Paint Colours

More times that not I immediately say “White” as I’m definitely a white ceiling girl. And now I’ll explain my reasons and the exceptions, because as you know there are always exceptions to every rule.

Colour and Interiors by Inside Out Colour and Design

A white ceiling will give context to the other colours you have chosen for the walls.

White walls, white floor, white furniture

This is especially important when the wall colours are neutrals or off whites. The walls will just look white unless there is a whiter white adjacent to it.

Same room with a white ceiling, suddenly the walls have depth

White ceilings also assist in bouncing light around the room. If your room is dark or doesn’t receive much natural light, a white ceiling will help to lighten the room.

Our bathroom ceiling in half strength of wall colour

I have seen many times, in recently bought houses, the same colour on the walls as on the ceilings. This is an easy way to paint as there’s no cutting in and it probably saves money and time for the previous owner. The problem with this look is that the ceiling tends to look dirty. Even if the ceilings are painted a half strength of the wall colour the ceiling will still look dirty.

Our dining room where we've painted the ceiling white

The only time I would take the wall colour up onto the ceiling is if the ceiling is raked and the lines between walls and ceiling are blurred.

Colours and interiors by Inside Out Colour and Design

The angles seem to disappear and the room appears bigger as everything is the one colour. That is of course assuming that the colour is a light neutral colour.

via www.decotrends.blogspot.com

The room above does not have any mouldings between the walls and the ceiling so it has made sense to carry the wall colour above the picture rail onto the ceiling. It would be much easier to paint and as the colour is lighter than the wall colour it works.

via www.houzz.com

The ceilings need to be quite high if you do wish to paint the ceiling a colour. A darker colour on the ceiling will make the ceiling advance and appear to come down on top of you so it really needs to be in a room where the ceiling is at least 2.9m high.

via www.peacockfeatherevents.blogspot.com

It can look very effective in rooms where you look at the ceiling – like the bedroom or in a room that needs some drama like an entry or a dining room.

via www.lightroomtools.com

So what do you prefer? Coloured or white ceilings?

Katie Ridder via Simplified Bee. The gloss on the ceiling helps bounce the light around

If you would like assistance with choosing colours for the interior of your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.

Related posts:

1. Which white is right?
2. Who’s Afraid Of Big Bad Colour?
3. White Hot

I live amongst Californian Bungalows and Federation homes in Sydney’s North Shore and many of them have undergone renovations over the last few years to accommodate the families that have moved into the area.

It’s interesting to see the colour palette moving towards grey rather than brown which is what the colour forecasters have been predicting.

Most of the houses subscribe to my 3 colour formula and I must say, I think the homes look smart with a light, medium and dark colour.

It’s a shame this homeowner hasn’t read my blog or decided to spend a nominal outlay on a Colour Consultant to get the overall look just right.

This was the house before via Google Street View and I really think it would’ve benefitted from a dark colour on the barge boards (they’re the wide boards at the top of the gable). Alternatively, the shingles could’ve been painted a colour between the dark grey and the white.

Remember a Colour Consultation is the cheapest part of repainting your home but will make all the difference.

If your home is brick then the brickwork is considered a colour so you only need to choose two colours. What do you think – two colours or three?

If you would like assistance choosing exterior paint colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.

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1. Make sure your colours “hook up”
2. Choosing the right colour
3. Colour in Echuca

Yellow Front Door in Cape Cod

I think a front door should say “Here I am!”, “Entry this way” or “Come inside.”

Turquoise Door via The House Of Turquoise

Usually when using colour, I try to repeat it somewhere so it doesn’t look like we’ve run out of paint and used something to tie us over. Like in a bathroom if you use a feature tile as a vertical stripe in the shower, you should repeat it somewhere else, otherwise it might look like you ran out tiles and used any old thing. After all, Repetition is one of the Principles of Design.

Red Front Door in New York

But where a front door is concerned, I believe you can choose a colour from anywhere in the spectrum and place it on the front door. No repetition required.

Lime Green Front Door in Darlinghurst, Sydney

What about you? Do you like a coloured front door?

Pink Front Door via Colour Me Happy

If you require assistance choosing paint colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.

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1. Entrancing and Enticing
2. It’s official – the hottest colour for 2012 is Orange
3. Choosing the right colour

Our Christmas was a quiet affair this year, but that didn’t stop me decking out the house in colours of fuschia, turquoise and silver.

I alter the colour theme each year and decided on fresh, bright colours rather than the traditional red and green.

I found myself collecting Mercury Glass candle-holders of varying sizes and grouped them all together on a glass platter on the centre of my coffee table. They did look very effective when they were lit of an evening.

When I ordered my Turkey, I was half expecting to be feeding 9 people for Christmas, however through one reason or another I only ended up with 4! So I have spent the last couple of weeks trying every Turkey leftover recipe I could find and substituting cooked turkey meat in the myriad of recipes I have for cooked chicken meat.

We have had some delicious meals. But my favourite would have to be the Vietnamese Turkey Salad, which was just delicious. I’ve even frozen some turkey meat so we can have it again later in the season.

I’ve finally found the time to get busy on Pinterest. Have you succumbed to this new craze? It’s a bit addictive but oh so convenient to have all your favourite images in the one location. Check it out!

Well back to work for me this week. I’m offering a special to all my subscribers of a 15% discount on Colour Consulting services booked during the month of January. So if this is the year for a new colour scheme for the inside or outside (or both!) of your home, make a booking and take advantage of the discount.

Related posts:

1. The Year of The Dragon
2. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
3. Happy New Year

It’s such a hectic time for everyone. Apart from finishing off the Christmas shopping, we have a number of December birthdays and I have been helping to celebrate and trying out four new restaurants in Sydney.

The first was The Winery in Crown Street. I’d been there earlier in the year for lunch and although it’s been around for a while thought the family might like to see the quirky decor.

We also went to a new local Italian restaurant. The decor there was very sleek, which in my mind doesn’t really suit the Italian food. I imagine Italian food to be more comfort food and therefore want the decor to be more cosy and homey. The red and black glass mosaics on the stark white walls were out of keeping for me.

I tried Pony Dining at Neutral Bay too. What a great space! And the food and service were excellent. Lots of use of timber on the inside made the decor very warm but it still had an air of sophistication.

Then one last birthday was celebrated at Felix in the city. It’s a little spot of Paris right in the heart of Sydney. Food and service were great and the decor was so very authentic.

I’m still helping clients with Colour Consultations before Christmas as they have painters lined up for early in the New Year and I have been buying bed linen for another client.

But the highlight of the past ten days would have to be my darling daughter being appointed as girl School Captain for 2012. We are all so proud of you sweetheart.

I’m going to now, officially, take a few weeks off to celebrate Christmas and New Year and recharge the batteries after a very busy year. I trust you have an enjoyable holiday season. I thank you for joining me throughout 2011 and look forward to your company again in 2012.

See you soon.

If you would like assistance with colour or decor for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.

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Pantone Color of the Year 2012

Orange is a friendly colour as well as being warm and energising and that’s just what we need to buoy the economy back to life.

Orange Interiors

Each year when the Colour of the Year is announced I like to look at how the new colour will work with past colours.

Orange and Pink (2011) looks great in girls rooms.

Barbie House

Orange and Turquoise (2010) has that electric zing.

Orange and Turquoise interior

Orange and Yellow (2009) is a very retro, mellow look.

Orange and Yellow

Orange and Purple (2008) can have a certain sophistication about it.

Orange and Purple Living Room

So orange could be the colour for all seasons. Will you be decorating with orange?

If you would like assistance selecting colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.

Related posts:

1. Colour Trends for 2012
2. It’s not orange
3. Purple, Orange and Green

Lady Gaga epitomises bold and flashy

The latest issue has just been published and the article is on Colour Trends for 2012. The article was compiled with the help of Dulux and Resene colour predictions.

Greens from Nature

The magazine promotes the stores in the shopping centre and I’m always keen to see what illustrations they have used to go with my article. They add some great visuals to my words.

All blues go together

If you would like assistance choosing colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.

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1. It’s official – the hottest colour for 2012 is Orange
2. Cottage Style
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Supre Skinny Jeans in Sunset

Rusty Hyper Walkshorts in Fluro Orange

As I tear through the shopping centres on my quest to complete lists before Christmas, I have been noticing a plethora of orange.

Cotton Dress in Orange by Sportscraft

Blazer Short Sleeve Casual Shirt in Orange

It seems just about every shop window features an orange item of one shade or another.

Sandals by Witchery in Ginger

Corban and Blair iPhone Cover

Pumpkin, Amber, Coral, Clay, Tangerine, Peach, Melon, Splice, call it what you will, but it’s all out there.

Marmot Two Man Tent

I know that once a colour appears en masse in the fashion industry, we can expect to see it in the home industry very soon thereafter.

Sarah Story Design

I don’t mind touches of orange in the home, in soft furnishings, feature walls or even wallpaper, as long as it is in moderation.

However, I am really worried that we may return to that time in the ’90′s when everyone was giving their home a Tuscan makeover by laying terracotta tiles and painting the walls apricot.

Frances Mayes has a lot to answer for!

Authentic Tuscan Interiors

What about you? Are you a fan of orange and it’s many tints and shades?

If you would like assistance choosing colours for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.

Related posts:

1. It’s official – the hottest colour for 2012 is Orange
2. Purple, Orange and Green
3. Red, Orange, Green and Bholu

via BHG.com

The all white room has been punched with colour bursts making the room so much more friendly and fun.

White Bedroom via Elle Decor

What about you? Do you like all white or loads of colour?

If you would like assistance choosing a colour scheme for your home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.

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1. Which white is right?
2. The White Stuff
3. Must Be The White Time

Horse Bowl

I love his quirky style and bold use of colour and pattern. The house he decorated for the Barbie’s 50th birthday party was sensational.

Barbie

Visiting one of his stores was high on my list of shops to see when we holidayed in America this year.

Jonathan Adler

His two books Happy Chic Colors and Happy Chic Accessorizing are full of Adlerisms on the lighter side of decorating. And now we can enjoy some of his products here.

Desmond Screen

If you would like assistance finding quirky furniture and accessories for you home, contact us for an online or in-person consultation.

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3. Furniture, Decoration and Kathryn Ireland