More Tips From Our Colour Consultants

You might have heard us mention (on more than one occasion, no doubt) that our Colour Consultants are positively fizzing with excellent advice. In fact, that’s what our last blog was all about, and we’ve still got plenty more where that came from.

In this second instalment of top tips from our experts, we’re starting with a close look at a surface that often gets last dibs on our attention when it comes to redecorating a room.

“Most clients default to white or a light neutral on the ceiling” says Lawrence Salazar, a Colour Consultant in Pasadena, “so sometimes I recommend a different colour for one room to mix things up.

“I find that you can entirely change the feel of a room by adding an unexpected pop of colour on the ceilings, and you really don't notice it until you walk into the room. This works well in small rooms like a vestibule or powder room, as well as in a larger dining room or bedroom.”

“Ceilings are the forgotten fifth wall!” agrees Alyssa Gray, a Colour Consultant in the Greater Boston area. “It is so important to continue your colour scheme by incorporating your ceiling, and it can even be an opportunity to add some interest with a fun finish, like Full Gloss. In a dining room, for example, the lighting from a chandelier can glisten off a Full Gloss ceiling, adding drama to the room.”

If you’re stuck on a new shade for your ceiling, or for any other surface, be sure to bear in mind this tried-and-tested tip from Nicole Collado.

“The way to make sure your home flows together while having a dynamic palette is to make sure that the colours you choose have similar undertones,” says the New York City Colour Consultant. “For example, colours like Dimity and Setting Plaster can be paired in the same home because they share a red undertone. This is a great combination if you’re looking to add some warmth.

“On the other end of the spectrum, you have colours like Inchyra Blue and Green Smoke – because they are both cool colours with grey undertones, they flow nicely together despite not being in the same colour family.”

Common undertones notwithstanding, bold room colours like Green Smoke and Inchyra Blue aren’t for everyone. If you prefer a more neutral wall, but don’t want to forgo colour completely, try this trick from Sunningdale and Windsor Colour Consultant Sarah Blythe.

“I absolutely love colour, but sometimes we don’t want to be faced with it so intensely every day,” she says. “Wooden window frames and doors can be a great way to inject colour into a space without overwhelming the room. Go bold and use accents such as Babouche, Charlotte’s Locks or Arsenic to lift a muted palette of greiges.”