Selecting the perfect wall colour

Yoliswa Dube

COLOURS are known to give life to anything and everything. It is used to express thoughts, energy, emotion and many other things. It is the colour of the wall of the room that imparts the background for the design element. The selection of the wall colour is very vital as it is going to either make or break the overall atmosphere and look of the room.

As all of us are aware that colours are often addressed as cool and warm, pink, red and orange are considered to be warm colours, whereas green, blue and violet are considered to be cool. Try to ascertain the purpose of the room before deciding to go for either a warm or cool colour. For instance, social rooms such as the dining room, living room, or kitchen fare better with warm colours. Study, hallways and bedrooms are calmer areas and look better with cool colours. On the other hand, beige and white are considered to be the safe colours as they possess a neutral look and are known to suit all sorts of décor.

No matter which colour you select, make sure to add contrasts in colours. Painting the entire room from ceiling to the floor in a single colour will give a very monotonous look. Painting the trim is the ideal way to add contrasts in colour without the need of painting a big section of the room in some other colour. Paint the window frames, doors, and mouldings in space.

The wall colour should match with the furniture. Either you can get the walls painted first and then buy the furniture or buy the furniture first and accordingly dress the walls. If your furniture has a cool and light tone then you should select cool colours for your walls such as pink or green. On the other hand, if your furniture bears darker shades then the walls should wear muted colors such as beige, white or gray.

The finish of the paint also contributes equally to the end result. You can choose between texture, matte or gloss finish. If you desire to create more drama in the room and desire a bright look then settle for gloss finish. A matte finish reflects less of light and hence reduces the glare and the drama. You may also go for a semi-gloss or semi-matte finish or combine gloss with texture or matte with texture. — homedit.com