Expert Help

How to Create a Colour Scheme for Your Home

Know your favourite colours but having trouble combining them?

Assess your space:

Different colours suit different rooms, so the first step is to assess the space. If your room faces north and often feels cool, shades containing warmer tones, such as pink, gold or yellow, will help it feel more welcoming. If your room faces south, you can get away with most colours – even dark, dramatic ones.

To help you visualise how the shades you like will look in the space, try Dulux’s free Visualizer app. Take a picture of your room – or a video if you want to see it in the round – then scroll through a huge range of colours, simply tapping the ones you like to see them instantly ‘painted’ on your walls.

Think about what you use the room for:

Is it for eating, working or sleeping? Use colour to create the mood you want to achieve. Cool, calm, muted shades, such as pale green and watery blue, evoke calm, while deep, vibrant colours, such as reds and purples, will energise and stimulate.

Take inspiration from all around you:

Nature is a wonderful source of effortless colour combinations. Take a walk on the wild side in the great outdoors. Which landscapes make you feel most alive? Why not pick out some colours you haven’t considered before and try them in the Visualizer – you might be surprised.

Take note of your most treasured homewares.

Do you have a cushion or bedspread that instantly adds pizzazz to any space? Pick out colours from a favourite patterned accessory, and then include the item in your finished room for a coordinated, personal look.

Art can also inspire stunning colour schemes. Select a few key colours from a painting you love for a scheme that’s guaranteed to get the creative juices flowing. The colour picker on the app is a shortcut to isolating the perfect shade from an accessory or artwork. Simply aim your phone at the item and the app will suggest similar colours from the Dulux range. The picker is accurate enough to isolate even tiny elements in a pattern, so you can colour-match the smallest splashes of a favourite shade.

Value the opinion of friends and family?

Before you take the plunge, send them a selection of photos of your ‘painted’ room straight from the app – or share them on social media – and see what they think.

Mood board magic:

Once you’ve chosen your colours, collect paint swatches and fabric and wallpaper samples that feature different shades of your chosen hues. Use a flat space or large piece of white cardboard as a backdrop for your emerging scheme. Arrange and rearrange to your heart’s content. Take your time. Don’t forget to stand back and walk away. You’ll know when it’s right.

Try before you buy:

Testers are a wonderful way to make sure the colour you love looks just as great on your walls as it does on the Visualizer and your mood board. You can order tester pots straight from the app, so there’s no need to schlep to the shops. Paint different spots in varying lights or hang a painted A4 piece of lining paper on different walls so you can see how the colours look under natural and artificial light at different times of the day. And once you’ve settled on your number one shade, order it from the app with a couple of taps.