7 Decorating Tips to Bring Colour Outdoors

Top tips on breathing some life into your outdoor space – whatever form it might take – with colour and finish. whether you’re targeting wood, metal, masonry or a miscellany, exterior paint finishes can offer a helping hand.

01/09/2020

1. All Features Great & Small

Whether your garden is a large landscaped plot, a single window box bursting with blooms, or anything in between, colour is a wonderful way to ensure it feels connected to your indoor space. Highlighting an outdoor feature in a shade you’ve used inside the house is a surefire shortcut to indoor/outdoor flow, perfect for long summer evenings with the doors thrown open.

2. Be Bold

Colours will always appear lighter in full sunlight, so when choosing a colour for your front door, fencing or masonry, don’t be afraid to go a few shades darker or bolder than you would usually. We recommend painting a sample pot onto a piece of card and checking you’re happy with how your chosen colour appears outdoors before you take the plunge.

3. Go For Green

When it comes to creating a naturalistic look, nothing beats green. On plant pots or fences, organic shades such as Lichen and Vert de Terre step back and let brightly coloured blooms take centre stage, while deeper, darker shades create a striking contrast with paler planting schemes.

4. Freshen Up Your Furniture

If your outdoor furniture has seen better days, there’s a more economical and environmentally friendly alternative to trading it in for a brand new set. You can treat lacklustre wood and metal garden furniture to an entirely new look and add longevity in one fell swoop with ultrahardy exterior eggshell or full gloss finishes.

5. Don’t Forget Accessories

Thinking smaller when it comes to colour can hold big rewards. Plant pots, baskets and raised beds can be matched to their contents – Brassica makes a particularly lovely partner for pollinator-friendly lavender – or painted in a contrasting tone for a striking effect. You can even use colour to create a welcoming space for wildlife, as the painters of this charming bird feeder have done.

6. Play with Finishes

It’s not just the colour you choose that can have a huge impact on your final look – the finish can too. A few coats of full gloss will add an extra touch of drama to any front door, especially paired with a smart dark shade.

7. Layer Up

You can add interest to any outdoor space by layering up different shades, just as you would indoors. Garden furniture, doors, brickwork, and even conservatories and greenhouses can all be excellent vehicles for colour. Creating a palette that matches your planting scheme is a great way to give a cohesive and considered feel; equally, if you have paint left over from previous projects, you can create a charming eclectic effect by painting each piece of furniture a different colour.