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How and Where to Use Colour in Your Home

 

COLOUR_BUTTERFLIES Colour can be one of the most difficult things to get right. Either you’re confident with colour or you’re not, there is no "in between". So, where do you start when redecorating? Here is our easy guide to choosing the right colour for each room to match you and your lifestyle:

 

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PINK
Pink is the colour of: femininity, grace, spring, gratitude, appreciation, admiration, innocence, sympathy, femininity, health, romance, love.


Good for: children’s rooms
Bad for: main living areas, hallways
TOP TIP: Pink can be very girlie and twee. To counteract this why not introduce hints of dark charcoal or black to make it more grown up.

     
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RED
Red is the colour of: joy, passion, romance, strength, courage, energy, fire, love, sexuality, excitement, spiciness, speed, heat, willpower, leadership, embarrassment, masculinity, power, danger, gaudiness, blood, war, rage, anger, revolution, radicalism, socialism, communism, anger, aggression, stop, respect, Christmas. 


Good for: dining rooms, kitchens.
Bad for: bedrooms, bathrooms, children’s rooms
TOP TIP: Red is a colour that projects forward, use it on the end wall of a long room to make it appear closer.

 

 

 

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ORANGE
Orange is the colour of: energy, balance, success, encouragement, stimulation, heat, fire, enthusiasm, flamboyance, playfulness, aggression, caution, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, vibrancy, warmth, cheerfulness, Hinduism, Buddhism, arrogance, attraction, gaudiness, over-emotion, warning, danger, energetic, desire, health, strength, endurance, thought to aid digestion.


Good for: kitchens, dining rooms
Bad for: bedrooms
TOP TIP: Like red, orange is an advancing colour and is best used sparingly on accessories or a feature wall.

 

 

 

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YELLOW
Yellow is the colour of: energy, spring, joy, cowardliness, tartness, freshness, illness, caution, sunlight, joy, happiness, earth, optimism, idealism, wealth (gold), summer, hope, air, liberalism, cowardice, illness, caution, decay, sickness, jealously, hazards, dishonesty, avarice, weakness, greed, femininity, intellect, gladness, sociability, summer, friendship, deceit, hazard signs.


Good for: kitchens, north-facing rooms
Bad for: bedrooms, baby’s rooms
TOP TIP: yellow is a brightening but unsettling colour do not use in rooms that you relax in.

 

 

 

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GREEN
Green is the colour of: nature, bad spirits, spring, fertility, youth, environment, wealth, good luck, vigour, generosity, go, grass, aggression, inexperience, envy, misfortune, coldness, jealousy, illness, greed, life eternal, air, sincerity, hope, renewal, natural abundance, growth, health, balance, harmony, stability.


Good for: bedrooms, living rooms
Bad for: offices, kitchens
TOP TIP: Green is a very laid back, restful colour so be careful when using it in workspaces.

 

 

 

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AQUA / TURQUOISE
Turquoise is the colour of: 70% blue / 30% green, good fortune, cyan, calm, clear thinking, decision making, concentration, marine, sea, cerulean, sky, creativity, sensitivity, aloof, intuative, narcisstic, teal, influence, confident, viridian, perceptive, boastful, feminine, tranquility.


Good for: bathrooms, a contemporary accent to other colours
Bad for; dining rooms
TOP TIP: Turquoise can be quite cold by itself, warm up with beiges and neutrals or add a warm orange or rich purple.

 

 

 

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BLUE
Blue is the colour of: masculine, corporate, sadness, superiority, freshness, calmness, water, cleanliness, winter, seas, skies, peace, unity, harmony, tranquillity, confidence, conservatism, ice, loyalty, dependability, technology, depression, coldness, idealism, obscenity, tackiness, air, wisdom, strength, steadfastness, light, friendliness, peace, truthfulness.


Good for: bedrooms, bathrooms
Bad for: kitchens, dining rooms
TOP TIP: Blue can be a cold, unwelcoming colour when it has hints of green, choose a blue with a hint of red to warm up your colour scheme.

 

 

 

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PURPLE
Purple is the colour of: luxury, power, mystery, religion, maturity, and richness, sensuality, spirituality, creativity, wealth, royalty, nobility, ceremony, mystery, wisdom, enlightenment, arrogance, flamboyance, gaudiness, mourning, profanity, exaggeration, confusion, pride, riches, romanticism, delicacy, power, ambition, extravagance, dignity, independence, mystery, magic.


Good for: children's rooms, bedrooms
Bad for: kitchens, main living areas
TOP TIP: Purple is a very strong colour, you either love it or hate it, use sparingly or use lighter hues: lilacs / lavendar etc.

 

 

 

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BLACK
Black is the colour of: modernity, power, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, style, evil, death, fear, anonymity, anger, sadness, remorse, mourning, unhappiness, mysterious, sex, seriousness, conventionality, rebellion, sorrow, the unknown, strength.


Good for: accessories, trims
Bad for: using as a base colour – use in moderation
TOP TIP: Black can bring strength to pale / wishy-washy colours. Use as an accent only unless you are very brave.

 

 

 

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BROWN
Brown is the colour of: calm, depth, security, practicality, natural organisms, nature, richness, stability, tradition, boorishness, dirt, dullness, filth, heaviness, poverty, roughness, earth, down-to-earth, stimulates appetite, wholesomeness, steadfastness, simplicity, friendliness, dependability.


Good for: living rooms, bedrooms
Bad for: kitchens
TOP TIP: Brown can be a dull, lifeless colour so why not liven it up a bit by adding a splash or aqua, orange or even hot pink!

 

 

 

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WHITE
White is the colour of: light, goodness, reverence, purity, truth, snow, peace, innocence, virginity, cleanliness, simplicity, security, humility, sterility, emptiness, winter, coldness, holiness, surrender, cowardice, fearfulness, fright, unimaginative, air, fire, death, hope, silence, safety, weddings, perfection.


Good for: woodwork, bathrooms, kitchens
Bad for; baby’s rooms as provides no stimulation
TOP TIP: If you like the idea of white but think it's too harsh why not try adding a hint of colour to it which will soften the effect whilst keeping the purity of the idea.

 

 

 

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GREY
Grey is the colour of: coolness, neutral, balance, practicality, emotionless, loss, sophisticateion, stability, strength, elegance, boring, maturity, sadness, formality. 


Good for: woodwork, kitchens, bathrooms, a safe alternative to white.
Bad for; offices as is uninspiring
TOP TIP: Grey has a multitude of uses and is great as a background for any colour scheme - beware of cold blue/greys try a warmer brown or purple based grey instead.

 

Remember that when choosing colour find your textiles (curtains, cushions, rugs) first as you can always match a paint colour to them much easier than trying to do it the other way round!
 

COLOUR_WHEEL

Want to use more than one colour??
 
Use the colour wheel above to choose either complimentary colours (beside each other on the wheel), contrasting colours (opposite each other on the wheel), or triple contrasting colours (pick a colour, for example purple, and lime green and burnt orange would be the contrasts).
You can also use tones of the same colour, from light to dark or pair with a neutral like creams, white, black or grey.