The Importance of Whole House Color Schemes

Does this color go with that color? A question many people ask themselves when it comes to their home.

However, "matching" shouldn't be the goal but rather cohesion and how to create that from room to room.

Establishing whole house color schemes may sound daunting – it can be hard enough to choose a color scheme for one room alone, so picking one for a whole house does take a lot of thought and commitment.

But once you have chosen your key shades, the color scheming will flow like a dream.

All you need to do is start with three favorite colors and a little understanding of how shades work together. Here, we dive deeper to show you how.

WHOLE HOUSE COLOR SCHEMES CREATE CONTINUITY AND FLOW

One of the most important elements of a whole house color scheme is that it flows and is easy on the eye.

‘Diversity and continuity play equally important roles in a home, but it is a fine line. While it is important that each room has a personality of its own, it is also important that spaces do not jar. Unexpected arrivals can create a sense of chaos and unease,’ says Ottalie Stride, Creative Director at Albion Nord.

On the same train of thought, room after room of the same color can also be incredibly dull. The key is to create rooms which function to serve different uses. This is a great way to develop schemes; a movie theater room or bar can be more playful than a kitchen or bedroom but colors can be subtly carried from one to the next so there aren’t any shocking surprises.

WHOLE HOUSE COLOR SCHEMES ARE COMFORTING

A fully schemed house doesn't have to be one blanket color, instead, consider arranging the color of your choice into spectrums or seasons.

Winter and spring lend themselves to cooler tones such as blues, greys, violet and shades of white, whereas summer and autumn offer up a rich palette ranging from pale neutrals to deep browns. Incorporating a spectrum approach is essential to ensuring that each room provides continuity while retaining its unique individual character.

When each room complements each other in this way it can be hugely comforting and naturally creates a much calmer environment to live in, particularly in tight quarters.

WHOLE HOUSE COLOR SCHEMES ARE PERFECT FOR BLENDING

OPEN-PLAN LAYOUTS

One idea with whole house color scheming is to keep the downstairs as one color palette, then switch it up upstairs. For example, a beautiful taupe shade with accents of sky blue across the living and dining areas, then the landing and bedrooms could have sky blue as the predominant shade and taupe as the secondary color.

Essentially you’re swapping the accent shades.

WHOLE HOUSE COLOR SCHEMES CAN BE ADJUSTED TO SUIT THE MOOD

A ROOM YOU WISH TO CREATE

A whole house color palette doesn't need to be limiting. In fact, it can be quite liberating once you’ve chosen your main colors. You don’t have to just stick to the traditional ‘complementary’ and ‘harmonious’ colors – you can mix it up.

START A WHOLE HOUSE COLOR SCHEME FROM YOUR MOST USED ROOM

Choose the room that you frequent the most as a starting point for your whole house color scheme. More often than not, this is the kitchen or living space.

Melissa Klink, Creative Director at Harvey Jones says, ‘The kitchen is the perfect environment for experimenting with color on both a large or small scale. Contrasting top and bottom cabinets or using color in a localized area like an island or free-standing cabinet are great ways to add a touch of personality to your whole house color scheme. Introducing tonal colors from the same spectrum is also an interesting way to bring color into the kitchen – this effect can be achieved, for example, by using different shades of the same color across the cabinetry and the island.’

USE WHOLE HOUSE COLOR SCHEMES TO INTEGRATE FORGOTTEN SPACES

Most often neglect the most used areas – the entryway, the hallways and landings – but this is where whole house color scheming comes to the forefront. Linking spaces together is integral to this look and you can see how beautifully it works here – the hallway paint color is used in the living space and beyond, too.

Get Schemin'

- Raph