Painting? The Colour on the Card is Different on the Wall!
So, you’re browsing the endless wall of Dulux colour card samples in Bunnings and finally settle on that specific shade of ‘griege’ for your living renovation. Your commercial Perth painters get on the job and that final coat of paint dries, but the wall is a little more grey than beige. Now the warmth of the room has completely evaporated!
The anxiety of colour choice is real. Everyone is afraid of messing it up. And the truth is, it is really easy to mess up. So why does the colour on the card look different on the walls?
The Size of the Room
The paint colour and combination you choose has the power to create an optical illusion, making your space feel larger or smaller. Darker colours will make a room feel smaller and light colours can open up the space. Be careful with painting small rooms dark colours, because it can make them feel closed-in. However, you can paint a dark feature wall in your living room to make it feel cosier.
Even ceiling height can affect how colour is perceived, with higher ceilings making it look darker towards the floor. Low ceilings can be made to feel more open by using the same light colours on the walls, trims and ceilings.
Type and Angle of Lighting
Artificial Lighting
Natural and artificial lighting has an immediate impact on the colour of a room. In a simple neutral white room, warm lighting will soften the walls with a slight yellow hue. Cool lighting will harshen and sharpen the starkness of the white, giving brightness and energy to a room. Warm light boosts warm undertones of yellow, beige or orange, while cool lighting will boost grey, blue or green undertones.
Daylight lighting, which mimics natural daylight, is the most neutral, making it the easiest to match your paint card. But just be aware it can feel harsh in living spaces.
Natural lighting
Natural light through your windows is a whole other ball game. Depending on where the room is in your home, light can appear differently.
North-facing rooms are bright and warm throughout the day, taking in more light than any other room.
South-facing rooms have cooler tones and feel a lot more muted throughout the day.
East-facing rooms get the glow of morning light and cool, muted tones in the afternoon.
West-facing rooms bathe in the ‘Golden Hour’ sun with intense warm tones.
Try to neutralise these rooms with colours with opposite undertones to the natural lighting.
Paint Finishes
Even if you find the exact paint colour you want, the type of paint finish or sheen level that you choose will also affect how the colour appears in your room. Like we saw with different types of lighting, colour is majorly influenced by how light reflects off a surface. Semi-gloss and gloss sheens are the most reflective and bright. Eggshell generally warms colours with a velvety finish. Matte finishes are the least reflective, absorbing light and softening the appearance of a room.
Furniture Choices
Want to know an interior design secret? You should always pick your paint colour last. The furniture in your room is the feature, and the walls should be a seamless and harmonious background. You can choose to compliment or contrast colours. But really, this is where an expert should come in.
With colour choice being so frustrating, the best way to achieve the look you are going for is to hire a colour consultant from your local commercial painters. Someone with a trained eye whose entire job is to understand the minutiae of paint colour choice is the kind of person you need. Learn more about colour consultancy here.
