When it comes to painting your home, the decision on colours is entirely yours. However, there are some guidelines that can help you achieve the perfect colour placement and harmony. These are basic principles that you can bend or break once you’ve got the hang of them. Of course, nothing beats artistic instinct or years of practice. The first tip, especially for those starting out, is to keep it simple.
In the realm of polychrome schemes, many go awry because the colours are too vibrant, creating too much contrast between adjacent shades. A nifty way to sidestep overly bright hues is to stick to a pre-selected historical paint line. These colours usually have a touch of gray, creating a soothing effect while ensuring they complement each other seamlessly.
Here are some Aussie-friendly guidelines to keep in mind:
Enhance Architectural Components: Use breaks between colours to highlight and enhance the features of your home. This goes beyond just making them pretty; it’s about using colour to define the role and relationship among architectural elements.
Consider Scale: Remember that colours can appear more intense on a large surface compared to a small chip or card. Similarly, the contrast between two colours is more noticeable when viewed on a large scale – like on your building rather than on paint chips.
Avoid Stark Contrasts: Steer clear of violent contrasts that make one portion glaringly prominent, taking away from architectural unity.
Mind the Details: Avoid excessive highlighting of small architectural elements, as it can create a choppy, polka-dot effect instead of a harmonious whole.
Transition Colours: Use a transition colour to buffer high contrast. If you’re keen on burgundy moldings with pale putty walls, introduce transition bands or accents of warm gray and dusty rose to ease the contrast.
Blend Colours Over Planes: Don’t feel compelled to break colour right at the edge of a molding or change in plane. Sometimes bringing an adjacent colour over the first plane in a molding can knit the parts together, avoiding a static appearance.
Colour Changes at Plane Breaks: Make any changes of colour at changes in plane. Changes in colour or value suggest shadow, which occurs naturally at plane breaks.
Effective Accent Colours: Use a bright or strongly contrasting accent colour sparingly – as a stripe or on a chamfered edge.
Play with Light and Shadow: In general, paint projecting elements in lighter colours and recessed elements in darker colours or shades. Work with the effects of natural light and shadow, not against them.
Top and Bottom Colour Placement: Use darker colours at the bottom and lighter colours at the top of an architectural element. This arrangement grounds the building and avoids a top-heavy appearance.
Mixing Colours: Try mixing a little of one paint colour into another if you find that two colours are not harmonizing. This trick often helps them relate to each other.
Paint Large-Scale Samples: Paint large-scale samples of chosen colours in place. Purchase quarts and paint a section at least 4′ square where your body, trim, and accent colours come together. This hands-on approach allows you to see the colours in place and address any issues. It’s not back to square one if you’re not satisfied – you’ll know what needs adjusting.
As local painters ourselves, we pride ourselves on the quality of our workmanship.
As we’ve explored the world of interior painting So, the next time you search for an “interior painter near me,” consider it not just a task but an opportunity to get expert advice.