Selecting your color scheme: A strategic approach for a harmonious home design -Color selection or furniture choice, what comes first? The proper sequence ensures a harmonious interior design.
Freshening Up Your Space: Paint or Furniture First?
Hopping into a renovation project or revamping a room can be a daunting task. With a multitude of decisions to make and endless design possibilities, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. The age-old question that haunts homeowners everywhere is whether to pick a paint color or snag some new furniture first.
In the realm of interior design, choosing the right pieces of furniture is often the key to unlocking the perfect paint color. Here's why you should start with the furniture and let the paint play a secondary role.
Abigail Ahern, a trailblazer in the interior design world, offers her insights on the topic. 'It's one of the most common decorating conundrums I get asked—furnishings before paint or the other way round,' she notes. 'I would recommend selecting the big pieces of furniture first, which allows you to then create a cohesive scheme.'
'Aesthetic consistency, I like to call it, as you can then harmoniously tie in your furnishings to your paint color. It gives you way more flexibility. It's a fiendishly difficult task to do it the other way round,' she adds.
'It might sound counterintuitive as a paint color will totally dictate the tone and atmosphere in the room, but it will restrict you,' Abigail explains further. 'You kind of need to let paint play the supporting role, so it's far wiser to start with the more permanent features like rugs, tables, and sofas.'
UK-based interior designer Sean Symington shares a similar perspective. He recommends identifying the non-negotiable furniture pieces before making any design or color decisions. 'I always say start with the bones of the home. What are we working with? Are there existing pieces like furniture, artwork, accessories, or sentimental belongings that need to be considered? Sometimes these elements naturally shape the direction of the design and rather than working against them, we try to work around them in a way that feels intentional,' he says.
'Next, establish your personal style and the purpose of the space. For example, in a living room, will it be a family hangout, used every day, or a more formal space for entertaining? Understanding how the room will be used helps guide which furnishings will best support that function. From there, the fun really begins!'
Surrounding yourself with furniture that speaks to you is the first step, according to Sean. 'Use that as your anchor and begin to pull your color scheme from it.'
He continues, 'Make sure to select things that have multiple colorways in them so you can dot this around your space for a collected but not contrived look. This creates a cohesive and considered aesthetic that still feels deeply personal.'
Shauna Dennison-Taylor, Creative Director at Penny Morrison, echoes this sentiment. 'Very little quibbling from the experts on this matter, it would seem that selecting furniture and furnishings that work beautifully with your favorite paint color is a decorating mistake worth avoiding.'
'Treat paint as the final layer,' says Penny. 'It's incredibly versatile and easy to change, and with today's abundance of sample pots and swatches, it's simple to test colors before committing.'
Get inspired by the new book from interior design powerhouse Abigail Ahern, Masterclass.This book focuses on the essential components that will make your home look fabulous: seating, lighting, walls, floors, accessories, and of course, color!
In the process of interior design, it is suggested to start by choosing major furniture pieces first to establish a cohesive scheme, asPaint color can be used as a supporting role and be more flexible when selected later. (From Abigail Ahern's insights)
When revamping a room, it is recommended to let furniture pieces serve as the anchor and pull the color scheme from them, for a collected but not contrived look. (From Sean Symington's perspective)
