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How to create the right mood in your home with colour

October 23, 2015 1 Comment

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Byย Nikki Donald

Have you ever wondered why you feel really energised in some rooms and subdued and introspective in others? Or why some rooms feel cold and expansive while others feel cosy and comforting?ย Chances are it has to do with the colour choices and where those colours have been applied.

If youโ€™re renovating or redecorating, colour is one of the most powerful elements you can use in your space to enhance a specific mood or visually manipulate the space. And if youโ€™re being brave enough to tackle this all yourself, there are some essential insider tricks you need to know about before you run off to the paint store!

Di Swinbourn, head of colour at Sydney Design School, has compiled her top go-to tips to help you create just the right mood for your home.

Bright colours advance the most

roomido.com brights advance
Photo credit: Coco Lapine Design

Di says that in the past there was a belief that warm colours like red, yellow and orange were the first colours we noticed โ€“ or, the colours that โ€˜advancedโ€™.

This is actually untrue! Itโ€™s the bright vibrant colours that we see first, regardless of their temperature. For example: a bright blue wall (blue being a cool colour) in an interior will jump out to meet us before a light or dark wall.

This is good know if you are trying to bring the walls visually โ€˜closerโ€™ to create cosiness, but should be avoided if you are trying to make a room appear more spacious.

Dark colours advance next

ia
Photo credit: Stylelingual

If brights arenโ€™t your thing, Di suggests trying dark colours and tones. Walls โ€“ and ceilings โ€“ painted in dark colours like chocolate-brown, charcoal, dark navy and even black, will also give the impression that they are closer to you than light walls. Like bright colours, darks ‘advance’ but theyโ€™re just not as attention grabbing as their brighter counterparts.

Light colours recede and create spaciousness

cocolapinedesign.com light interiors
Photo credit: Coco Lapine Design

Think of looking off into the distance at a mountainous horizon. Everything starts to look very light and the further it is away from you the lighter it becomes. This theory also applies to interiors. If you need to widen a narrow space or just want to create an open expansive feeling, stick with light colours. Di reminds us not to get stuck on white โ€“ your scheme can have colour but make sure itโ€™s a muted pastel colour. The secret to this one is to make sure there is little to no contrast in terms of colour or tone.

linenbath.com black bedroom
Photo credit: Coco Lapine Design

Not really a fan of all white interiors? An all dark space can feel almost as spacious as an all light space. Dark or mid-tones can create spaciousness, just as long as the space isnโ€™t broken with contrasting colours or tones.

Extra tip: Di says donโ€™t be afraid of black or charcoal walls in the bedroom. They can add a sophisticated look that is very timeless and also create a cocooning ambience that is great to lull you into a blissful sleep.

A room with contrast will appear smaller

sbraathen.no more contrast makes room smaller
Photo credit: Sbraathen

If you want to lessen the impact of an overwhelming large, open space, then fill it with lots of contrasting colours and tones. It will feel smaller and cosier. Remember, darker/brighter hues will ‘advance’ towards you.

Visually lower a ceiling

sfgirlbybay.com painted ceiling
Photo credit: sfgirlbybay

A terrific way to add drama and to visually lower a high ceiling in a cold, open space is to paint it brighter or darker than the walls. And if youโ€™ve got picture rails, bring that colour down to meet them!

—ย Nikki is a surface designer whoย teaches colour at Sydney Design School. She was taught by Di in 2001 and now works proudly alongside her as a fellow colour-aholic.

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It's the first business to business trade event connecting retailers with Australian made products to champion our local makers๐Ÿ™

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Doesn't matter what they tell you or how many times it's sealed, I'm not sure it's a great idea in a room which is so, well, wet!

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Get to know me! I haven't done one of these in YE Get to know me!

I haven't done one of these in YEARS so there's possibly thousands of you who don't know my back story. Here's a few things you may not know about me!

โœ”๏ธ I'm English ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ and I moved here (just for one year) back in 2008๐Ÿ˜† 

โœ”๏ธ I can't end the day without a bath, even if I get home really late or on a really hot day. It's a mental health thing and my happy place. ๐Ÿ› 

โœ”๏ธ Before becoming a blogger and running my own small business, I was a journalist from the age of 18. My favourite news gathering times were as a newspaper crime reporter (bit different to interiors!) ๐Ÿ““ 

โœ”๏ธ I once worked at New Scotland Yard in London ๐Ÿš” 

โœ”๏ธI had an interview at Oxford (didn't get in!) but chose not to go to uni at all after being offered a job on the local paper #universityoflife ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My mum died when I was 3, I have an excellent dad and one sister (younger) in the UK โค๏ธ ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 

โœ”๏ธ At school, my favourite subject was French ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท and I was head girl ๐Ÿค“๐Ÿค“

โœ”๏ธ I'm addicted to โ˜•๏ธ , long hot baths and๐Ÿ’„ (been wearing it since I was about 14!)

โœ”๏ธ I'm not a phonecall person and will never ever pick up an unknown number. Ever. They can leave a message ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My favourite cuisine is Japanese ๐Ÿฃ ๐Ÿœ and Damian and I honeymooned in Tokyo and Venice 

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โœ”๏ธ My favourite tipple is a good GnT or๐Ÿท 

โœ”๏ธ Cheesy as it sounds, ๐Ÿ’โ€โ™€๏ธbeing a mum is my absolute biggest joy in life ๐Ÿง’๐Ÿ‘ฆ

โœ”๏ธ I will never give up my old school paper diary! Has to be A5 and week to view ๐Ÿ“– 

โœ”๏ธ My official surname isn't Bishop. I kept my maiden name for work after I got married but changed it for everything else. Often confuse myself!

โœ”๏ธ I didn't get my Ps until I was 37 and I'm still a terrible parker ๐Ÿ˜ฏ ๐Ÿ…ฟ๏ธ

Hope you feel like you know me a bit better ๐Ÿ˜˜

๐Ÿ“ธ @vanlowvanlow
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  1. AvatarC Wallace says

    March 13, 2019 at 2:26 am

    Hello! Wondering what color paint that bright blue wall is? So fabulous

    Reply

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