Colour & Walls
Palettes, paint finishes, art and shelves.
8 guides
Colour & Walls
Explainer What is the 60-30-10 colour rule? Rebalance a room and see Three colours used equally can make a room feel restless. The 60-30-10 rule is a decorator's rule of thumb that gives them unequal jobs… 4 min Colour & Walls
Explainer What does LRV on a paint tin mean? Slide the wall and see The number on a paint tin called LRV tells you how much light a colour bounces back, from 0 (absorbs everything) to 100 (reflects… 4 min Colour & Walls
Tool How far apart should shelves be? Plan the gaps and see Shelves look wrong when the gaps are wrong. Enter your wall height, choose what each shelf holds, and see whether it all fits, to scale… 4 min Colour & Walls
Explainer Why does paint look different at 8am and 8pm? Slide the day and see The same paint can look grey at breakfast and yellow by supper, and the paint tin is not to blame. A colour is the pigment and the light on… 4 min Colour & Walls
Explainer Matt, eggshell or satin? Slide the light across a wall and see Two walls in the same colour can look completely different, depending on the finish. A matt wall hides flaws and feels soft; a gloss wall… 4 min Colour & Walls
Tool How high should you hang a picture? A height-and-gap planner Most pictures get hung too high. Galleries centre a picture about 145 cm above the floor, roughly eye level, and over a sofa they leave a… 4 min Colour & Walls
Tool How much paint do I need? A room-by-room planner Most people guess how much paint to buy and end up with too little or a cupboard full of leftovers. This planner turns your room's… 4 min Colour & Walls
Explainer Why calm rooms have one boss colour: the 60-30-10 rule Calm rooms often have one boss colour. The 60-30-10 rule is a designers' rule of thumb: about 60% main colour, 30% a supporting colour, 10%… 5 min
Explainer What is the 60-30-10 colour rule? Rebalance a room and see Three colours used equally can make a room feel restless. The 60-30-10 rule is a decorator's rule of thumb that gives them unequal jobs… 4 min Colour & Walls
Explainer What does LRV on a paint tin mean? Slide the wall and see The number on a paint tin called LRV tells you how much light a colour bounces back, from 0 (absorbs everything) to 100 (reflects… 4 min Colour & Walls
Tool How far apart should shelves be? Plan the gaps and see Shelves look wrong when the gaps are wrong. Enter your wall height, choose what each shelf holds, and see whether it all fits, to scale… 4 min Colour & Walls
Explainer Why does paint look different at 8am and 8pm? Slide the day and see The same paint can look grey at breakfast and yellow by supper, and the paint tin is not to blame. A colour is the pigment and the light on… 4 min Colour & Walls
Explainer Matt, eggshell or satin? Slide the light across a wall and see Two walls in the same colour can look completely different, depending on the finish. A matt wall hides flaws and feels soft; a gloss wall… 4 min Colour & Walls
Tool How high should you hang a picture? A height-and-gap planner Most pictures get hung too high. Galleries centre a picture about 145 cm above the floor, roughly eye level, and over a sofa they leave a… 4 min Colour & Walls
Tool How much paint do I need? A room-by-room planner Most people guess how much paint to buy and end up with too little or a cupboard full of leftovers. This planner turns your room's… 4 min Colour & Walls
Explainer Why calm rooms have one boss colour: the 60-30-10 rule Calm rooms often have one boss colour. The 60-30-10 rule is a designers' rule of thumb: about 60% main colour, 30% a supporting colour, 10%… 5 min