7 mistakes to avoid when painting and decorating
So you’ve finally decided to do a home renovation, or you’re moving into your new home and are excited to use it as a canvas for your personality. But before you apply that first layer of the gorgeous colour that you have chosen, read through our list of 7 mistakes to avoid when painting and decorating.
Not doing paint samples before painting and decorating the room
Choosing the colour without using samples or not using swatches can result in the room looking very different to how you expected. Often people like a shade, whether it’s bold or neutral, but don’t bother testing it. Colours look different under different lights and may end up not looking like the samples in the shop. The best idea is to buy little paint sample tins and test them on your walls first before the painting and decorating job begins. Choose the one that works best for your property and pick colours that complement each other if you want to use different shades for different rooms. This will make your life a lot easier when it comes to decorating. Take a look at our Shepherd’s Bush project for a few examples of sample paints.
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Ignoring natural light and room position
Natural light changes throughout the day and also depends on which direction your room is facing. For example, no matter how beautiful the beige colour you have chosen, painted in a north-facing room it would look grey and might have strange blue undertones. To prevent this from happening, it’s a good idea to test out samples under both artificial and day light before you start painting and decorating. The same goes for bold colours; your aim might be to achieve a dramatic look, but if the room lacks natural light it may end up looking a bit depressing.
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Thinking that all whites are the same
White comes in so many shades. If you walk around Belgravia in London you’ll see many different shades of white, from pinkish to greyish to yellowish and more. White is an excellent choice when you want to maximise the natural light in your space, but choose wisely when painting and decorating. Shades that are too bright can give an empty and restless feeling that seems quite clinical. Undertones can be used to make a space seem warmer or colder and blue undertones could make a room feel depressing, so go for more chalky options instead.
You can also use different shades when painting and decorating depending on the room. A great example is this family house in Chelsea that we painted and decorated. One of our favourite hues is All White by Farrow & Ball because it’s lovely and soft and doesn’t have the blue undertones of brilliant white.
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Matching too much
Trying to match the paint, furniture and decorations creates a lot of opportunity for colour clashing, which can make the room look boring, flat and cheap. Instead, combine different shades of your favourite colour as well as different textures and materials. To avoid the room looking plain, you can also use decorations that complement the colour painted on the walls. When painting and decorating, think about using shades from a colour scheme that match but are not necessarily identical to each other to avoid making the room look monotonous. To gain some colour inspiration, take a look at Paint and Paper Library to find some colours you really like.
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Trying too hard by using multiple bright, trendy colours when repainting your home
Often when choosing for the best paint colour for their home people are drawn to bright, joyful colours such as yellow, orange, red and pink that they’ve seen in magazines and on Pinterest boards. However, painting and decorating with these colours in small spaces can be overwhelming and could leave you feeling uncomfortable and stressed instead of relaxed. It can have the effect of making rooms look even smaller and can even increase headaches due to eye strain. To avoid this, you could either limit yourself to a just a couple of colours or choose from a specific colour scheme.
Ignoring other rooms and colour schemes
Not thinking of and supporting the colours in other areas of your home, especially in open-plan spaces, can lead to chaos. Wall colours have to complement each other and not clash. Painting and decorating will be a lot easier if you have a harmonious, cohesive look throughout the space. When you reach the decorating stage, you might want to start buying things slowly to see whether the colours match with the paint.
