Make or Break with Paint...
Published on Monday 14th May 2007
Last time I wrote about the importance of good lighting and how just a simple candle can alter the ambiance of a room entirely. I’d like to follow on from that by stressing how important the right paint colours are and how they too can make or break the atmosphere and the temperature of a room.
I remember once being called upon by some new clients who had just moved into their first house, but as exciting and beautiful it was, there was something that wasn’t quite right and they just couldn’t put their finger on it.
To the trained eye, it was obvious. The painted wall colour in the living room was completely freezing them out. The colour was white with a hint of green and the room felt and looked so cold and uninviting!
The task was so simple. The wall colour just needed replacing with a warmer hue. And the result was just as intended: the furniture came alive and along with the addition of some large velvet, tactile cushions the room instantly looked so much more luxurious.
 The colour I used to change the room was from the Paint and Paper Library  Architectural Collection: Stone 1 for the wood work and Stone 11 for the walls. The Architectural colours are designed in groups of four chromatically arranged ‘off whites’ that can be used to satisfy the tonal balance between various parts of a room, providing the perfect colour combination system for ceilings, walls and wood work.
On a property I worked on recently, I had the luxury of using most of the Architectural Collection paint chart. The changes from room to room were incredibly subtle but so effective.
And note that all of the Paint Library colours are now available in a new exterior eggshell - a low sheen oil based paint.
Just always remember to try out a tester pot before you make your final decision, never rely on the paint chart, take a look in electric light as well as daylight (as the colour can change dramatically) and make sure you try different areas of the walls because the paint will take on a different colour on a north facing wall to that of a south facing one.
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