I think I’ve written before that I’m blessed to have a holiday home in Naples Florida and I’m really please with the way it;s looking. It seems that other people say so too because I keep getting asked if I would help decorate other condos by our neighbours, which in truth I’m delighted to do, so you could ask why I’m writing.
Well fact is the first thing people seem to settle on is the colour… I want it (the room) in green shades! Or I see it yellow! The great challenge is that often, the last thing you need to figure out is the colour and I have to explain that to my new found friends. If it doesn’t work ,the colour of the walls is one of the easiest and often least expensive things you can change.
Having said to settle on a paint colour last, there is a very clear process and you might like to look at it this way…
Firstly, think about the type of room and importantly the mood you want to create – restful, lively? You get the idea.
Secondly, think about furniture and accent pieces you simply “must” have. Is there and architectural highlight, artwork or designer furniture that will take pride of place?
Next (ok thirdly) give some thought to the flow of the room and its connection to the other rooms in house/condo etc. Let me clarify a little… if you are decorating a lounge in an open plan house, you need to consider the rooms that connect to it or breaking up the space with virtual room dividers. Using paint and different flooring such as rugs are good methods however you wouldn’t want for example to have those “other” rooms decorated in a range of bold primary colours or it will end up looking like a child’s play house. Similarly in a small condo’s bedroom you might only want to decorate one accent wall and live with the much paler colours for the other three.
Fourthly, so many seem to pick one colour and stick to it throughout, so the floor tiles, carpets and walls all look practically the same. The room ends up being insipid , look boring and bland. Try differing shades. Look at a colour wheel which can give you some help. You can go for warm colours that are close to one another such as the reds and oranges or cooler blues and violets. Alternatively pick complimentary colours . Fraw a striaght line across the colour wheel and this will give you the complimentary colour which are basically the opposites.
Lastly, you might like to choose readily available paint samples from your local DIY store, but instead of painting them on the wall, paint a board (of at least 1mtr square or so), with them and when dry, set the board against not only the wall but furniture and you will get a much better idea of how well it will work once you start painting.
And lastly, a word about the “Red” palette – If you fancy using red or pink of any shade, start light because painting over a red colour to make it lighter can be very, very difficult as the pigment will always bleed through. Much better to paint a little lighter so you can go darker if you want to .
Happy painting