Clever ways to create colour harmony in your home

How tonal repetition of colour can create harmony in your home.

By exploring tone-on-tone combinations, such as the grey blue of Denim Drift, our Colour of the Year, with a rich, dark blue, you can create a look that has a wonderful sense of unity and a space that feels just right. You can then add to this effect with the playful use of hand-painted shapes, stripes and fades, as well as different patterns and textures.

Use a family of colours

A tonal dot matrix across a certain palette of colours creates a dynamic design.

Blue spots wall

The entirely blue Colour of the Year palette has been chosen carefully so that each tone compliments the others perfectly. “It’s lovely to be able to play with this family of blues,” says Heleen van Gent, Creative Director of the Global Aesthetic Centre. “It makes it really easy for people to create their own contemporary colour combinations.”

So, why restrict yourself to a single colour on walls or units? Instead, make your own patterns that use different tones on the same wall – such as a colourful dot matrix. By using the full range of tones, you’ll pick out highlights from other items in the room painted the same hue.

Which paints?

Smoke Grey - Dulux 90BG 30/073
Big Chill - Dulux 90BG 72/06
Barton Blue - Dulux 90BG 38/185
Bentley Blue - Dulux 90BG 20/241
Old World Blue - Dulux 10BB 09/155

Try your freehand skills

The liberating use of freehand painted shapes can give a dynamic creativity to your home.

Blue circles wall

“There’s something very liberating about painting your own patterns freehand,” says Heleen. Try your arm at swirls, repeated decorative patterns and oversized circles. “It’s a really achievable look. You don’t have to mask it up, you can just go for it!”

Which paints?

Extreme White - Dulux 30GY 83/021
Black Mica - Dulux 30BB 05/022

Let it flow

Try shading a wall darker to lighter tones from a palette – working from dark grounding tones to lighter ones.

Faded blue room and armchair

It might seem overboard to use lots of different tones on one wall: but not if you flow your colours together subtly. Try getting gradually lighter as you work your way from the bottom to the top. Darker tones are naturally more grounding, with the lighter tones being more ‘airy’.

Since blue is the colour of sea, sky and so many things in between, the overall effect is of an abstract landscape or seascape, providing a naturally serene and calming feature to shared spaces.

Which paints?

Big Chill - Dulux 90BG 72/063
Barton Blue - Dulux 90BG 38/185
Bentley Blue - Dulux 90BG 20/241
Old World Blue - Dulux 10BB 09/155

Same shade, different surface

Try a bold statement wall with different shades of one colour in rough, dramatic lines.

Rough horizontal blues

As well as varying tone, try extending the same shade across different surfaces and textures. Cupboards, furniture and even ceilings can be painted in this way. “Try painting your furniture to match your walls, so it almost becomes part of the background.” says Heleen. “It’s not a very obvious thing to do – but it’s incredibly effective.”

Which paints?

Black Mica - Dulux 30BB 05/022
Bentley Blue - Dulux 90BG 20/241

Find your kind of blue

Download the Dulux Visualizer app to see how these beautiful blues can be used in every room in your home.