Painting: Contrasts and Colour Co-ordination by Darren G. Burton

Colour co-ordination plays a major role in successfully decorating your home. And, since most homes have a fair expanse of areas that need to be painted, the paintwork is obviously an area that can either enhance, or detract, from the look of your home.

Pastels are often matched up with pastels, but contrasts can also be effective. Contrasts, however, do not necessarily mean two totally opposite colours. In fact, a contrast can effectively be attained using the same colour.

For example; a girl’s room with the walls painted a very subtle pink can be greatly enhanced by painting the trimmings - architraves, window frames and skirting - a very bold shade of pink; like a Hot Pink. To achieve the best effect, satin enamel should be used on the trimmings rather than high or semi-gloss paint. I've seen it done and it looks great. Dark pink trimmings also look good surrounding wallpaper where pink is the dominant colour. Of course, this method is not limited to pink alone. It’s just an example. Most colours can be utilised in the exact same way.

A possible creation for a boy’s bedroom would be to paint the room a very light grey pastel, walls and ceiling, then enhance by coating the trimmings with a medium, steel-grey satin enamel. The carpet could also be a moderate shade of grey, or even silver or a shade of blue. Finally, cover one wall with mirror tiles, bevelled edge, to complete the image - mirror tiles can also be useful in creating the illusion of a much larger room.

Another interesting way to liven things up, although not necessarily a common one, is to escape the mundane routine of painting all ceilings white, and add a splash of colour to them.

The theory behind white ceilings generally is for the white paintwork to reflect more light around the room. But a coloured ceiling in a room where optimum illumination is not essential - like a bedroom, for example - can look very appealing and different. A pale, placid blue ceiling can create a tranquil and relaxing atmosphere. A peach or apricot colour may impart a cosy feel to a room: The right colour, of course, will depend largely upon what room it is and who will be occupying it.

Feature walls are a common showpiece in many homes, and are often created to exhibit artworks. The colour of your feature will depend partly on personal taste. Do you want a wall that blends harmoniously with the dominant colours of the room? Or one that stands out boldly and independently? If hanging artwork on the feature wall, does the wall colour compliment the artwork and make it stand out? Or is the colour distracting and detract from the art? Reds and maroons are quite popular as feature wall colours as they tend to work well with the majority of colour schemes. Shades of blue and green are sometimes used, though probably to lesser effect. White doesn’t work particularly well, unless the rest of the walls are painted a strong colour. Black just tends to be too dark and morbid.

Murals are another interesting way to liven up a room. Though we may not all be great artists, those who possess this wonderful talent may like to try their hand at it. If, like most of us, you have not been blessed with this gift, and if you have the budget for it and the wall space to suit, you could always pay an artist to paint the mural for you. Murals can look great in a games room, rumpus room or entry/foyer.

When re-decorating - painting a previously painted room - furniture, floor coverings, décor and curtains already in the room will have to be complimented by the new paintwork. An easy way to obtain this is to just paint the ceiling a standard white and the walls a very light pastel in a similar hue to the dominant colour of the furnishings.

If the furniture, carpets, decor and curtains are of all conflicting colours, well then the colour of the new paintwork won't matter much in obtaining harmonious colour co-ordination, because there already isn't any. The only way out in this case would be to redecorate the entire room; including furniture, floor coverings and curtains, with colours that meld. Then match up the paintwork.

With these suggestions and ideas in mind, combined with personal taste and creativity, the possibilities for colour in home decorating are endless.