One of the best parts about setting up home with your new husband is decorating—and choosing paint colours may be one of the first projects you tackle as newlyweds. But with new trends, designs and colour paletes emerging daily, how do you decide on a hue for your home? Canadian design guru and colour expert Debbie Travis shares her tips on how you can enhance your newlywed nest.
Weddingbells: Can you offer any advice on choosing colours for your new space?
Debbie Travis: It’s terribly difficult to choose a new colour for your home, especially since most new homes are built with white walls. Rather than asking yourself: ‘What style do I want?’ you have to go further back and ask yourself ‘What mood do I want to prevail?’
WB: What kind of moods can you give as examples?
DT: If you want a calm mood, then that usually means you want something very serene, quiet, gentle and organic, in other words, a colour that’s more mellow and on the lighter side. For drama, use bold shades that will make a statement like dark green. For a cheerful and lively room, sunny yellows and lime greens are great choices. And, for a nostalgic, homey feeling, like a more homey type, traditional neutral shades like black and beige are perfect options.
WB: What are some of the biggest trends right now? And what’s hot for fall?
DT: Trends aren’t just for the home – you see them everywhere—in what we’re wearing and in what we’re driving. At the moment, I’m seeing a lot of pearly paints, metallic, pearl finishes and shimmer. In Europe, I saw a lot of yellow, especially the bright citrus-y kind, and not just on walls but in appliances, too! But you have to remember, if you love it and if people love it, then it’ll never go out of style.
WB: What do you wish more people would try in their homes?
DB: Colour! Neutrals can get so incredibly boring at times. If you go to London, Rome or Frankfurt, you see that it’s all about little splashes of colour. Crafty items from ten years ago are definitely back in fashion and I think they should be back in homes, too. People need to have balance, have something that makes them smile, be it a turquoise stove or a lime green wall.
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