Choosing paint colours, room by room

Most colour mistakes come from choosing a small chip under shop lighting. Light, undertone and what is already in the room matter more than the card. Start with the method below, then go to the room you are painting.

The method

1. Start with what stays. Flooring, worktops, tiles, a sofa you are keeping. Choose colours that suit them, and have a sample or photo of each when you look at paint.
2. Check which way the room faces. North-facing rooms get cool, even light, so warmer colours stop them feeling cold. South-facing rooms are warm most of the day and suit cooler colours. East and west-facing rooms change through the day, so look at samples when you use the room most.
3. Look at the undertone. Two greys can match on a card and look completely different on the wall because one leans blue and the other green or pink. Hold the sample against plain white paper to see which way it leans.
4. Test big. Paint two samples at least A4 size on different walls, away from the old colour. Look at them for a couple of days, morning and evening, with the lights on and off.
5. Think about the next room. From a hall or an open-plan space you see several rooms at once. Colours that share an undertone, or one colour at different strengths, make the house feel joined up.

Hallways and stairs

The hall takes the most wear and usually gets the least daylight. Warm, light colours stop it feeling gloomy; very pale cool greys look cold. In a hall that is dark anyway, a deeper colour can look deliberate rather than fighting the light.

• Use a durable washable matt on walls. Standard matt marks within weeks.
• A darker colour below a dado rail hides scuffs from bags and bikes.
• Paint the hall, stairs and landing as one space so there is no line halfway up.
• Spindles and handrails need a tougher eggshell or satin.

Kitchens

The cabinets are the biggest block of colour, so decide on them first and choose the walls to suit. Light warm neutrals work in small or dark kitchens; navy, deep green or charcoal suit larger, brighter ones. Darker base units with lighter wall units stop a strong colour feeling heavy. If the kitchen opens onto a living area, using one wall colour throughout makes it read as one room.

Walls need a scrubbable finish. Cabinet doors last far better sprayed with a hard-wearing lacquer than brushed, and a respray costs a fraction of a new kitchen.

Bathrooms

Steam matters more than colour here. Ordinary emulsion blisters and grows mould, so use a kitchen and bathroom paint on walls and ceiling, and wash off any existing mould before painting. White suites and tiles go with almost anything; pick a colour that suits the grout and floor. Check samples under the bathroom light, since many have no window.

If paint keeps peeling, the extractor fan is usually too weak or not being used. Fix that first or the new paint will go the same way.

Bedrooms

You mostly see a bedroom early and late, under lamps. Muted shades such as dusty blue, grey-green and warm plaster pink feel calm in that light, and deeper colours work well on the wall behind the bed or across a whole small room. Use a warm white rather than brilliant white, which can look grey in the evening. Check samples at night with the bedside lights on.

For children’s rooms use a scrubbable matt, and keep bright colours to one wall so it is easy to change later.

Ceilings and woodwork

A ceiling in a paler version of the wall colour, or the same colour, makes a room feel finished and hides awkward slopes in lofts. Woodwork in the wall colour in eggshell gives a calm, modern look; white woodwork gives a crisper, traditional one.

If you are still stuck, ask us. We look at the room in its own light and bring large samples to the first visit.