20 tips for choosing a colour scheme

Hello : ),

I'm at Coco Republic Design and learning all about how to work with colour tonight. Exciting stuff ! I love it. It's great for creating mood boards for a client or even yourself if you want a change in your bedroom or if you're game; an entire home. Below is 20 tips for choosing your colour scheme - I'm definitely using these as a bible for my next assignment !

·      Use colours that your client prefers or identifies with
·      Use red-based colours to bring warmth to a room
·      Use blue-based colours for restful, calm spaces like bedrooms.
·      When warm and cool colours are used together, the warm ones appear cooler than are usually would.
·      The dimensions of a space will affect how intense the colours within it seem. Using a particular colour on a large area will increase the intensity of that colour.
·      In larger spaces, use colours that are low in intensity. Bright colours will work well here for features and trims.
·      When light and dark colours are used together, the light ones appear lighter and the dark ones appear darker.
·      When bright and dull colours are used together, the bright ones appear brighter and the dull ones appear duller.
·      Adjacent colours will show their difference more dramatically than if they are spread apart.
·      To make a room appear larger, use cool colours or tones with high values (light colours).
·      To make a room appear smaller or more intimate, use warm colours or tones with a lower value (darker tones).
·      To make a room dynamic, use colours with contrasting values, such as a dark piece of furniture in front of a light wall. Avoid overusing this technique though, as it can be overwhelming.
·      To make a room feel tranquil, use tones of a similar value.
·      Dust shows up more easily on dark colours, whereas lighter colours are more easily marked and may require more effort to maintain.
·      Colour harmonies are most effective when there is one dominant colour. Proportionally, the dominant colour should be visible in about 60 per cent of the space.
·      Complementary schemes make the colours seem more vibrant.
·      Light sources affect how colours look. Artificial lighting soothes colours, so always check your samples in natural daylight before applying them to a room. Fluorescent lights will also affect colours differently, depending on whether the light is cool or warm.
·      Always try and include come neutral colours (whites or light greys) to your colour scheme. They give the scheme strength and can enhance your colour harmonies.
·      Texture affects how we perceive colours – surfaces with rougher textures will look darker than those with smooth textures.
·      Colour is the most versatile of the elements of design, and therefore it is often the easiest to change. Work with your colour scheme as must as you need to create the right mood for a space.


I hope you found these tips useful !  I'll also be sticking by them for the boutique fitting and furnishing.




With Love,
Bee x