Sheds go green and not seen
Take care when choosing outdoor colours for a space to grow with you
CHOOSING paint colours can confuse the best of us. But if you thought picking the right colours for indoors was tricky, try finding the winning look for outdoor buildings such as garden sheds and garages.
Colour expert for Dulux Andrea Lucena-Orr says if you’re after a sure-fire winner, go green.
“It’s a really timeless colour scheme,” she says. “With sheds, often people don’t want them to be highlighted – ultimately you want to camouflage them so that they work with the garden.
“You want them to almost blend in with the surroundings.”
The perfect partner for materials commonly found in the garden, like brick, timber and corrugated steel roofing, green provides a natural backdrop to lawns, trees and shrubs.
Although it’s tempting, Andrea says going with the exterior colours of the main house is not always a good idea.
“Some people take the palette of the house, which you can do if you like.
“But often, garden sheds are on the back wall in the backyard and you want to think about whether you want it to stand out or blend in.”
The beauty of green is that it fits in with almost every architectural style from Federation homes and mid-century modern to contemporary and Hamptons-style houses.
But not every green on the spectrum is going to work.
Andrea suggests looking for softer tones such as mint, sage and eucalyptus.
“You definitely want to go for those passive greens with greyish or neutral undertones,” she says.
“They are quieter and more relaxed. If you want to use a striking lime green, you’d do better to use it on a pot.”
Given most of us have better things to do with our spare time, if you’re painting an existing shed, Andrea says it pays to do your preparation well.
“You want it to stand the test of time, so use a good quality outdoor paint,” she says.