Our Guide to Picking a Colour Scheme For Your Home

The plaster is drying on your new walls. Next stop, paint! But with so many ranges and shades available to us, how do you know what scheme to choose for your space? The beauty of colour is that it's so subjective that there are no real right or wrongs. With a whole world of colours open to us, that can feel pretty overwhelming. That's why I recommend considering a few tips to create an interior colour scheme that feels right for you and fills your room with your personal style.   

Find Inspiration From Unusual Places

You are likely already surrounding yourself with colours that you love without evening thinking about it. Two great places for this is within your favourite piece of artwork - or even your wardrobe. Open it up and pick out a few items or accessories that you wear time and time again. Chances are you see a theme appearing which could translate well into shaping your decorating choices around your home.

Consider The Room's Mood 

We've said it before and we'll say it again because it's that important. Colour is such a powerful tool in setting a tone for the mood of a space. So whether you're looking to create a calm space or a productive zone, then clever use of colour can help achieve this. 

Interested in learning more? Discover 5 colours to boost your mood here.

Consider Your Proportions

Whilst we are big fans of a tonal colour scheme in a room, it's important you do choose a variety of shades and depths to add interest to your room without feeling chaotic. Think of it like a scale. You've got got one dark colour, one light colour, and one accent colour to cut through your space. Try the classic interior design colour palette rule of: 

60% of your room in a dominant colour (e.g. walls, rugs and sofas)

30% of your room in your secondary colour (e.g. curtains, blinds, painted furniture or accent chairs)

and 10% in and accent colour. (e.g. throws, cushions, artwork, accessories). Depending on the finished look you're going for, this could be brighter or more subtle. Careful with this one! It can be easy to keep throwing in more patterns and colours but, unless you're going for a maximal look, this can result in a busy feeling in a space.

Ready to explore colours? Shop the Frenchic Colour Chart here. 

The Impact of Lighting

Both daylight and electric light can massively alter the appearance of different colours in a room. Before you jump in to apply one shade of grey throughout the house, take some time to view it at different times of day and in all rooms. You might notice that the cooler light of a north-facing room can handle a little more warmth in the colour to avoid looking too stark. 

Top tip: Any room painted in white or pale tones will reflect the colours of that around it. So your wooden floor or red rug could reflect onto your white walls to change its appearance in different lights. 

Interested in learning more about lighting? Discover more here.

Connect Your Rooms 

If you've been following our Holiday Let Diaries, you'll know how much we adore mixing different themes throughout a property. But it's all done in a very deliberate manner! When creating distinct looks in different rooms around your home, we recommend picking a complimentary colour between connecting rooms. We'd also suggest picking up a themes that runs throughout the property such as your metallics that remain consistent throughout the journey around your home. Having these threads creates a cohesion which pleases the eye. 

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