Right, so everyone’s asking about paint colors this year.
Half the stuff you read online is just marketing but there’s definitely some trends happening around Perth.
I’ve been watching what people are actually painting their houses, not what some fancy magazine reckons they should paint them.
Big difference.
Interior colors that don’t look like crap
Dulux came out with some forecasts or whatever.
Three palettes they reckon – Still, Recollect, Emerge.
Sounds like made-up names to me but whatever.
The Still one is all soft greys and beiges. Boring but safe, I suppose. Pesto is this green-grey thing that’s everywhere now.
Saw it in my mate’s office and it actually looked alright. Not exciting but didn’t make me want to leave immediately.
Recollect is the darker stuff – olives, burgundy, mustard.
Mustard walls sound awful but apparently it works in some houses. Heritage places maybe?
Emerge has dusty pinks and lavender.
My sister went for something like this in her nursery. Looked pretty good, the soft pinks are girly and light.
What I’m actually seeing around Perth
Warm neutrals are massive. Natural White from Dulux is everywhere – saw it in probably half the houses I’ve been in lately.
Sand Haze from Haymes too, though that might be getting a bit overdone now.
Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate is interesting. Looks like purple-brown but works as a neutral somehow.
Mate used it in his lounge room and it’s actually really nice.
North-facing rooms are tricky in Perth. All that harsh light.
Cool greys work better – Greyology 1 or whatever they call it. South-facing rooms you can get away with warmer stuff.
Exterior colors
This is where it gets expensive if you stuff it up.
Coastal Hamptons style is huge around Fremantle and that area. Dulux Tranquil Retreat with white trim.
Seen heaps of this combo lately. Looks good but everyone’s doing it now. So if you want a more unique look you might opt for something else.
Modern farmhouse thing is popular too – Sand Haze with white trim. Safe choice, won’t look dated in five years.
Pesto’s popping up on exteriors now. Green-grey thing. Looks good with the right trim but could go badly if you pick the wrong shade.
Front doors
Navy blue’s everywhere. Ocean Surf from Dulux, something like that. Saw one house with ochre – Peach Fuzz or whatever Pantone’s calling it.
Looked pretty good actually, bit different from all the navy doors.
What it’ll cost you
Interior of a three-bedroom house, you’re looking at maybe $3,500 to $7,000. Depends who you get and what paint you use.
Takes about a week usually.
Exterior’s more. Two-story house, probably $6,000 to $12,000.
Could be more if there’s lots of prep work or they need scaffolding.
Premium paint like Dulux costs more but lasts longer.
Learned that the hard way – went cheap on my first house and was repainting two years later.
Surface prep adds heaps to the cost. Cracks, rotten timber, whatever. Can add $500 to a couple of grand depending how bad it is.
Eco-friendly
Everyone’s into the low-VOC paints now. Dulux Enviro2, Haymes Endure, that sort of thing. Better for the kids, doesn’t smell as bad while it’s drying.
Paintback’s doing some recycling program. Good idea I suppose.
Coastal considerations
If you’re near the water, you need paint that can handle salt air. Dulux Weathershield gets mentioned a lot.
Anti-corrosive primers too, though half the painters skip them to save money.
Colorbond Monument for roofs is popular. Darker colors but doesn’t absorb as much heat apparently.
Could be marketing though.
What doesn’t work
Bright whites in Perth sun look harsh. Need something with a bit of warmth to it.
Dark colors on west-facing walls get stupidly hot.
Learned that one the hard way on my back fence – paint started peeling after one summer.
Trendy colors date quickly. That avocado green everyone was mad about five years ago looks terrible now.
Testing colors
Look at samples at different times. Morning light, afternoon light, evening. Colors change heaps depending on the light.
I picked what I thought was a nice beige once and it looked pink in the afternoon sun. Bloody embarrassing.
Get proper sample pots, not just those tiny chips. Paint a decent patch and live with it for a few days.
Prep work matters
Most people skimp on prep and wonder why their paint job looks rubbish. Washing, sanding, filling cracks – boring stuff but makes all the difference.
Moisture’s a killer in Perth bathrooms and kitchens. Fix any leaks before you paint or you’ll be doing it again next year.
Getting help
Perth City Painters do color consultations if you’re hopeless at picking colors. Costs a bit but cheaper than repainting because you hate what you chose.
Don’t just trust the paint shop assistant. Half of them have never painted a house in their life.
Ceiling colors
Everyone just whacks white on the ceiling and calls it done.
Had a painter tell me once that using the same color as the walls but two shades lighter makes rooms look bigger – tried it in my hallway and he was right, looked heaps better.
But then I tried it in the lounge room and it looked weird, too matchy or something.
Most painters will give you grief about doing anything other than white on ceilings though.
Just saying, might be worth thinking about instead of automatically going white.
What’s actually popular vs what magazines say
Magazines love bold colors and dramatic accent walls. Reality is most people go for safe neutrals because they’re selling the house in five years.
White kitchens are still everywhere despite what design shows say about them being over.
Feature walls are less popular now. People want the whole room to work together.
My picks for 2025
Natural White for main areas – safe, goes with everything, doesn’t date.
Pesto for something a bit different but not too weird.
Navy front doors because they look good and hide dirt.
Sand Haze if you want warm neutrals that aren’t boring beige.
Avoid anything too trendy unless you’re planning to repaint in a few years. Your house isn’t a magazine shoot. It’s a home.
