Colour Trends For Your New Home
Colours can be determined by trends, the changing of the seasons, even your mood. When it comes to choosing colours for you new home, many clients get what we call ‘colour paralysis’; where they are too scared to choose a colour in case they get it wrong. So here’s a few tips to help in choosing both the external and internal colours for your new home.
Externally, many developers and local councils want to have an input into what colours you are allowed to have. Ostensibly, this is so that they can achieve a cohesively attractive aesthetic throughout the area. I had a council once tell us once that a client couldn’t have a Deep Ocean coloured roof because the estate guidelines specified that external facades had to be ‘earth’ colours. I had to remind them that over 70% of the earth was covered in water. This was in an estate that had the word “Lakes” in its title. A few pointers when choosing your own external colours. If you are building near the coast, cool greys, whites and blues work well. In more established, heritage areas, reds and warmer limestone colours achieve a balanced look with the surrounding area. In newer estates in the suburbs, you have a lot more scope (notwithstanding developers and councils guidelines) to choose. Using the principles from coastal and heritage areas, you can start by deciding on whether you prefer cooler or warmer colours and work from there.
Internally, the concept of cool or warm colours again comes into play. Whichever, palette you choose externally is generally what would flow through to the inside. You can play it down and stick to the neutrals. This is great if you like mixing things up as it’s always easier to add colour through accessories rather than changing all of your cabinets or wall paint. Or you can decide to go bold! This is where the ‘finish’ of the colour also adds to the overall effect. For example, choosing glossy cabinets for your kitchen area will add a sense of luxury whereas adding wood grains will add more earthiness.
Still unsure? Well, there’s no need to reinvent the colour wheel. Expert colour designers have already done the work for you. Simply head down to your local paint retailer or hardware store and pick out some colour samples that catch your eye. The colour strips with 4 or 5 colours will give you a head start in choosing complimentary colours in lighter and darker tones. Looking for something a bit more contrasting? It’s a simple google search such as ‘colour trends 2023’ will get you started!
