COLOUR SELECTION, WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOUR ROOM?

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COLOUR SELECTION, WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOUR ROOM?

David Borthwick - Borthwick Decorators Ltd

Sep 24, 2020

Colour selection, what is right for your room?

Paint colour choice is a personal thing and what may be right for one person is not right for the next person. Equally most rooms are very different and influenced by several factors, e.g. natural or artificial light, regular or irregular shape and the purpose of the room etc.

The right use of paint can create a calming effect, warmth, improve the aspect of a room and sense of size, also providing sophistication, welcoming and spiritual moods. Equally, over doing something can have detrimental and negative impact on the look and feel you are trying to achieve.

The paint sheen should also be a consideration. Is it going to be flat matt, matt, semi-matt, eggshell, satin or gloss? These will all have an impact on the colour and effect you are trying to achieve.

The following is our rough guide to creating the correct mood or feeling through correct colour choices.

To Reduce Size – Absorbs light, makes the room feel snug and cosy

• Dark Reds

• Dark Blues

• Dark Greys

• Blacks

To Increase Size – Reflects light and therefore increases spatial awareness

• Whites

• Pastels

• Yellows

To add Warmth – Think of Summer and Autumn Colours

• Reds

• Yellows

• Oranges

• Light Browns

To add Cool Tones – Clean and Crisp Colours, Think of a Frosty Winters Morning

• Blues

• Greens

• Whites

• Light Greys

To add Sophistication - Use Dark Colours

• Blacks

• Golds

• Dark Reds

• Dark Greys

• Dark Blues

Spiritual – Religious and healing colours, calming and serenity

• Pinks

• Oranges

• Browns

• Violets

Calming – Often associated with holidays, sunny days and nature

• Yellows

• Blues

• Greens

• Oranges

• Reds

The above gives a breakdown of the primary and secondary colour palate but consideration should always be given to the shades and blends of colours. There are literally tens of thousands of colours to choose from! Also feature walls in one colour and the rest of the room in another colour can provide a talking point or change the overall look and feel of the room but please keep in mind overdoing certain colours can have a negative impact on the entire room.

So, let's use a large dining room as an example. What might work well is a mid to dark “Red” with “Gold” highlights. This will provide sophistication and warmth and will also absorb light, therefore drawing the room in to provide a cosy dining space that's inviting and relaxing, somewhere everyone will feel comfortable in.

Another example would be kitchens. They will often be painted in clean and bright colours with features highlighted in darker colours to provide a good contrast and add some interest to the room. Equally, the use of warm colours like Little Greene "Tuscan Red" may be used to give a mediterranean feel to the kitchen, whereas whites and off whites will provide a clean, crisp, modern living space.

Lastly, lots of bathrooms are painted in Blues, Greens and Whites. These colours provide clean, calming and cool tones as a contrast to the environment of heat and steam whilst giving a sense of a larger room.

About Borthwick Decorators Ltd

At Borthwick Decorators Ltd you have found one of Scotland’s leading painting and decorating companies, where quality, reliability and professionalism come as standard. We are based in Edinburgh, with affiliated branches in Glasgow, Stirling and Crieff which allows us to cover the whole of Central and South Scotland. We are a Painting and Decorating Association and Scottish Decorators Federation accredited business with £10 million public liability insurance. We are also a SafeContractor, CHAS and SMAS accredited company and IPAF and PAL licensed to operate cherry pickers. All of our tradespeople are fully qualified painters and decorators. We also offer plastering, joinery and multi-trade services in conjunction with our painting and decorating jobs. Residential and commercial painters and decorators since 1959.

If you have any questions regarding the painting and decorating services we offer or you would like to book a free no obligation quotation, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us via our online appointment form or alternatively by sending us an email or by telephoning 0131 235 2733 or 0800 772 3973.

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