Go Bold with Colour

Homeowners tend to stick to neutral colours when decorating their homes. It offers a sense of security – especially when you like to change small details within a room or living space. Neutrals offer a muted canvas that gives you range to redecorate spaces without too much effort.  But who wants neutrals when you can have bold colour!? Striking red rooms and classic complimenting combos like blue and orange create a vibrant ambience in your home offering so much more than just colour.  

Importance of Colour  

It has been a long-known fact that there is a psychology behind colour. Colours have the power to relax, energise and even convince. Colour Psychology shares “Unconscious or otherwise, colour can evoke emotions, inspire reactions, and change modes of thinking. It can excite or soothe your mood, raise or lower your blood pressure, and even whet your appetite! Whether it’s innate or learned, it’s undeniable that colour has a vital impact on how we go about our lives”.  

We choose everything, from the clothing in our wardrobes to the colour of our car, cellphone or furniture based on colour. Literally everything you own is influenced by a choice of colour you preferred. Colour is truly a wonderful way to express your personality and style.  

Basic Rules   

There are a few rules to follow if you want to make bright colours work in your living environment. If bold colour is your first try, then you can safely bet on the 60-30-10 rule. The rule is simple. 60 per cent of your colour scheme should be from a muted palette. 30 per cent should be a bright colour and the other 10 per cent should make up the boldest colour.  

Imagine this. Your kitchen walls are painted a muted mint green hue and that takes up more than half of your canvas. Your kitchen cupboards will easily make up 30 per cent of your canvas. Painting this in a bright blue will be the perfect addition to your bright kitchen. Leave a tiled backsplash above your countertops or oven for the other 10 per cent.  Yellow would work beautifully with this colour scheme. See this colour scheme in our digital magazine on page 

It is also a good idea to keep warm and cool colours together. It is again – a general rule but break the rules if you feel it in your gut. Traditionally shades like red, orange and yellow are considered warm colours. Cold colours fall on the opposite side of the spectrum and can include blues, greens and a variety of purples.

Lifestyle journalist Tara Mastroeni says “The choice of warm or cool colours will affect the energy of the space. Since warm colours tend to bring an upbeat and welcoming feel to a room, they’re best in entertaining spaces. Think about using these shades in your dining room or kitchen.

Cool colours, on the other hand, are more subdued. They work best in bedrooms and office spaces, where calming energy is welcomed”.  

Utilise the Colour Wheel   

The colour wheel can bring you a ton of joy if you know how to use it effectively. Colour wheels are usually made up of 12 sections and include tertiary colours, which are combinations of primary and secondary colours like yellow-green, red-orange etc. This will help you see which colours go together and which do not.   

The colour wheel can also help you decide on a harmonious or contrasting colour scheme. Colours that lay close to each other will give you a harmonious colour scheme. Colours opposite each other on the wheel are considered contrasting and bring the best out of each colour.   

Lastly, look for inspiring colour combinations all around you. Our world is filled with graphic design, packaging and advertising that utilises colours in creative ways.

Nature too can be a big source of inspiration. Following the natural world’s example may surprise you with beautiful colour combinations you may never have thought about. If Namaqualand in early spring is something to go by, then please, go bold for good!  

Article by Marion K Nowak