Whether building a house from scratch or renovating a period property, choosing colour is intrinsic to creating the spaces you desire. Dawn Scott of Dulux Trade explains how to create a colour scheme which closely reflects your personality and lifestyle
When you think of ‘home,’ what comes to mind? For many people, a home is a safe haven. It is a place where you can take off your shoes, relax and unwind with friends and family. In fact, our homes experience it all – from long, hot showers in the bathroom to chilling out in the living room or socialising with friends in the kitchen/diner.
With this in mind, when it comes to choosing a colour scheme for your home, it is important to assess each space individually. You need to think about the positioning of the room – is it north or south facing, how you use the space, and more importantly, how you want to feel when you’re in the room. These are essential factors to consider, as colours can not only look different in various light, but they can also evoke a range of emotions and moods.
So, what colours should you choose for each area of a home? Of course, there is no firm rule about what shades should be used where. However, here’s some inspiration for the type of colours you should be considering.
HALLWAYS
Let’s start with the first impression. Hallways are often the first room we enter and as such, these spaces should be welcoming, and provide you with that ‘and…relax’ feeling that you want, when you return home from a long day at work, a fun day out or a holiday. When it comes to choosing colour for hallways, there are two routes you could explore. You could opt for warmer shades which will provide a comforting welcome, or you could choose more uplifting colours that bring a sense of joy and friendliness.
KITCHEN/DINER
Depending on what colour scheme you choose for the hallway, you may want to extend this through to the kitchen/diner to provide a coherent and fluid design. Alternatively, you may want to change the shades used, but remain within the same colour palette. For example, if you select a yellow shade for the hallway, which exudes optimism, you may want to choose a complementing colour such as greys to provide a more mature aesthetic.
BEDROOMS
When it comes to bedrooms, we all want to create our very own sleep sanctuary – and this can be achieved in multiple ways. Selecting warm shades, such as neutral biscuit hues, dusty pink shades, or even colours that are reminiscent of seascapes, woodlands, or an awe-inspiring sky, will help to ‘cocoon’ the room, and provide a sense of belonging. However, for those who want to dramatise the space, choosing dark shades like a rich blue will certainly add depth and a touch of luxury – especially when paired with lighter, more tactile
soft furnishings.
HOME OFFICES
Since the pandemic, more people than ever are hybrid working, which means there is a rise in the creation of home offices. One trend that is taking the office world by storm is biophilic design. Biophilic design is a concept that seeks to connect building occupants more closely to nature and the great outdoors. In fact, biophilic design can help to, improve your mood and make you feel calmer and more relaxed overall. As such, choosing shades that can be found in nature, such as fluid green and blue hues for a home office can help to bring the outside in.
USING THE COLOUR OF THE YEAR
There are many colours available on the market to help personalise your home. However, Dulux recently announced its Colour of the Year 2024, and its three supporting colour palettes, which will provide you with a wealth of colour inspiration.
Colour of the Year for 2024 is Sweet EmbraceTM – a delicate, optimistic, and modern tone that is understated and comforting and brings a sense of stability and softness to a space. To complement Sweet EmbraceTM, three versatile colour palettes have also been developed: a Warm palette for comforting spaces; a Calm palette for quiet spaces; and an Uplifting palette to create friendly spaces.
WHAT TYPE OF PAINT SHOULD YOU CHOOSE FOR YOUR HOME?
Colour aside, when it comes to deciding on what type of paint you should opt for, it’s best to look for a product that is highly durable for areas such as hallways, kitchens, and dining rooms. For areas such as bedrooms and offices, a vinyl matt is the perfect choice.
Dawn Scott is senior colour designer at Dulux Trade