Inspiration
Gathering inspiration is the first, most crucial part of the process. It can be daunting looking at a paint chart when you have several rooms to do, but there are ways to get your mind working on what colours go well together.
Consider the individual room as well as the flow
Although you might want to focus on the idea of cohesion, don’t forget that colours need to work for the room they’re in. There’s obviously no point choosing a colour just because it goes with all of your other spaces, only to find it unfit for purpose when you close the door.
The principles of a cohesive colour scheme
Once you know what kinds of colours you are drawn to, and the limitations imposed on your scheme by each room, there are a few guiding principles that will help you pull it all together. As Patrick explains, “The two easiest routes for creating a cohesive scheme through your home is to either choose a colour family, often represented by the vertical presentation on manufacturers’ paint cards, or to go for colours of a similar weight, essentially different colours but all at similar strengths.”
Colour families
Colour families as a rule include colours with the same undertones, for example green-blues. Within this you might have a very pale duck-egg, for example, that might work well in a large, airy space, but also a deep, dark sea blue that could create an enveloping feel in a smaller room with less natural light.
Using accents
Once you have the overall scheme in place, accents can be a brilliant way to enliven a room or to add further coherence to the house in general. “Introducing a small (10%) complementary hue can initiate a magical dialogue between colours,” advises Betsy. “I tend to compose colours using a 60-30-10 recipe, i.e. 60% foundation colour, 30% secondary colour and 10% accent. Use the accent to counterbalance the dominant colour characteristics to form a perfectly composed interior. For example, a small highlight of orange or amber in a cool blue interior will instantly infuse warmth and feel more welcoming.”