Decorating with colour

It's a known fact that colour plays a big impact on your room scheme. Colour can also be used to conjure up modern, traditional, or contemporary room settings and affect your mood. Here are some tips to getting it right the first time.

Successful schemes evolve over time - don't feel you have to do it all at once. Choose colours for your walls and floors first.

When you've lived with these for a while, then add accessories and soft furnishings.

Create a dado rail effect by painting the lower half of your wall in a deeper or contrasting shade - a brilliant way to add definition to plain walls. You could also paint squares of colour to imitate wall panels or frame an interesting feature.

When choosing paint, use tester pots - card swatches are never 100 per cent accurate. Paint the inside of a cardboard box as a model of how the colour will look in your room. It'll help you gauge the effect of the colour at different wall angles and in different lighting conditions.

If you plan to use bright colours in most rooms, think of your house as a whole. Similar shades blend one room into another for a more soothing effect. You'll also trick the eye into thinking your home is larger because there won't be any sharp contrasts.

Combine plain emulsion with a pearlised version in the same shade to create patterns on your wall.

Or paint a striped wall with alternating matt and sheen paints for a two-toned wall effect.

Colour charts are indispensable when choosing paint. Dulux code their charts to alert you to the dominant primary. R stands for red, B for blue, G for green and Y for yellow. Sometimes there are two letters together, such as RR, which means the colour is a true red. RE would be a red with a blue undertone.

All colours are made up of a mixture of primary colours - red, blue and yellow. When designers talk about a colour having an 'undertone', it simply means that one primary colour is predominant in the paint's make-up. As a general rule, colours that have a similar undertone work well together.

Don't panic if you open a tin and the colour looks wrong. Paint darker and dries lighter, so wait until it's completely dry before making a final decision.

Water down emulsion to create a translucent 'wash'. Then try out different effects on your walls - using it over a white base will help the colour show up.

Coloured carpet looks stunning against neutral walls. Use warm, practical shades like raspberry or coffee with creamy walls, or team lilac, blue or aqua carpets with off-white or dove grey walls. Green carpet would also suit either of these wall combinations.

One of the quickest and cheapest ways to add colour is with flowers. Small arrangements add splashes of colour, while larger displays can give the room a new dimension.

Want to add a new accent colour to your scheme? Test it out with flowers in that colour first.

Pictures can add colour to neutral walls or tone down brightly painted ones. For a modern look, hang large images in bold colours to match or contrast with the walls. For a more traditional feel, choose paintings or prints in muted shades that tone with your decor and arrange them in groups.

Cover an undressed windowsill with colourful mosaic tiles, fixed with a water-resistant grout. You could also frame photographs under a sheet of glass cut to the size of the sill, or simply display your favourite, colourful pieces of china and glass.

A colourful rug that contrasts with the floor, placed by your sofa and armchairs will make a seating area seem cosier and more intimate.

Choose new kitchen units or paint your old ones in a neutral shade and enhance them with colourful walls or accessories. You'll be able to redecorate as often as you like without changing your units.

Display bright tableware on open shelves.

For a streamlined look, choose china in colours to blend in with your units and pieces with similar lines and proportions.

When choosing fabric, take into account the type of fibre it's made from. Wool and cotton absorb light and give a matt effect. Man-made fabrics and silks may be shiny or shot with another colour - another way to introduce a coordinating shade.

Choose curtains that match or tone with your wall colour to make a room feel larger. Maximise light by hanging pale, reflective fabrics like satin that can be pulled right back from the window. Dark fabrics will frame a window, but can make it seem smaller, so use them in large rooms with big windows.

A scheme based on neutrals with one key colour is always effective. Suede effects and deep brown shades will add interest to a neutral cream palette.

Combining different weights and textures, such as a chenille with linen, are very popular.

Delicate blue-green-grey schemes subtly change character according to the prevailing light and look different under direct sun, cloud or tungsten lighting. Aqua and lilac can look almost grey in cool, south-facing rooms. To create warmth instead of moodiness, use them as accent colours on furniture instead.

Use red-, yellow- or orange-tinted lamp shades to warm up an all-white room, or try tinted light bulbs teamed with white shades for a subtle effect.

Want a harmonious scheme that's easy to live with? Go for 1950s pastel shades - baby pink, powder blue, soft green or white with a hint of yellow. They mix together well and create a relaxing mood.

Over time, you'll get a feeling for your rooms - some feel sunny on dull days, while others are wintry at the height of summer. When you've got to know each room, decorate it accordingly. Use summery shades to make a sunny room brighter, and choose warm, cosy colours to make a cold room glow.

Treat wooden furniture as a colour accent, too. Choose limed oak, birch or maple to complement cool and airy schemes. Rich mahogany or coppery cherry wood will add a toning shade to deep colours.

Liven up a plain bedroom with a pretty fabric headboard to contrast or coordinate with your bed linen or walls.

Make your own by cutting SupaWood to size. Then place a layer of wadding on top and fix fabric over it, stapling the material in place at the back.

Add a splash of colour to a pale scheme by painting the window frames and woodwork in a bright shade the French have made an art of this. For best results, stick to satin-finish paints in natural shades like apple green, sky blue or yellow.

To make your room cosier, paint the ceiling and wall above the picture rail one or two shades lighter than your walls.

Use contrasting colours together - but stick to shades of the same intensity and no more than three colours in a room. Remember that softer shades feel more traditional, while bold will be at home in a modern room. Try soft lilac, olive green and cream, or lime green, raspberry and white in a modern one.

Coloured glass creates beautiful reflections, and will spread colour around your room when light shines through it. Put pretty bottles on a windowsill or use colourful stick-on films on plain window panes. For a more permanent effect, replace a window with a stained-glass panel. You could also put coloured glass bricks into a window space.

Add warmth and colour to white walls with bold accessories. A line of bright vases on a shelf or mantelpiece will trick the eye into seeing a welcoming block of colour. Alternatively, paint a feature wall in a bold colour, then hang a mirror and display white ceramics to reflect light.

Introduce a burst of colour and a practical element to your room with some storage solutions in bright shades. Try using some pink or red lidded boxes and files for a girl's bedroom, choose fresh green and blue to liven up a boy's room, or revamp your home office with inspiring yellows and turquoise.

  source: house beautiful