It takes not much time, not a lot of disruption and a not a lot of money to refresh your business with paint.
And, it’s one of the most effective ways to give your shop, office, practice or cafe fitout a whole new look!
Before you take off to the paint shop, consider how much natural and artificial light you might have before you make the colour choices.
Here’s our tips on using light and colour:
NATURAL LIGHT:
Do you make any use of natural light in your commercial premises or do you rely on artificial light all of the time?
If you’re seeing the sun stream into your shopfront of office windows, then lucky you!
There are many commercial fitouts which don’t have that luxury.
Natural and artificial light work together during certain times of day. They’re like partners.
Sometimes it may be that natural light won’t help too much. Depends on aspect.
So, choosing your colour scheme using lighting which is always going to be on during the operation of your business is the wisest thing.
Make sure you look at colours in natural light at all times of day, if you have it.
Morning light will be a lot less yellow than afternoon light and have a different effect on paint colours.
ARTIFICIAL LIGHT:
What types of lights do you have? There may be quite a mix.
Here’s a quick rundown on how different types of light sources will affect colour choices:
Incandescents: Pretty old school now, and not used much but these give a yellowish light which will make reds, oranges, and yellows more vivid.
Blues and greens won’t do as well they’ll be more subdued.
Fluorescents: Used a lot in office fitouts and utility areas:
This light is very cool looking and will boost blues and greens most of all.
Halogens: Lots of downlights still left from the last decade will be halogens.
And more updated ones too. They are fairly close to natural light and make all colours look pretty clear and vivid.
Compact fluorescents: Used quite a lot in office, medical rooms, schools, kitchen, utility areas.
They produce either a warm white, neutral, or bluish-white light.
LEDs: Used everywhere these days in shopfit, office, hospitality, medical, education; all types and definitely are a great light source in most fitouts
There are warm and cool versions and look good with most colours.
A WORD ON COLOURS:
Light colors will lighten a dark room, freshen and boost it’s personality.
Walls and ceilings will appear to be further away, and small areas will look more expansive.
It’s a great idea to choose a few colours from the same light palette quarter strength, half strength and full strength for instance.
This variation of the same colour family is still subtle, but not bland and boring.
Darker or Dark colors will make walls and ceilings appear to be closer, but can certainly add impact and drama.
Definitely worth considering as features in your fitout.
WHICH PAINT:
Gloss or Low Sheen?
The sheen of the paint you use will affect colour.
Glossy finishes will reflect light and change the way the color looks.
Flatter finishes like low sheen will make colors more realistic under bright light.
A QUICK TIP:
Try before you buy.
Get some paint pot samples for less than $10 from your paint shop and get started on experimenting with colour.
Stand back and watch as natural light will change it’s appearance as the day progresses.
Or, easier still, see how very quickly artificial light works with your choices.
