Hi friends! Can you believe it’s nearly the first day of Winter? The last month for us has been a creative frenzy, with our renovation jobs, client work, and the reveal of Mum’s living room.
As you might recall, I was supposed to do a follow-up post last month with your colour concerns, so without further ado, back to the shop floor to answer them!
1. What colour should I paint my fence?
First, whenever you are thinking about a colour scheme, you need to think about what the colours relate to. In this photo, you can see that they have pulled out the white trim and matched the fence railing. The homeowners have also painted the weatherboards navy.
It looks like a perfect match, but is it?
Could it be better? (I’m such a devil’s advocate
). I would stand back from this house to gain perspective and to assess the roof’s colour.
From my design studies, I know some of the best designs come from contrast. When everything is matchy, matchy it can all look a bit dull.
From there, my next decision would the fence paint colour look better, lighter or darker. Sometimes going darker can make the area come alive and look lighter – such an oxymoron, I know! Going darker can also pop your landscaping.
By the way, I love this fence! 
2. I want to paint my walls pink, blue, green (insert any colour here) what shall I choose?
My first question in conversation with the customer is, are you looking for a light pink, mid-tone pink, or a dark pink?
Second question are you looking for cool or warm pink?
Last question are you looking for a clean or muddy pink? Your white trim or door colour will give you the answer to this question. If your trim is a stark blue-white, stick with cooler pinks. Choose dirtier or muddy pinks if your trim is off-white or cream. If you have painted your trim or doors a colour does it fall into the muted or clean categories?
This Colour Formula is one I learned from the Killam Colour Academy and which I apply to all my Colour Consults.
3. What colour shall I paint my kitchen/bathroom cabinets?
Getting your cabinet colour right is the difference between hitting a home run or having a room that will bug you late into the night. Trust me; I have been here on this one!
I’m going to sound like Polly the Parrot on this post, but it’s crucial that you consider all your other hard-finish colours in the room. The goal is to find colour harmony between your tiles, countertops, and floors and how this connects to your other rooms.
For example, I’m going to use my kitchen. The dark blue-grey cabinets work well with the marble backsplash because they are also blue-grey tiles. The white uppers pull the white from the subway tiles and connect to the white countertops.
If we had gone for dark uppers for the kitchen, it would have dragged this room down. Having the dark cabinets on the floor also tone down the orange floors. I was going for a mid-tone, timeless brown, but the room is flooded with warm sunlight for most of the day. In our dark hallway, this flooring is perfect! (P.S this photo has been edited).
One way I got around the orange floors was by introducing a vintage Turkish rug with dark blues and terracotta colours. Now, every colour in this room looks intentional.
4. Help! I've just painted my walls, and I hate the colour?
This question is a curly one to answer from the shop floor without seeing what is happening in your room. Points to consider if you are having an issue with your chosen colour are:
- Have you just finished painting the walls, and no furniture has been put back in place? If that is the case, then your wall colour is not relating to anything in the room. Or have you moved all your furniture back in, and nothing you own connects to the wall colour?
- Is your room flooded with sunlight? It’s true that sunlight can warm up a colour and make it more yellow, and in the shadows, the same colour can look dingy. More often than not, it’s not the sunlight or the light bulb that is the issue, but choosing a neutral with the wrong undertone. If this is the case, it might be going back to the drawing board, properly testing and comparing your colours.
- If you are feeling flat or missing a special feeling, it might not be the colour’s fault. Remember, paint can only do so much work in the room. Perhaps you need to hire a designer to give the room an extra zhoozh.
5. How much paint should I use?
OK not technically a colour question, but because I answer this one every other minute of my shift, I thought it would be worthwhile addressing it here.
To get your paint coverage needs, you need to know your measurements. I love it when I ask customers, and they start spreading their arms and legs out wide and proclaim “I need to cover this much.” It makes me giggle every time! 
Here is the equation you need from Dulux NZ “To calculate the volume of paint you will need, divide your surface area by the coverage rate per litre and then multiply by the number of coats.”
In simpler terms, get on the Dulux site for an easy-to-input calculator. It determines how much you need for prep coat, trim, ceilings, walls, and exteriors.
I will add that you should check how much your paint brand covers which can be found of the back on the tin. Sometimes you will pay less for a particular brand, but the paint won’t go as far or last as long.
If you missed this post on my Facebook page, here is Paul painting our bedroom. Isn’t his technique fabulous?
Our room is now finished, and I’m just waiting on the curtains and wardrobe doors for the reveal (maybe next Winter 
– I shouldn’t joke like that!)
I hope you found this post helpful. Please let me know if you have any other paint questions you would like me to address.
Until next month – byeeeeeeee!
