How to choose your interior design colour scheme

Playing around with colours can allow you to create different atmospheres in your home. To make the most of your redecoration, think about the significance of colours and which tones are best suited to each room in your house.

Primary colours – that is, yellow, red and blue – are the staple colours of interior decoration. With numerous shades and hues, each of them contributes to the creation of particular atmosphere for your home. Yellow is often used to bring warmth to a room. Depending on the shade you choose, you can create a bright, contemporary effect or a rustic, cosy interior. Red and its derivatives (orange and pink) all have their advantages. Red can be used to create a sleek, modern design when paired with black and white, whereas orange matches perfectly with wooden furnishings to create a rustic, provincial look. Pink can be soft and relaxing or bright and shocking to make a real design statement. For a stark contrast, match a pale pink with a bright fuchsia or violet, or consider a faded pink. Finally, blue can create a calming, luminous or warm effect, depending on the shade. Deep blues and turquoises can be matched with more neutral tones, such as beige or white, to create an effortless chic. Many other options are open to you : pure and elegant white, fashionable black and purples, greens which can refresh a room, or greys which can create a refined elegant style.

Each colour has a certain symbolism. • Yellow is synonymous with joy and activity, but also richness. It can make a room seem larger and more grandiose. • Pink is a colour with a lot of character, representing strong emotions and providing a feeling of warmth. • Blue is the colour of the sea and the sky and symbolises peace and tranquility. • Orange stimulates, green relaxes and purple calms you. • Black, although it is often a negative colour, can give a room an elegant and modern feel. • Finally, white, synonymous with purity, brightens a room and makes it feel larger and more open.

For a lounge or living room, you can opt for warm colours like brown, yellow and orange, or more calming tones like green, mauve or white. Fans of modern interior design might want to choose a striking combination of white, grey and black with splashes of red. For your kitchen, a mediterranean colour scheme of yellow, orange and olive green can be a great choice, while others prefer more neutral colours such as brown and white. More modern kitchen colour schemes include a splash of green or mauve. Bedrooms often work well in a light mauve, sky blue, pale green or pink, as these colours create a calming, soothing atmosphere. For your bathroom, a light purple or any marine colours will create a zen atmosphere. For a relaxing room, opt for a grey or sea green.

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Photo credit: Daniel Go (Flickr)

Author: Roomlala