When you’re buying a new build home, there are a lot of decisions to make. Making the right choices about every detail will help you create the dream home that you’ll love for years to come.
One of the most important aspects of designing your home is choosing a colour scheme, from the paint on the walls to the cabinets, and right down to your furniture. Sinclair Homes’ designer, Joanne, has helped us put together a list of things to keep in mind when choosing the colours for your new home:
1. Determine your style
Before you make any colour decisions, it’s important to figure out your decorating style. Do you prefer a traditional look or country feel for your home? Do you lean towards classic looks that never go out of style? Perhaps you like a contemporary or modern feel for your home. Being able to give your personal style preferences a name will help you focus your decision-making.
2. Decide on a colour scheme
Narrowing down the type of colour scheme you like will be helpful for making specific colour decisions. Decide whether you prefer a colour scheme with neutral browns and taupes, neutral and cool greys (this is one of our most popular choices!), or bright and bold colours. It’s also important to consider whether you prefer light or dark colours. Be sure to take your new home’s layout into account when considering colours. Joanne suggests sticking to lighter colours to help your home feel spacious in areas where there is a lack of natural light.
3. Start with the main living areas
Choose the colours for the walls, floors and accents in your living room and kitchen, then work your way to the bathrooms and bedrooms.
Expert Tip: Contrast your cabinets with the countertops or flooring. The darkest colours should be on the bottom to ground the room, working your way up to the lighter colours. You can also contrast warm with cool, such as warm wood floors with cool grey furniture.
4. Incorporate your furniture
If you’re buying new furniture for your home, choose all of the colours for the walls, cabinets and floors first, then shop for furniture that works within the space. If you’re working with existing furniture, bring in a couch cushion, or photos of your wood furniture and accent pieces like rugs or artworks. This will make it easier to work with a designer to come up with the perfect colour scheme to match your furnishings!
5. Add some black to the room
One of Joanne’s favourite design tips is to add a little bit of black to each room when possible. Black accents are timeless and trendy all at once, and add a ton of style to your space. Cabinet hardware, faucets, door handles and light fixtures are all great ways to add black to a room without disrupting the rest of the colour scheme.
6. Use the 60-30-10 rule
If you’re having trouble getting the right proportions for your colour scheme, the 60-30-10 rule will help. The dominant colour should take up about 60 percent of the space on the walls and floors. The secondary colour is for your furniture and cabinets, and should make up about 30 percent of the space. The last 10 percent is for your accent colour, which can include things like accessories or an accent wall.
At Sinclair Homes, our team of experts is here to help you design the house of your dreams. Check out our latest development, Westwood Trails in Simcoe — it could be your new home!
