1. DEFINE DIFFERENT AREAS WITH CONTRASTING SHADES
'A warm, peachy hue seen from a room painted in a deep teal such as this is a dynamic and surprising combination,' says Paint & Paper Library's creative director Andy Greenall of this space, a prime example of current living room color trends, painted in the brand's 'Nori' shade. It leads through to a entryway in 'Roben's Honour'.
'Entryways are often visible from multiple rooms, so consider how the colors will interact together and the resulting atmosphere it will create,' he adds. Juxtaposing strong colors like these not only creates contrast, it helps define the mood of different spaces throughout the house.
2. USE A COHESIVE PALETTE THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE
In this home by Studio Merlin, a harmonious blend of blush tones and rich blues of varying shades unify the entire interior. 'For me, choosing the palette for a project is like selecting the ingredients for a great recipe,' says architect Josh Piddock, who combined pastel-pink walls with Douglas fir joinery in the living room to create space that's warm yet minimal. 'The palette for the living area harmonizes three-quarters of the building's floor plan. The pink-hued Douglas Fir timber is the glue for this scheme, and sits comfortably with Farrow & Ball's 'Setting Plaster' paint color,' Josh continues. The result is a relaxed, restful space that's an ideal backdrop for bolder accents and personal touches.
3. CHOOSE AN ACCENT COLOUR TO LINK EACH SPACE
Part of a terrace of 1970s neo-Georgian houses built on the site of some demolished Victorian villas, this home was gutted and redesigned by Gundry + Ducker architects. After stripping the entire interior back to just the external walls and the roof, they inserted a modern interpretation of a Georgian home. The design is centered around a cantilevered staircase that sits in a triple-height space, with the upper rooms accessed directly off the stairs. The architects used an eye-catching shade of bright green to link the ground floor, staircase and corridors. 'The green was chosen as highlight color throughout the house and is picked up in details like the color of the hallway, the window surrounds and the skirting boards,' says architect Christian Ducker. 'This use of color helps pull all these disparate elements together as a whole,' he explains.