for more vibrant accents.

• Red: Red is energetic and passionate. It works well as an accent colour in living rooms or dining areas, but using it in large amounts can be overpowering.

6. Test Before You Commit

Once you’ve narrowed down your colour choices, don’t commit without testing them out first. Paint samples on the walls of your home and observe how the colours look in different lighting throughout the day. What may look great in a showroom or online can appear completely different in your actual space.

You can also use digital colour testing tools provided by many paint brands. These allow you to upload a photo of your room and digitally apply colours to see how they will look before buying paint.

7. Use the 60-30-10 Rule

A tried-and-tested interior design principle is the 60-30-10 rule, which helps create balanced and harmonious colour schemes:

• 60% of the space should be dominated by your main colour, typically on the walls.
• 30% is your secondary colour, which can be used for furniture or textiles.
• 10% is for accent colours, introduced through accessories, artwork, or smaller pieces of furniture.

This method ensures that no single colour overwhelms the room while allowing you to incorporate a variety of hues.

8. Don’t Forget the Finishes

When choosing paint colours, it’s essential to consider the type of finish as well. The finish you choose can affect both the look and durability of the paint:

• Matt finish: Ideal for low-traffic areas, this finish hides imperfections but is harder to clean.
• Satin or eggshell: Great for high-traffic areas like hallways and kitchens, as it has a slight sheen and is easier to clean.
• Gloss or semi-gloss: Often used for trim, doors, and cabinets, gloss finishes are durable and easy to clean but highlight imperfections on walls.

Choosing the right colours for your house refurbishment is an art that requires a balance of personal taste, room function, and design principles. By considering the space, lighting, and mood you wish to create, you can select a colour palette that enhances your home’s architecture and creates a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing environment. Whether you opt for soft neutrals, bold contrasts, or serene pastels, taking the time to experiment with colours will ensure your home reflects your style and remains timeless for years to come.