Colour theory: how house paint can update a home’s look
When it comes to renovation projects, the result of a simple paint job can be stunning. A fresh coat of paint can make any house look, well, fresh and is a relatively inexpensive and quick way to give a series of sad-sack rooms a fantastic facelift
Photography: Karolina De Costa/Unsplash
Why house paint is interiors expert Wendy Moore’s favourite reno tool
Done properly, an application of house paint can make a house look newer, cleaner and better maintained, all of which are advantages, whether or not you’re considering selling.
Of course, it’s not all about a mere fresh coat. If your palette is dated – navy and dark grey, your days are done – or eccentric, it may send buyers fleeing and your friends questioning your taste levels.
“Colour can create a mood, update a home’s look and define a style you carry through the furnishings” ~ Interiors expert Wendy Moore
Photography: Melissa Health for Selling Houses Australia.
What are the trending house paint colours?
Stark white is being left in the can for warmer, buttery shades with undertones of yellow or red. Think deserts and all the various colours of sand, and you’ll be ticking style boxes.
When it comes to deeper colours, shades of terracotta, red-brown and other earth tones offer a contemporary vibe. A good combination is Dulux’s Tan Wagon (rust-coloured brown with a skerrick of pink) with Jodhpurs (muted creamy yellow) – together they’re on-trend, cosy and soothing.
Image: Dulux Tan Wagon and Jodhpurs
Neutral shades of green, like eucalyptus and olive, are perfect for an all-over palette – try Haymes Paint’s harmonious Leek Leaf – and go well with soft greys and those butter colours.
Regardless of which colour you choose, you should always ensure there is a unified look throughout the home.
Image: Haymes Leek Leaf
Can you make rooms look bigger using house paint?
As you will have seen on Selling Houses Australia, I choose hues carefully to open up even relatively small spaces in a home. Pale blues and crisp whites are ideal in tiny rooms – in fact, light blues recede, giving the illusion of creating more space. You can even use the colour on the ceiling to make it appear higher.
Another way to create depth in a room is to create a feature wall, although a strong contrast between one wall and the others can feel a little dated. Instead, choose a darker hue in the same family as the lighter walls – this is a great time to try out those neutral greens. Alternatively, choose a wallpaper or textured wallcovering that complements your paint choices.
Some rooms have the unenviable qualities of being both petite and dark. In those cases, pretty yellows can be potential space savers. Apart from being highly reflective – perfect if there is little natural light – it’s a colour that adds warmth and happiness to a room, even when you select a relatively muted shade, like Wattyl’s Lemon Mojo.
Image: Wattyl Lemon Mojo
How much does it cost to paint a house?
There are many factors that can affect the cost of having your house painted. Obviously, this is a case where size does matter, but the final price will also depend on the condition of the walls, other prep work and the number of colours you choose. Most painters working on the interior walls will charge $35 to $45 per square metre, which will include an undercoat and two finish coats.
The cost to paint the inside of an average-sized home (about 230 square metres) can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $11,000.
Take photographs and measurements of the rooms you want painted and add them to an app like Hipages to get quotes from local tradies.
House painting is one of the renovation jobs a homeowner can take on themselves, but brush up on techniques (how to patch a hole in the wall, taping off window sills) before you start and consider the cost in time and money. You’ll need to purchase drop clothes, tape, brushes, rollers, trays, filler, scrapers, sandpaper, sugar soap, perhaps even a ladder, as well as undercoat and paint. On top of that, it will likely take you a couple of weekends to paint an entire house.
Before you start painting your home, it can help to create a moodboard to refine your style and decide what will work.