Tara Dennis visited a house that has been entered in this year’s Dulux Colour Awards. Designed by architect, Stephen Varady, the house is a perfect example of how to add interest and drama to living areas with clever colour combinations.
Forget the colour chart
If you’re wondering how to go about choosing colour combinations for your place, don’t start by opening a colour chart. There are so many colours available (literally thousands!) you are sure to be overwhelmed. Tara suggested that you draw your inspiration from nature. Grab a bucket or basket, go outside and collect leaves, berries, twigs, rocks, nuts – whatever catches your eye. Bring your collection inside, and then use a colour chart to match the items. You’ll then find it’s much easier to choose colour combinations, because Mother Nature has done all the work for you!
Top autumn tints
Using the method described above, Tara selected her favourite tints for autumn.
Wattyl: Tapenade
(Low Sheen, $58 for 4 litres)
This rich, chocolate colour teams well with neutral colours and looks fabulous as a painted feature wall. Tara recommended repeating the colour in textured furnishing fabrics, and adding colour highlights in a few key accessories. She checked some autumn leaves from the garden and found that green was a perfect, harmonious match.
Bristol: Burnt Sienna
($62 for 4 litres)
Stone or even terracotta flooring would go well with the rich, earthy colour of Bristol Burnt Sienna. When choosing complementary fabric colours, Tara drew her inspiration from a yellow pumpkin! For a fun accessory, she added a few branches of cow’s udder plant (Solanum mammosum).
Murobond: Tawny
(Murowash, $68 for 4 litres)
Brown complements this colour perfectly. To give some extra lift, Tara suggested introducing textural elements to this colour scheme. Things like coconuts, bowls of chestnuts, conkers, vases of twigs or even a plate of coffee crystals.
Dulux: Pale Mustard
(Dulux Wash & Wear 101 Flat, $62 for 4 litres)
Porters: Full Red (Ultra flat acrylic, $69 for 4 litres)
Pale Mustard is one of Tara’s all time favourites. It is soft, muted and goes well with other colours, such as Porter’s Full Red. Most of your walls could be painted Pale Mustard, with Porter’s Full Red as a feature wall. Alternatively, you could reverse the colour combination.
Murobond: Barnacle
($62 for 4 litres)
This dark brown, intense colour should be used sparingly. The majority of the walls could be painted an off-white colour, with Murobond Barnacle as a feature wall. Then you could introduce red or lime green highlights with bowls of fruit and vegetables, or vases of cut foliage.
Contact information
Wattyl Australia Pty Ltd
4 Steel Street
Blacktown 2148
Phone: (02) 9621 9353
Bristol
9 Birmingham Ave
Villawood 2163
Customer Service: 131 686
Web: www.bristol.com.au
Murobond Coatings
81 Dickson Ave
Artarmon 2064
Phone: (02) 9906 7299
Web: www.murobond.com.au
Dulux Trade Centre
613 Pacific Highway
Chatswood 2067
Phone: (02) 9412 2411
Porters Paint
895 Bourke St
Waterloo 2017
Phone: (02) 9698 5322
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.porterspaints.com