5 tips for choosing the right paint colour for your living room | Header Image

When it comes to the interior design for our living room, we want our choices to create a comforting environment and reflect the personalities of those who use it every day. This keyspace in our homes serves as a place to rest, spend time with our families, and entertain our guests – making those design decisions crucial. And yet, choosing paint colours for surrounding walls can propose a dilemma. There has to be a consideration of the look you hope to create and the style of the furniture you may already own or look to purchase. Then there is natural light to consider, is your living space a North or South facing room? Is there a permanent feature that can’t be removed and needs to be taken into consideration? We wouldn’t blame you if you were tempted just to paint all the walls white to get it over and done with – except, which shade of white is the right shade of white? 

 

If you’re looking for a way to begin your journey into colour, follow along for our in-house team of design experts and their five essential tips that makes choosing a paint palette so much easier. 

5 tips for choosing the right paint colour for your living room | wide Image
5 tips for choosing the right paint colour for your living room | Close Up Image

1. CREATE A MOOD 

 

Creating a mood for your living room has never been so important. Do you want your space to feel relaxed and calm, warm and homely, soft and charming or spacious? Knowing the answers to this question will help inform the colour decisions, as only certain shades will help enhance the living room’s atmosphere you intend to create. Understanding the colours’ connotations is a crucial step to choosing your paint palette.  

 

2. THE LIGHT TEST 

 

When you know the route you want to take your room in, always consider the direction of natural light, the room’s size, and how the contents will affect your desired shade. The easiest way to understand your shade is to take a tester and try it out at different times of the day to see how the results are affected by natural and artificial light. 

 

3. GLOSSY OR MATT? 

 

When it comes to the finish you want to achieve with your paint choice, think about the home’s practicality and longevity. The sumptuous matt finish of Optiva Matt 5 when used for interior wall paint offers a beautiful, smooth finish that is hard-wearing for the home with its high resistance to stains and dirt. For a silk-like quality to your room, look to Optiva Satin Matt 7, while Optiva Semi-Matt 20 will add a slight glistening effect.  

 

4. FINER DETAILS 

 

A style that may work for someone may not necessarily fit for everyone – and that’s ok. When the general design direction begins to come together, take your new skills to the next step by introducing textured elements to your living room, whether through a painted surface or soft-furnishings. If you are after specific paint textures, our Tikkurila painting ideas are here to help. These playful yet sophisticated design details can even make the most subdued colours feel lively.

 

5. BE BRAVE, BE BOLD 

 

Most importantly, choose a colour that reflects you and your families’ personalities, not for others or because they are on-trend. Be playful with your colour decisions as your home walls don’t have to be the same colour forever. Order as many colour samples as possible and eliminate them by trial and error until you are happy with your final palette. Our style and taste are always evolving, so choose colours that feel personal to you. 

 

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Disclaimer: Tikkurila UK Paint Calculator is provided as a guide only. The coverage rates will vary depending on surface being coated and the particular product range being used. More information on these products can be found on the cans, on the technical data sheets on individual product pages, by using our live chat service or by calling our technical team on 0131 334 4999.

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the estimate, however paint requirements may vary depending on the surface, type of paint, sheen level and colour chosen.