By Justine Olivier
Colour often allows us to express who we are. It helps us to reflect our moods, attitudes, and feelings. In a home, colour can also create the illusion of space, liven up a drab or ordinary living space, add warmth and bring in light dependent on the style, texture and colour choice.
Merle Rifkind, of Northwest Paint Distributors, notes that paint not only modernises and transforms an interior but also protects the substrate, prevents moisture ingress and corrosion, and also adds monetary value to the home.
With so many benefits for your interior spaces, transforming the appearance of your home has never been easier.
The current market is saturated with almost every paint colour and tone you can imagine. Anne Roselt, of Plascon, says: “Metallics are big right now – paints like pearl, silver and gold are being used in horizontal stripes, stencils or over stucco finishes. Another trend is the use of script on the walls.”
Wallcoverings, which have made a huge comeback, are also available in an array of textures, styles and hues.
“Picking your favourite colour from a paint swatch is easy,” say professionals from Jack’s Paint and Hardware, “but making it work in a real interior is far more difficult, as colours do not work in isolation from their surroundings”.
The important thing to keep in mind when choosing a palette for your home is what type of effect or ambience you wish your living space to portray: do you want colours to complement the furnishings; or would you prefer to create an interesting contrasting effect?
Once you have an idea in mind, choosing the correct colour combination shouldn’t prove too difficult. Preparation is key between success and failure, and it can often save you money and be less stressful in the long term.
“Prepare properly before your project,” stress Jack’s Paint and Hardware experts. “It’ll save you time and your enthusiasm for home improvement won’t be crushed in one foul swoop. Remember, when we talk about preparation, we’re referring to both the preparation of the room to be painted and the intended surface,” they add. Accent walls are also a popular choice in contemporary homes. Not only do they become focal points of the room, but they are a great way to introduce colour to an otherwise neutral room.
“Home owners are a lot more adventurous nowadays, with texture playing an important role in decor. More of our clientele are going for accent colours on feature walls in shades of turquoise, with a few going for shades of purple,” explains Shannon Bester, of Versus Paint Specialists.
The great thing about wanting to transform your abode using paint is that you can either get a professional in to help, or you can undertake the challenge yourself.
Merle advises that home owners can apply paint with a trowel to change the texture of a wall to give it a scratch-plaster finish, or they can apply thick paint with a ripple roller to give a ripple finish.
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