Choosing colours for your home that look good together can be intimidating, especially when moving into a new space or updating an old one. Before heading into project-mode, consider three tips for mastering colour coordination at home from Sharon Grech, Benjamin Moore colour and design expert.

What’s staying and what’s going?
The simplest place to start is to look at what’s already in the room. Pick one item as an opportunity to bring a refreshed, colour-coordinated feel to your whole space. Do your floors need a little love? Is your furniture looking tired? Do your window trims seem faded? Base your design and colour ideas around the main colour in a room and pair colours accordingly.

It’s all about balance
The simplest way to create a balanced colour palette is to follow the 60/30/10 rule: 60 per cent of the room should be a dominant colour, 30 per cent should be the secondary colour and the last 10 per cent can be an accent colour. These colours are referred to as the mass colours, and the easiest way to harmonize them is by selecting a consistent undertone; either warm or cool.

Warm undertones are typically orange, yellow or red, while cool undertones have green, blue or purple. Grech says, “It’s safer to stay consistent with undertones, but when painting exclusively with a colour like white, mixing and matching warm and cool undertones can add subtle distinction within a space.”

What’s old can be new
Now that you’ve established what to re-vamp, Grech reminds us that paint is not only for walls.

“Give furniture a second life with a fresh coat of paint and opt for a colour that complements the tones found on your walls and flooring.” For this she uses Benjamin Moore Advance paint, an easy-to-apply paint that makes old furniture look new again. “Pair dark walls with furniture in cool tones and lighter hues such as fresh Smoky Green CC-700. Or, if you’re using a white wall, mix in a cozy, warm pop of colour, like Stuart Gold HC-10.”