Colour a factor for consideration

Press, 4 August 1987, Page 46

Colour a factor for consideration

Carefully chosen colour gives a glowing life to a room; chosen with little thought it can ruin a whole decor.

There is no reason why a bathroom should be sterile and white, every reason for it to be alive in bright colours or muted shades.

There are hundreds of different colour combinations possible from today’s range of furniture, fittings, and accessories teamed with wall coverings, floor materials, paints, curtains and linen. Bright colours dominated bathrooms for the 19705, especially red, green, and yellow. Today’s new fashion colours are pastels — apricot, peach, rose, almond.

Colour is the least expensive way to add taste and personality to a room,

and why not the bathroom.

A choice of colour will depend on many things: where the room is sited; whether it is a cool or hot room, a Light or dart room; the size and proportions of the room; the total colour scheme of the house; and the mood you wish to achieve. Here are some basic colour tips: These are off-white, almond, ivory, beige, pale brown. With neutral colours you achieve a mood that is restful and luxurious, and one that will not date. Besides being “safe" or easy to work with, they also offer tremendous versatility as a foundation for accent colours. These can be brought out in accessories or linen.

Yellows/oranges/reds

are warm colours which create a happy mood. Yellow teams well with white, cream, and brown and perhaps with lime and a hint of navy. Red is a brilliant accent colour and also is excellent combined with natural timbers. Blues and Greens are cool colours but can produce quite different moods. Blues are summer colours — of the sea and sky. Bright blue teamed with white gives a crisp clean look while a paler blue combines well with all neutral colours and natural timbers for a softer glow.

Also, blue has lots of scope as an accent colour. Greens bring the fresh look of nature to a bathroom. This theme can be enhanced by groupings of potted plants. Green also combines perfectly with timber for a truly “woodland” effect

Naturally it goes well with the neutrals and also peach or apricot Brown is a versatile colour lending itself to various moods when other colours are added. Yellow and orange will bring warmth, light blue gives a soft lazy mood, and blush pinks create a hint of sophistication. These are today’s “upmarket” colours in bathroom decor — pink, grey, ivory, apricot and other pastels. They are “gentle” colours imparting a mood of relaxation. You can see the latest in bathroom furniture and accessories in these colours at your local plumbing stockist Colour is an integral part of bathroom design. Choose your colour scheme carefully and you’ll be delighted with the effect and enjoy using this once merely functional room.