Bring your ideal colour palette to life and create a mood board that will assist and inspire you when painting and decorating your home. real living and the International School of Colour & Design show you how…

Step 1: Core Colour

Choose your core colour. This is a colour that you love and that you want to surround yourself with. Think about what this colour means to you and what mood it evokes. Understanding the colour you love will help you work with the rest of your scheme.

Step 2: Demand Colour

Bring in a second colour. This is your demand colour. This accent colour is one that you want to introduce, in small pieces, to lift your scheme. It is often a bright “poppy” colour. With the inclusion of your demand colour, you are starting to develop the elements of your colour scheme.

Step 3: Core Palette Extension

Extend and develop your core palette – you will need to look at two colours that are tonally lighter and darker than your core colour. For a little assistance, refer to a paint chart or swatches, available at your local hardware store.

Step 4: The Right Whites

Choosing the right white is tricky. Pay special attention to the undertone of your core colour – this will assist you when you choose a white to implement into your colour scheme. Make sure you look at one white at a time when comparing against your core colour. Whites are always important to look at in large pieces, too.

Step 5: Your MoodBoard

Start to create your personalised moodboard by overlaying images onto a large board. You can draw inspiration from magazines, which have pictures that incorporate and tie in with your core and demand colours. Go a step further and source fabric, tile and flooring swatches, which will completely tie your colour scheme together. Your moodboard will assist you when you bring your colour scheme to life, and start to decorate your rooms!

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