Creating a decorating scheme - where to begin

Where to Begin

Scheming should be a fun part of your project, but it can be extremely daunting for a beginner. I've broken it down into easy steps to demystify the process and give you the confidence to build your own well-balanced decorating schemes.

01 - Decide on your starting point

Choose an element that is either a certainty, or exists in the space already. For many projects, flooring will be the starting point.

02 - Determine its tone and colour

Use a palette of subtly pigmented off-whites to see if you can work out where your starting point sits in terms of colour and tone.

03 - Match an off-white to your starting point

After a process of trial and error, you will be able to decide on a few shades of off-white that sit harmoniously with the starting point. You may find one matches particularly well, whereas a couple of others offer a little contrast while still feeling balanced.

04 - Focus on that group of pigments

Establish what pigments are in the off-white that sits perfectly with the starting point. In the case of my example, I will focus on yellow ochre, black and red ochre.

05 - Move through other colours with those pigments

Eliminating colours that don't contain the correct tonality, you are left with a palette of colours to try that contain the harmonious pigments. Experiment with different shades and build up a selection.

06 - Consider the weight of colour

You will find some colours, although tonally balanced, will feel too heavy, and vice versa. These can be disregarded.

07 - Whittle down the colours based on preference and suitability

Once you have done the first cut that determines which colours will work in terms of tonality, you can edit your selection in accordance with personal preference. If you have already decided you want a blue scheme for example, then you can continue with these shades.