Fearless Interiors Trends: What is Colour Zoning?

Breathing new life into your living space with colour zoning is an effective way to visually divide an area, define function and create a pleasing flow. But what exactly is colour zoning? And how does this interesting paint technique work? We investigate…

Colour zoning (or colour blocking walls as it is sometimes known) is a technique used by homeowners and interior designers to assign interest to certain areas of the home using paint. It can inject some colour and personality to an otherwise bland corner, all by using a little paint (and a whole lot of imagination!). 

Why Do People Use Colour Zoning?

Anything can act as a canvas for block painting colours, including window recesses, trims, doors and furniture. People who love colour can really go to town experimenting with clashing shades or bold geometric designs, whilst those who prefer a gentler look tend to choose a pastel palette and an understated arrangement. Much in the same way that spices provide colour, flavour and punch to your favourite recipes, colour blocking using different shapes, widths and angles of colour blocks offer depth and character. 

Colour blocking wall ideas can take your colour scheming to a whole new level: it’s the must-have interiors trend for contemporary and traditional rooms, as these inspirational images will show you!

Using paint to create space in a room is a clever and cost-effective way of augmenting your space. One of the easiest ways to use the colour blocking technique on the walls of your room is to simply keep the walls a white (or neutral) colour, and then pick a very bright or significantly darker colour to paint halfway up the wall,  similar to the fad for dado rails in the 90s where one half of the wall was wallpaper and the other was plain paint. This modern version is a stylish and classy update on the trend.

Using bright pops of colour on internal doors can create interest in an otherwise bland space. Give your visitors a blast of colour and character as soon as they come into your home by using primary brights on the internal doors and door frames. If you are unsure on which colours work well together, practice by using some paint samples to see which work together and make you happy!

Have a blank white wall and want to liven it up without spending a fortune? Add a large area of vivid colour in a strong geometric shape (using masking tape to achieve super straight lines), then place a bolt of a contrasting tone against it – the juxtaposition of these will create a cool statement and inject some personality into your living space.

A simple but effective way of using colour zoning to achieve a unique look can be done by using colour in unexpected places. Take a look at this beautifully calming space with its sunshine yellow highlights. Using colour unexpectedly like this can really being a beautiful flavour to your home, for relatively little cost.

Using colour to highlight a section of the room can bring about a strong, bold look. This midnight blue doorway is eye-catching and injects some colour into an otherwise muted pallet.

With so many of us working from home at the moment, you can simply create yourself a work station area using just paint! this yellow corner of the room separates the office from the rest of the room without the need for unsightly (and costly) building works. It retains the peaceful flow of the home and yet provides a defined area for work to take place.  A very clever use of the popular colour blocking technique!

Colour zoning works especially well in open plan homes where you want to distinguish a particular area of the room, such as in this gorgeous use of colour zoning to create a dining space.

And colour zoning doesn’t have to be the mainstay of the indoor space. This small but gorgeous courtyard garden bursts with pops of colour and oodles of personality thanks to the creative use of colour blocking.

Is this a trend you would like to try? If you would like to inject some colour into your home with colour zoning get in touch and we’ll be more than happy to quote you and offer advice on colour/paint brands etc. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you to achieve your dream home!

(image credits: Pinterest)