Choosing Your Paint Colour…

When doing major home renovations, sometimes what seems like a simple task such as choosing a new paint colour can leave you perplexed and asking yourself is it too dark? Is it too bright? Witnessing first hand what clients go through when choosing something like paint make me wonder why this is so daunting and what is the basis for this so called big decision?

For example, in the early days of kitchen design yellow was a very popular colour to choose. My Nana used to say, if she was going to spend so much time in her kitchen she wanted it to represent happiness, sunshine and to cast a positive light. People would think of all the yellow fruits and vegetables that she commonly cooked with. It made me think about how I viewed her yellow kitchen. Did that colour really impact how much I enjoyed having many home cooked meals and spending time with family? Would a different colour have me enjoy the food I was eating any less? Like the cliché, do blondes really have more fun? Would she have spent less time cooking if her kitchen had been a redhead or a brunette? I think not. There are many beautiful colours in the colour wheel that complement a room. The colour of a room should be chosen based on satisfying many purposes such as: Coordinating furniture or cabinets; reflecting light; providing cheer; and being palatable to subsequent buyers of your house. There are also many subliminal facts about colour that impact our brain and should be considered.

Here are a Few Examples

Blue- often a favorite of both men and women is friendly, dependable and calming.

Green- rich in nature signifies growth, renewal in health and environment.

Grey- neutral and balanced, fresh and traditional.

White- purity, cleanliness, simplicity. Like black, white goes well with almost any colour.

Red/Yellow/Orange- warm colour that can create excitement and represent the changing of the seasons.

Black and Browns- these neutrals can also have very warm attributes.