If you've lived your life in a world of white and beige, you might feel a little daunted when it comes time to decorating and painting up a room. After all, no other surface in a room has as much impact as your walls. At the same time, painting is the easiest - and most affordable - decorating project to redo if you don't like the results.
If the thought of frequent taping and sponging leaves you cold, adhere to one of the basic rules of decorating: Start with what you love. More than likely, you probably have a pretty solid personal style, you just may have never thought about what that style is. Chances are, you're drawn to colours that all relate to a central colour. Think about the colours that please you - sometimes, what's trendy and what you love will be the same thing - then let your rooms guide you. The size and function of rooms will help determine what colours suit them. Some rooms scream to be painted a certain colour. Others whisper.
There is nothing wrong with painting every room in your house a different colour. Just make sure the colours harmonise. If you can see your kitchen from your living room, you'll want the colours to complement each other, not clash.
Get to understand the Colour Wheel
Colours that lie across from one another on the colour wheel are complementary colours: red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple.
Colours that lie next to one another are analogous colours: yellow-green, yellow, yellow-orange.
Using complementary colours will yield rooms with both balance and contrast. Using analogous colours from room to room will create more flow. One way to pull all the rooms together is to paint each of the ceilings and all the trim the same, neutral colour.
The exposure of a room, the number of windows and even exterior architecture (roof overhang, covered patio, etc.) will all play a role in helping you determine what colours suit the space.
Consider another basic rule: whilst light colours make a room look bigger, sometimes, there's just no point in trying to fool your eye or anyone else's. Some rooms are just small, so why not enliven the walls with a jolt of colour? Any shade of purple, from periwinkle to plum, is a fun choice for a small bathroom, especially if you have white fixtures. White will help balance the room and give your eye a place to rest. (Fluffy white towels will do the same trick.) And, hey: A bright colour will help you wake up in the morning.
On the other hand, if you're trying to get some sleep, consider painting your bedroom a relaxing colour. Designers are declaring that sage green is on the wane, but don't let that stop you. Greens can be calming and may be just what you should be looking at before you turn out the lights and drift off.
Whatever colours you choose, trust your instincts. When you visit your local Prominent Paint Decorating Centre, or local paint store, take chips of any colours that interest you for the room you're painting. Once you have them home and look at them in the room's light and with your furnishings and accessories, appropriate colours will start to stand out. Stick them up on the walls for at least 24 hours, so you can see the colours in the varying lights of day.
Paint itself will be one of the most reasonable investments you make in a room, but once you add your time and effort, the cost escalates. So after you've conquered your fear of colour, don't be afraid to spend some cash on good quality paint.
See the wide range of products that Prominent Paints have to offer.
When it comes to paint, price is a fair guide of what you're getting. Good paint will adhere to the wall better, cover more and spatter less. The difference in price between good paint and not-so-good paint isn't much, but you'll be glad when the rollers are washed and the tape is pulled down and you love the results. Buy cheaper paint and you may have to paint many coats to get good coverage, thereby using more paint, not saving much money and costing yourself a bundle in frustration. And when it comes time to wash your walls, good paint will stand up to scrubbing.
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