Frequently asked questions - part 2

How do I find the perfect off-white?

There are a few guiding principles to help you. First, consider the weight - if you use a deep colour on your walls but a bright white, this will create a stark and arguably uncomfortable contrast. Determine what weight of colour you are using in the rest of the scheme, and match this in your choice of offwhite.

Ask yourself what undertones you need to be prevalent in an off-white to create a complementary contrast with the other surrounding colours. This is quite a subtle observation as there isn't too much pigment in an off-white, but it will help the overall look to feel balanced.

If you're using an off-white on a trim of some kind, it may at some point hit a marble fireplace or stone floor, so it's worth also evaluating the tonality of other materials in the room.

How do I approach picture rails when decorating?

Picture rails work to define a wall in a different way - instead of the height of the wall being defined by the skirting board and the cornice, a new line was created. Traditionally, wallpaper was often used between the skirting and the picture rail, and then cheaper paint applied above to the cornice.

If you have an older room where the picture rail has been installed more recently, I would be inclined to remove it if it no longer serves a purpose in the space. This will restore the original design intent of the room.

Alternatively, if you would prefer to leave the picture rail in place but want to smooth the transition, you can simply paint it in the same colour that you're using on the wall.

Finally, if you enjoy the way the picture rail plays with scale in the room, you can paint up to it in one colour and then have another colour between the picture rail and the cornice.

Should I paint my doors?

In the past, we've seen examples of doors being painted in deep colours. I would say you need a room of a certain scale or architectural grandeur to pull this off. If you do want to go for dark colours on the doors, I would adopt this same colour across all the joinery within the room to avoid it looking too mismatched.

How can I work out where to start?

Various things could act as your starting point, and these will depend on your scenario. It might be existing features, or it might be a colour you're set on using, or it may well be the element your builders are asking you to order first!

Whatever they are, there will always be some determinants and I think the best thing is to work with these.

What else should I consider when creating a decorating scheme?

Colour is important, but perhaps the most important and defining element to consider is how exactly you will occupy the room. When will you mostly use it, who will use it and what feeling do you want to evoke?

These factors are surprisingly helpful to evaluate when deciding on colour, as they help to drive and narrow down your choices based on practicality.

Is pink a good colour to decorate with?

There has been a growing trend towards decorating with pink in interiors, and it is a fantastically useful colour. My advice would be to be wary of pinks that are 'too pink'. It may at first look too subtle on the colour chart, but in reality it will read much pinker with the effect of daylight. We offer two seemingly similar pinks, with one relying more heavily on yellow ochre and the other on red ochre. They are suited to different environments and can look very different when in situ.