A balancing act

Published in SA Home Owner 
November 2020 edition

A neutral canvas affords a backdrop to introduce my client’s favourite colours, to complement feature pieces or use colours that match their personalities.

Introducing a colour theme into your home can be daunting – but not if you know where to start and how to do it right. We speak to interior designers about things to look out for and avoid when looking to add colour into your space.

First things first

It is essential to have a golden thread running through the house, consisting of soothing, natural, neutral colours and tones, suggests Audi Snÿman, owner of Audi Snÿman Interior Design. “A neutral canvas affords a backdrop to introduce my client’s favourite colours, to complement feature pieces or use colours that match their personalities. I have found that extroverts embrace bright and bold more readily and are happy to invite strong colours into their homes. Still, I’m conscious that it is important to be able to recharge at home, so will suggest a colour theme that supports this.”

The amount of natural light, the function and the size of the room will also dictate the colours. For example large, open entertainment areas can be made more bold and vibrant through colourful walls or statement furniture pieces; you can zhuzh up a neutral kitchen with colourful appliances or focal points; and in the bedroom you can tone things down, with just a few splashes of your favourite colours. “The reason I always suggest a neutral golden thread is that this allows one to easily create an entirely different story or atmosphere in a room by simply moving your throws, scatters, paintings, décor pieces etc. around the house. Another wonderful, and perhaps safer, way of introducing colour into a room is through the use of different textures, in the same colour. The light reflects differently on the various textures, and can create a wonderful, warm ambience.”

So what’s trending

Snÿman suggests combining a timeless, neutral tone with home owners’ favourite colours, and customising the palette to their unique personalities. “Sometimes clients’ own feature pieces or artworks need to shine within the room, and this can dictate the introduction of a specific colour. Currently trends include welcoming, warm, natural, organic and earthy tones that are offset against strong colours like blues, oranges, reds, or one of the current firm favourites – avocado green.”

Colour-coordination

Snÿman says as a general rule the floors should be darker shades than the walls, as a very light floor can create the illusion that the furniture is floating. “To ground the room the darkest colour should always be at the bottom of the room – be it a wooden floor, carpet or rug, or just an ever-so-slightly darker shade of the colour you use on your walls – the reflection of natural light will do the rest. Of course there are always exceptions, for example when you are designing an ultra-modern interior using whites, silvers and glass.”

 Click here to view the article in the SA Home Owner Magazine

About Audi Snÿman

As a renowned interior designer, Audi’s clients describe her as creative, passionate and innovative. Her passion and ability to interpret personality into a living or functional space and the psychology behind interior design are what separates her from the mundane. Audi creates spaces that are uniquely tailored to the individual. It is not her design philosophy that counts – it is about honing a style down to its very essence creating the aspirations and dreams of the client.