Interior paint colours

The back of your home has been opened and extended, and light is now flooding in. The renovations look perfect, but the excess light is washing out the interior paint colours. Everything looks faded and your floors and artwork threaten to do the same if you don't take some precautions.

"Opening the back of the house affects the way you decorate enormously," says Charles Prior of Baxter Creative. "Suddenly there's more light hitting your interior paint colours, and you have to treat this in different ways, depending on the time of day and the time of year."

Choosing the right paint is important, because the additional light can wash bright interior paint colours away. "Bold colour schemes can just look like pastels once they're in a light room," he says. Yet he doesn't recommend the other extreme either. "I'd never use white. I think it's out of date. I tend to go with a tone or a stronger tint."

"The grey-green of Taubman's flannel flower becomes neutral when light hits it," he says. "My favourite colour is Porters' donkey grey, but you have to be careful with it, because it can read as pink at certain times of the day. Another king among interior paint colours is Porters' Bellbottoms. It's a light grey-white, and works if you want a white room."

Complementing your interior paint colours

Once the overall look is achieved, try adding a splash of colour on a feature wall. "I've moved beyond painting feature walls," Charles says. "I use wallpaper, or I'll panel it in fabric, silk or timber veneer. It should provide a high level of contrast to the rest of the space."

Once finished, Charles recommends fairly conservative styles for major pieces like sofas. "They've got to last for a while, and you can always dress a sofa up with cushions. An example colour scheme would be beige on the walls, a chocolate feature wall and then a cappuccino couch."

Charles warns that excess light will also heat the room, and fade floorboards and artworks. "I'm designing a house with this lovely glass box out the back, so we're installing auto blinds that are timed to shut when it is too hot and bright outside."

UV tinting on the glass is another way to protect interior paint colours, artwork and timber against fading. "The sun can fade timber floorboards up to two shades, so it's important to be careful, especially if you use the same timber in other parts of the house with less light." If you do use timber floorboards, Charles recommends a lighter shade of wood, coated with polyeurothane for protection.

 "I also like tiled floors for these spaces. I often use Saddler Stone, which is engineered but looks natural. I'll then dress this up with rugs. They don't fade as much because you can move them around and it's also a nice combination of textures."