Choosing the Right Colour Scheme for Your Sussex Home

When it comes to redecorating, choosing the perfect colour scheme can make or break the feel of your home. Colour has the power to influence mood, alter space perception, and reflect personal style. Whether you're repainting a single room or renovating your entire home, understanding how to choose and combine colours effectively will elevate your interior design to a professional standard.

At R Drummond & Son, we bring over 40 years of experience helping homeowners across Brighton & Hove, Worthing, Lancing, and beyond achieve flawless finishes with beautifully selected colour palettes.

Why Colour Choice Matters

Colour isn’t just about style — it plays a powerful role in shaping how your home feels and functions. The right palette can influence mood, enhance space, and even improve day-to-day comfort. Here’s how different tones impact your environment:

• Warm colours like reds, oranges, and yellows bring energy, warmth, and vibrancy. They’re ideal for social spaces like kitchens, dining rooms, and living areas where you want a lively, welcoming feel.

• Cool tones such as blues, greens, and soft purples evoke calm, space, and tranquillity. These shades are perfect for bedrooms, bathrooms, or studies where relaxation and focus are key.

• Neutrals — including whites, greys, taupes, and beiges — create a versatile, timeless foundation. They allow you to layer in colour through furniture, artwork, and accessories without overwhelming the space.

A well-chosen colour scheme can visually enlarge small rooms, brighten up dim corners, and bring unity to open-plan layouts. Whether you're refreshing a single room or redecorating your entire home, understanding how colour affects perception is the first step to creating a balanced, beautiful space.

Step-by-Step Guide to Choosing Your Colour Scheme

Selecting the right colour palette doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Follow these expert-backed steps to ensure your final scheme enhances both the look and feel of your home — whether you're refreshing a single room or planning a full interior repaint.

1. Define the Mood and Purpose of the Room

Start by thinking about how you want the room to feel and how it will be used:

• Bedrooms should promote relaxation. Cool, muted tones like soft blues, dusky pinks, lavender, or sage green create a tranquil, restful space.

• Living rooms offer flexibility. You can keep it light and airy with neutrals, or go dramatic with navy, forest green, or charcoal for a cocooning feel.

• Kitchens and dining rooms often benefit from warm, inviting tones. Earthy colours like terracotta, rich cream, ochre, or even warm grey create a lively, sociable vibe.

• Home offices should support focus and productivity. Mid-toned greens and blues can help maintain mental clarity without being too distracting.

2. Evaluate the Lighting Conditions

Light dramatically affects how paint looks. What seems like a soft grey in the shop can turn blue or purple at home depending on your lighting.

• Natural light: North-facing rooms tend to be cooler and darker — so warmer, softer tones like honey beige, taupe, or warm white can counteract the chill. South-facing rooms are sunlit for most of the day, so cooler hues like pale blue or slate grey hold their true colour well.

• Artificial lighting: LED, incandescent, and halogen bulbs all cast different tones. Test paint swatches in both daylight and evening conditions before making a final choice.

• Paint tip: Paint large sample swatches directly onto the wall, or use sample boards and move them around the room. Observe them at different times of day.

3. Consider Fixed Elements and Existing Decor

Your wall colour must harmonise with your room’s existing materials and furnishings:

• Floors: Whether you have wood, carpet, tile, or stone, the undertones of your flooring should align with your wall colours.

• Furniture & cabinetry: Don’t choose colours in isolation. Work with dominant tones in your sofas, tables, built-ins, or feature pieces.

• Metal finishes & fixtures: Brass fittings pair beautifully with deep blues or muted pinks, while chrome works well with cooler greys and whites.

By treating colour selection as part of a larger visual ecosystem, you’ll create rooms that feel cohesive and thoughtfully styled.

4. Choose a Colour Scheme Structure

Now that you understand the room’s purpose, light, and existing palette, you can decide on your colour scheme type:

• Monochromatic

  Use variations (light to dark) of a single hue. Ideal for creating a calming, elegant space — perfect for minimalist interiors or serene bedrooms.

• Analogous

  Choose 2–3 colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel, such as blue, blue-green, and green. This creates a natural flow and is well-suited for open-plan living spaces or relaxing environments.

• Complementary

  Pick two colours opposite each other on the colour wheel, like orange and blue or green and red. This bold contrast creates high energy and works well in dynamic areas like playrooms or dining rooms.

• Triadic

  Select three colours evenly spaced around the colour wheel (e.g., red, yellow, and blue). When balanced carefully, this creates a vibrant, energetic atmosphere that still feels harmonious.

Whether you're renovating a seaside cottage in Worthing or refreshing a period townhouse in Brighton & Hove, choosing a colour palette that reflects both local charm and current trends can instantly elevate your home. Here are some of the most popular interior colour schemes we’ve been seeing across Sussex — inspired by nature, architecture, and the coastal lifestyle:

🌿 Earthy Neutrals: Timeless, Warm & Grounding

Soft, nature-inspired neutrals such as clay, stone, sand, and warm beige are a top choice among homeowners in both East and West Sussex. These tones create a calming foundation and pair beautifully with wood floors, rustic beams, and natural light.

• Perfect for: Living rooms, hallways, and bedrooms

• Pairs well with: Matte black accents, linen upholstery, and indoor plants

• Popular shades: Farrow & Ball’s ‘Jitney’, Dulux’s ‘Tranquil Dawn’

💎 Jewel Tones: Elegant & Dramatic

Bold colours are making a comeback — especially rich, luxurious jewel tones like emerald green, deep sapphire blue, amethyst, and ruby red. These sophisticated hues bring depth and character to feature walls and statement spaces.

• Perfect for: Dining rooms, guest bedrooms, and reading nooks

• Works well with: Brass or gold hardware, velvet fabrics, dark wood furniture

• Popular shades: Little Greene’s ‘Obsidian Green’, Graham & Brown’s ‘Admiral’

🌊 Moody Blues & Coastal Greens: Sussex by the Sea

Inspired by the changing skies and cool waves of the Sussex coastline, inky navy blues, stormy greys, and misty sea greens are especially popular in Hove, Shoreham-by-Sea, and along the coast. These tones bring a sense of depth, comfort, and atmosphere — ideal for period homes with large windows or sea views.

• Ideal for: Master bedrooms, bathrooms, and lounge areas

• Accents to consider: White woodwork, driftwood décor, nautical touches

• Try: Valspar’s ‘Twilight Tide’, Farrow & Ball’s ‘Inchyra Blue’

🍂 Natural Greens & Terracottas: Biophilic & Inviting

The biophilic trend — bringing the outdoors in — continues to grow across Sussex. Olive greens, soft moss tones, burnt terracottas, and coppery reds mimic the colours of the South Downs and the county’s rural landscapes.

• Great for: Kitchens, conservatories, and open-plan living spaces

• Complements: Stone tiles, botanical prints, reclaimed wood furniture

• Featured tones: Earthborn’s ‘Sapling’, Dulux Heritage ‘Red Ochre’

ips from Sussex Painters and Decorators

At R Drummond & Son, our painters in Shoreham-by-Sea, Bognor Regis, and Horsham recommend the following:

• Test Before You Commit: Use sample pots and paint large patches on walls.

• Think Finish: Matt absorbs light and hides imperfections, while satin and gloss reflect more light and are easier to clean.

• Mix Warm and Cool: You don’t have to stick to one palette. Mixing adds interest and balance.

Need Help Choosing Paint Colours?

As part of our interior painting services, we offer free colour consultations to help you make the right choice for your space. Whether you’re decorating a new build or restoring a period property, our local team in Brighton and Worthing will guide you every step of the way.

Get Inspired

Read real feedback from happy clients on our Customer Reviews page or explore our latest colour transformations on Instagram. For more home improvement inspiration and painting tips, visit our blog.

Contact Your Sussex Painting Experts

If you're ready to refresh your home with a professional touch and carefully selected colours, get in touch:

• Request a free quote

• Call Rob on 07876646252

• Email us: rdrummondandson@gmail.com

R Drummond & Son – Trusted painters and decorators for Sussex since 1983.

Proudly serving Brighton & Hove, Lancing, Littlehampton, Crawley, Arundel, and beyond.