A new colour , a new experience with Dulux

MEDIA INVITE

Do you want to have a fresh coat of paint for your room?

I pondered over this invitation by omy.sg to participate in an "Inspired to Inspire" campaign. Being a closet fan of renovation shows such as Extreme Makeover, Love it or List it, Roadhouse Showdown, it had always been a dream to be involved in a room makeover or in this case a paintover. We had moved into our current home about 5 years ago and honestly there was a decoration flaw in one particular room that had bothered me ever since. The room is question is the boys' Playroom cum Bedroom.

After a consultation with the stakeholders involved, aka The Wackies, we decided to go ahead and apply to participate. It was a pleasant surprise when OMY / Dulux picked us as one of the participants for this campaign.

Woo hoo...Dream come true!

To kickstart our journey, ten content creators were selected to attend an inspirational workshop by Dulux at Arteastiq. During the workshop, we learn about the importance of colour , colour psychology, colour harmony and how colours can inspire us. We were also given a blank canvas to experiment with our desired colours for the room.

Here's a peek at what we learned from the workshop.

Colour Harmony

Using Dulux Colour Wheel

The most important takeaway from the workshop for me was the understanding of the colour wheel. For most of us, when we start on the renovation journey, we always start off with a blank canvas. It can be daunting to choose the right colours for the room given the array of colours available. More often then not, most will choose white as the colours of the wall as they might be afraid of experimenting. Others may just go with that gut feel and regret thereafter.

From the colour wheel, I learn that there are 5 main ways you can use to choose to paint a room

Monochromatic

Monochromatic

The single colour scheme is probably the safest and the most use scheme. Simply choose one colour and work up and down the colour band. May not be the most inspiration but it works.

Analogous

Otherwise known as the Harmonious scheme, this uses the colours adjacent to the pure colours as a combination. This helps to create a flow in the house if you intend to use different colours for different rooms next to each other.

Complementary

Another popular option is complementary scheme. This uses the contrasting colours on opposite end of the scale to create a dramatic visual scheme. Think Black and White. It has similar impact.

Split Complementary

The best way to describe this scheme is that it is a more complicated complementary scheme involving 3 colours instead of one. Probably the colour scheme that you need to seek advice from experts if you intend to use it.

Triadic

Probably the most dynamic and contrasting colour scheme. The colours chosen are match in the shape of a triangle on the wheel. A very adventures options that is not for the faint-hearted.

During the course of the workshop, we learn too that colours can be combine with the use of furnishing as well. You need not necessary paint all the ways to create the colour scheme you choose. Instead use colours from furniture and furnishing to create your desired look.

The Room

Wallpaper Disaster

Now back to the decoration flaw I had mentioned earlier. When we first design the kids playroom / bedroom, we had envisioned a modern black and white theme. The main highlight of the room would be the black and white wallpaper featuring a landscape view of skyscrapers. The whole idea is to give the room a modern urban look and one the kids can grow old in.

Unfortunately during the renovation process, instead of a wallpaper featuring a landscape of skyscrapers, we ended up with a rather black wallpaper featuring the famed Hollywood Palace Cinema at night. The end effect was dark and dingy, creating an environment that is not exactly child friendly. Truth is, it does look scary and not age appropriate . Needless to say, this is not the boys' favourite room in the house.

The Wackies Master Piece

To remedy the situation, we brought in colours to the room to liven things up. We used the children's artwork to cover the ENTIRE Wallpaper. The result, a charming visual treat for the eyes, effectively turning the disastrous wall into an art gallery.

However all is not fine. The art work was a step up from the dreaded wallpaper, but it does not stayed long on the wall. Secured by blu-tack, they have a tendency to fall off every once in a while. Not only does it leave gaping holes on the wall, it also disrupts sleep as the bed is directly beneath it.

Given that this is not a long term solution, the invitation for a paintover was welcome and perhaps long overdue in the boys' room.

Before : The Art Gallery Wallpaper

INSPIRATION 2014

Inspiration 2014

With the knowledge learnt from the workshop and together with the aid of the Dulux colour wheel and the Inspiration catalogue, we embarked on the colour choices available.

Given that this is the boys' room, Big C would have the first dips on the colour choice. Unfortunately the thousands or more choices and combination can be a tad daunting for a 7 year old to decide.

Big C choosing his colours

Dulux Visualizer

Dulux Visualizer( Source : Dulux )

Thankfully Dulux have an App for IOS and Android called the Dulux Visualizer that allows one to see the effects of the colour chosen on the actual wall itself.

It is amazing how technology had advanced. I wish we had this visual luxury 5 years back so we would not have made the initial mistake. The great thing about the visualizer is that you get to and capture different colours on the same background. You can save your work of art and use that to decide the final outcome. In addition you can divide the room and add more than one colours in the same room.

Awesome-sauce I say.

Colour Physchology

Cool colours

During the workshop, we did learn a thing or two about the meaning of different colours. Colours invoke different feelings in people. If you are picking a colour, make sure it is a fit to your personality!

Warm Hues

Here is a brief of what some colours represent.

• RED - A passionate colour representing love. Beware , too much red can create rage.
• BLUE - Colour of authority, cool and calm. Think Policeman. An overdose of blue can be rather depressing.
• GREEN - The universal colour for safety. It also invokes feeling of greed and jealously.
• YELLOW - The Cheeriest colour. Unfortunately it is not recommended for a baby's room as research has shown that babies cried more in Yellow room. Our theory is that since baby sleeps most of the time , a sunny room will disturb their rest.
• ORANGE - A colour for rejuvenation and a favourite of kids room. Don't believe? Just stare at an Orange after a hard day's work.
• PURPLE - The colour of Royalty and Power. Too much of it can be overpowering.

Primary Colours

And if you are still undecided after using the visualizer, you might take reference to Singapore's favourite colours found in the Dulux Inspiration Catalogue.
Alternatively , simply complete the following steps

1. Shoot a photo of the room you wish to paint
2. Email customer.care.sg@okzonobel.comwit your preferred colours/shades or themes. Include name and contact details
3. Visualise your dream home with the colour scheme images from Dulux Colour Specialist
4. Paint your room!

Singapore's Favourite Colours.

As for our paintover room, frankly my initial thought was to whitewash the walls or to simply paint it black to match the rest of the house colour scheme (I am by nature a black and white person who views the world in shades of grey), however I was convinced during the workshop to explore colours. After all it was the colourful 'art gallery' that helps brighten the once gloomy room.

Red + Blue = ?

With the existing playful blue and red furniture, the boys and I decided to go for a dramatic effect. We decided that Triadic is the way to go for us. So from the colour chart, the colour that complements red and blue is....

Would this be our final colour?

We will make the final call after the consultation with Dulux professional. Watch this space as we bring you the final reveal in the coming weeks.

Life starts from a blank canvas. 

It is the Colours we add that inspire us to live.

Paintover at The Wackies Adobe

For more inspiration online, follow us on Instagram at #duluxsg as we journey together on this transformation.

Other source of inspiration can be found at

• Facebook : fb.com/dulux.sg
• Instagram : @Duluxsg
• Pinterest : Pinintest.com/Duluxsg
• Youtube : Youtube.com/Duluxsingapore
• Websites : www.Dulux.com.sg

Decorating your home too? Check out Dulux 2015 useful home decorating tips. Let the Paintover began!

A New Colour, a New Experience

Disclosure

TWD were invited to the workshop for a review