After a long way, today I went through my StudioM appointment picking out all kinds of colors. Only thing is, I've returned home, plugged those colors in to some sample scenes, and, well... they just don't work!

All through the appointments I got the same kind of thing from everyone, insisting on rather conservative, traditional colours - the same dull earth tones you see everywhere. I reluctantly gave in at the time, but now that I've looked at it a bit more, it just won't work with what I plan to put in my home.

Why are people so conservative and persistant with these same old-fashioned colors?

For example, what I've ended up is with a Dulux (A192) Beige Royal Half for the Walls, and Quarter for the doors, Dulux (B1) Natural White on the ceiling.

That I could deal with on its own, but then when it came to blinds, it was all about matching it; even attempts to contrast rather than match weren't really something to work with.
For example, this has worked in the room I type this from for years:
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Is this just going to continue to be a problem - a lack of creativity or wanting to make every house look traditional and contemporary rather than bright and cheery?

You're in luck.

One of the latest trends for 2013 ties in with all the bright 60s fashion in clothes. First fashion, then houses, or so they say. So brights will be back, until the next trend takes off, and the next....

There's nothing new under the sun. It will all come full circle, just variations on a theme.

Nice kink in the cornice.

I NEVER follow styles and fashions. Unless my client wants it.
And guess what, they all want it!

I've been asking the same questions now for about 4 years.
Why won't people step out of the mould and be different?

WHY??????

They are too scared to look different from everyone else.
And why should they....all the building companies follow the same look, so this is all people are seeing.
Until the building companies step out of their comfort zones and stop creating trends with their SAFE designs
most people won't know any better.

Individuality is a beautiful thing, embrace it all you creative people.

Personally I love earthy colours which is why I am using lots of browns and so on. I do plan to highlight with changeable things with a green.
I don't follow the trend of beige window coverings to match the walls though, I prefer a contrast.
If you want bright colours, then do it. It is your house, you need to put things in that you will be happy looking at. Don't worry about what 'trends' are at all. I would still be going browns even if it wasn't what others were doing. I do understand what you are saying though. Although 'hogs bristle' would go perfectly with my colours I refused to use it as I know so many who have!!

I love having a neutral colour palette to work with, so that I can add colours with different furnishings (couches, cushions, throws, rugs, flowers and artwork). I believe it's so much easier to change the feel/colours of a room with decorator items rather than having to repaint.

With the theme I have had for my home for the past 3 years, I could not have any other colour (except perhaps white!). I'm not a fan of feature walls or bright colours (never have been and probably never will be!)...it's just not me.

I love a more traditional home that doesn't keep up with latest trends or colours. Yes, I have taupe walls, floor boards, white and taupe tiles and an off white kitchen....but add any colour to this and it will look good. I also went with white window coverings that will go with any colour should I decide to change the wall colour.

It's what's inside the rooms that make it unique. I have quite a bit of old furniture that I have revamped, and it looks like new and fits in with what I have at the moment. It didn't prior to revamping it. I also have fairly eclectic tastes with decor items, and keep moving things around to create different feels to rooms. I sometimes find it difficult looking for products I like in mainstream shops...as they just don't have them, or it's the wrong colours.

The great thing about having a neutral colour palette is changing decor colours isn't hard. Once you've got orange walls, you couldn't really decide to change your decor items to fresh pastels...it just wouldn't work!

Go with what you love, though...it's your house and you have to live in it! My house does look different from other people's because it is different, and very individual. I LOVE mine

I have no problem going with what I want, the problem is that the professionals wont even really contribute to suggesting what works when you lean that way. They're so set on neutrals that they would virtually stop offering opinions that allowed leaning towards a brighter home, so then you truly are left on your own to decide
What makes it most difficult is that standard costs mean the same colour right throughout the house, with no feature walls etc. What works in the living areas definitely doesn't work in bedrooms.

I'm with Stormy on this one. I like a neutral palette so then I can accessorise with lots of my favourite colours. I get tired of rooms looking the same for too long. At the moment I'm accenting in soft gelati colours, but when I get sick of that look, I'll just put in a different colour scheme. I also have quite a lot of ornaments that I have on rotation so that helps to change the look too. Beats having to change wall colours whenever I want a change. But that's just what I've learnt works for me. Maybe you & Michelle can come up with something you're happy with & can take to the builders.

My house is neutral.... I have a small house so it works best.

I also LIKE neutral very much....but as a colour consultant I feel lost at times as there never seems to be anyone willing to do any thing different.

BUT.... you do what works for YOU and what makes you happy within your own home.
That's the most important thing!

akashra...if you want colour, post what you would like and I'll try and help you.

By the way.... i love Stormys house!!

I like a neutral base to work from then add in the colours, there is no way I could afford to re paint my entire house when I get sick of that colour but to get rid of the bed spread, towels pictures etc is not that expensive.


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Just go for a neutral for the paint from the builder and then add your own feature walls later if you wish or choose a not so neutral for the entire house and then add different paint/paper/ textures to the rooms to vary them once you have handover. That way you can do up the rooms and colours as it suits you and still have your walls protected in the meantime.

for us it was a few reasons:

1) Easy / more cost efficient to change look of house with accessorizes rather than having to change paint, splash backs, tiles etc.
2) Appeal to majority for resale (this is not our final home we will build/ own)
3) I was told by an Interior Design lecturer that an individual will get sick of "bright/out there colours" within 2 years as opposed to neutrals where you may get 5 years.....So again, less expensive to change if you do tire of the "bright" colours.

Yes, there are always more followers than leaders. But it's sometimes very hard to express individuality in furnishings, fabrics, textures etc when supply and demand dictates the range the consumer gets to choose from. Even when the room is neutral, I find you can't accessorise with a palette that's not the current trend- cos no one stocks anything else.

That's why I hang on to my collection of English antiques, bits of art nouvea, 60s and moderns. Besides, I am eclectic in so many other areas, so my home is a reflection of me and I love that.

"Choose what makes your heart sing!". I have said it from the time we started designing our house in 2006.

We have neutral colored walls plus our main bedroom is neutral. But every room other then the bedroom has a color of some sort. Kids ensuites are color selected with their favorite colors.

Laundry and kitchen both have extremely strong colored stone benches as I love love love the colors. Plus my splash being a landscape photo has extremely bright colors.

We only have small children, it is our dream home and we are never moving. So there was never any thought of choosing "safe" colors.

Exactly! It frustrates me no end!

You can get them, you can have them made.....but at a huge price. Most people can't afford
them. I know I can't.

I think the reason they don't want to contribute is there is more chance you won't like the finished result and so it is safer for them to stick to neutral colours.

The house we are planning is our first build but we have bought 2 older houses previously. We did all the internal painting of these ourselves and I really don't know how anyone can choose colours before the rooms are built. I remember picking a deep driftwood colour years ago. Did a large area of wall to test - loved it. Checked it at different times of day as the light changed - loved it. Painted 2 walls, - loved it. Third wall - hated it - it now looked dirty pink. The walls reflecting off each other seemed to change the colour completely. Can't tell you how much paint we've wasted during our DIY escapades - but we've eventually ended up with rooms we love.

Another example. Our neighbours have just built a new home. One section is painted a darkish grey. Depending on the time of day it can look light grey, purple, brownish to almost black.

Like you, we don't want all neutral walls in the house we are building but I have enough trouble trying to pick even the right white in a still imaginary house. For this reason we'll let the painter do light neutral walls and then repaint areas ourselves. Seems so wasteful but I can't think of another way.

We know we want some areas blue and some grey, but which blue and which grey? Someone needs to invent paint with a little colour adjusting dial!

I disagree about contents being a substitute. Walls make a room look cheerful. Contents make a room look creative.

You are so right. Driving around today looking for colour ideas to reno our old house we seemed to see beige to gray to beige to brown to beige again.

I once bought a house which had been decorated by a head designer for a large department store. When the agent showed us the house I loved it immediately - every wall was a different colour - some astonishingly vibrant. The agent was falling all over himself spluttering apologies and promised that he'd get the vendor to "neutralise" everything. Wha...? We put an offer in immediately and everyone commented on the happy vibe of the place for the years that we lived in it.

I'd love to get advice on combining vivid colours from a professional. I find myself looking at famous paintings for inspiration of what works together but it sure would be nice to work it out logically with someone with a good eye.

Good luck Akashra.

Sure bold colours can look amazing but they might date faster and not everyone has the money to redecorate every few years. We are about to renovate our kitchen and are going with white. It's just 'safe' to me and will match other colours in our home and it should still look good in years to come.

I'm pretty conservative with colours but occasionally I come across something that is a lot outside my safe colour zone that I really like.
A mauve feature wall in a lounge with some contrasting soft furnishings to match looked great recently but I have also seen some out there combos that were deadset dreadful.
The good thing about paint is that if you don't like it just choose another colour and grab your roller and brush.
There are some excellent books on colour available that are not that expensive either and some of them come with swatches to match floor/wall/furnishings.
One I have is SWATCH by Anna Starmer.
Another two I have that are handy references are actually a process colour manual and a colour index CMYK book from the design and printing industry.
There are also some very good websites about colour wheels , complimentary styles etc
At the end of the day you are the one that has to live there so choose something YOU like.

Stewie