Choosing colour room by room is how homes end up feeling disjointed. The palette should be decided once, for the whole property, and then varied in emphasis.
Build from the fixed elements
Start with what is not changing: the flooring, the main door, the window frames, any stone already in place. These are the largest and least reversible surfaces in the home, and the palette has to agree with them. Pick your neutrals to sit alongside the floor tone, not against it.
Use a 60 / 30 / 10 split
A reliable starting structure:
- 60% — the dominant neutral. Walls, ceilings, large joinery.
- 30% — the secondary tone. Feature joinery, upholstery, curtains.
- 10% — the accent. Cushions, art, a single painted or lacquered surface.
The accent is the only place a strong colour belongs in most homes, and it should be the easiest thing to change.
Test in the actual light
A sample that looks warm under a showroom's lighting can read grey in your living room. Always view samples large — at least an A3 area — on the actual wall, at three times of day: morning, mid-afternoon and under your evening lighting.
Carry one thread through every room
Rooms can differ in mood while still belonging to the same home. The simplest way to achieve that is to repeat one element everywhere: the same timber tone, the same metal finish, or the same white on all ceilings and trim. That single thread does most of the work of making a home feel coherent.
Undertone matters more than colour
Two greys that look identical on a chip can clash badly on a wall because one has a green undertone and the other a violet one. When comparing, always place samples side by side against a sheet of plain white paper — the undertone becomes obvious immediately.
Practical defaults that rarely fail
- Warm off-white on walls, a shade lighter on ceilings.
- One timber tone, used consistently across all joinery.
- One metal finish for hardware throughout.
- Colour concentrated in soft furnishings and art, where it is cheap to change.