How do you get ideas for room colours?

[taz777]

I am completely lost! I will need to decorate three bedrooms, hallway and the living room in around 6-8 weeks time but really don't know what colours to do them.

How do you work out what you want when you don't know what you want?

 

[misterhelpful]

Pick up as many paint charts as you can and in one of them you will find an image of a room that catches your eye. You dont have to choose exactly the same colours but stick to similar ones and you will create your own variation on a theme.

Have a look here to get started: http://www.dulux.co.uk/inspiration/get_the_look/index.jsp

 

[dcdec]

Have a look at a colour wheel, it shows the relationships between primary and secondary colours.

 

[JimFoster]

It depends a lot on the colour of your furniture, flooring, curtains etc.
I went for a very safe but bland choice. White matt emulsion on the ceilings, magnolia matt emulsion on the walls and white satinwood for the woodwork.
I used white bathroom emulsion and white kitchen emulsion for those areas. White is fine for my bathroom and kitchen. But in general brilliant white is too cold and clinical for the bedroom/hallway/sitting room walls.
Another thing to think about is that the lighter the colour, the bigger the room will appear.
I am about to buy some framed pictures and a retro wall clock from John Lewis to add some colour. I wanted paint colours that could work with anything.
Definitely go for white matt emulsion for the ceiling. And white satinwood is a good choice for the woodwork.
Have a look at this:
http://www.dulux.co.uk/colours/index.jsp
This will help you select a family of colours. Then go to your local diy shop and get 3 or 4 testers.
I have noticed how paint has become a fashion business. Dulux says that this seasons colour is forest falls (a shade of green):
http://www.dulux.co.uk/inspiration/latest_trends/index.jsp
And then you have things like feature walls. I think they are a gimmick, but some people are into them.

 

[taz777]

My big problem is I don't even know where to start!

I'm having the house gutted over the next two weeks and loads of first first stuff happening (electrics, central heating, double glazing). The house will then be effectively empty and bare.

I've bitten the bullet and arrange for a Dulux interior designer to visit and get me started!