It can be challenging to know where to start when choosing room colour schemes for a home makeover. One way is to begin with a piece of fabric that you like — a patterned rug or tablecloth for example — and to base the room colour scheme on that. After all, a designer has already put their skills to work to create a balanced composition. Why not let it give you a jump start?
List The Main Colours And Proportions
After you've found a fabric design you find pleasing, you can begin by listing the main colours and their proportions. Imagine, for example, you have before you a floral tablecloth with a beige background. Large pink and maroon-toned flowers are almost equal in proportion to light-to-olive green leaves with brown-tinged twigs. And smaller purple-blue flowers form a narrow border pattern.
Translate To A Room Colour Scheme
Using this pattern, you could plan for different beige shades for walls and flooring. A warm, intense version of the green could be used for a sofa, while the pink and maroon tones could be repeated in a large picture hanging above. The brown twigs could be mimicked in a wooden side table, and small amounts of blue could feature in accent pieces such as vases or knick-knacks.
When planning a room design, you should try to balance the colours across the entire space. A muted room with a bright sofa and other vivid elements on only one side can appear lopsided. Weighty colours need to be dispersed around the room.
Colour Weight: Darkness And Warmth
The weight of a colour is how visually heavy it seems. For example, primary blue is heavier than primary yellow. If both these colours feature within a pattern in equal proportions, the blue would seem more dominant. The perceived weight of colour is related to its darkness so you can decrease a hue's weight by using a lighter tint. For example, a pale blue will weigh more equally to yellow than a deeper blue.
Colour warmth is also central to balance. Warm colours such as orange and red grab attention more than cool colours such as green and blue which seem to recede. Thus, warmer tones can seem heavier and more dominant; though the lightness or darkness of a particular colour remains relevant. A pastel orange is less weighty for instance than a bright orange.
Turning to a piece of your favourite fabric is one way to draw inspiration for your new room colour scheme. A trip to a fabric store — either in person or online — should provide a multitude of ideas. An interior consulting expert can provide more specific advice on colour designs, on what works and what doesn't.
