Resene Comfort Zone 7Lighting Check and select colour under the actual lighting conditions of the space to be painted to avoid disappointment. Colours may look different under natural and artificial light. Consider when you use the room the most and select your colour under those lighting conditions. Colour will also look darker on a ceiling surface than on the wall. Likewise, window walls will appear darker as they don’t receive direct light. White and off-white paint colours are usually the safest as they distort less under various types of light. 8Test, test and test again Once you have narrowed down your colour choices, use Resene testpots to confirm your scheme – the cost is minimal compared to the time and money you will waste if you have to repaint a wall you don’t like. Using your Resene testpot apply two coats onto a piece ofA2 card,leaving a border around it so the colour isn’t influenced by anything else. When the paint is dry, pin your colour to the wall and view it in daylight and artificial light, moving it around different areas of the room and folding it into the corner of the room for a true feel of the finished effect. Check how it looks in lighter areas as well as shadowy spots. You can also roll the card with the painted surface on the inside, then look down into the tube to get the effect of the colour as it might appear on all of the walls. For exterior schemes, move the painted card around different walls, checking it in sun and shade. Remember Choosing the colour is only half of the job. You also need to choose the right Resene paint so your colour works well and looks good for many years to come. Paint is your most versatile medium and may be easily changed when you feel the need for a new look. Once you have decided and applied your colour scheme, make sure you take a note of the colours used for future reference. Resene have developed an interior/ exterior colour scheme page so that you can keep this important information in one handy location. Copies of this colour scheme page are available online from www.resene.com/int-colour-scheme. Never rush into a colour scheme,as you will only regret hasty choices later. Give yourself time to learn about your colour likes and dislikes and develop these into a personalised scheme. One of the simplest ways of carrying a theme throughout your home is to use a common colour palette. Choose a selection of colours for your entire home and then use different combinations of those colours in each room. The commonality of the colours will link the entire scheme together. As with everything in life, the more colour schemes you create over your lifetime of decorating, the more confident you will become. And, if worse comes to worse and you just can’t stand your new colour scheme, you can always paint over it! | 9