This commercial marine strata property, sitting on a street of commercial marine properties, needed to stand out and look stylish.

The goal of the repaint was to turn the drab premises with a dated colour scheme into an energetic and masculine property, which also looked refined and upmarket.

The client wanted the large commercial estate to stand out from the crowd in its Coomera neighbourhood, tucked between Dreamworld and the Hope lsland canals.

Including blue in the scheme was a must, to link the property to the marine industry of the area, but the client most definitely did not want a cheesy tropical look.

How to stand out and look chic, when surrounded by properties housing the same types of marine-based businesses, became the question.

By the time I arrived on site, the clients already had a wall of paint samples and were close to wit’s end, because painting was due to start the following week!

We were lucky to have a situation where there was a majority shareholder, so the colour change did not need to go to a vote.

We searched through paint swatches and discussed the samples already applied.

Digital Overlays

We explored the idea of a pop of colour, and orange was one suggestion. We also played with different ratios of lighter and darker shades.

Digital overlays were instrumental in fine-tuning the colour scheme – so many colour samples had been painted, it was invaluable to use the digital colour mock-ups to shortlist the colour options.

The Colour Scheme

Once we knew the direction we were heading, we could fine-tune the colours.

I directed the client to a beautiful, strong dark muted blue, which paid homage to the marine industry of the area and gave depth and gravity to the scheme.

To this, I added a chic mid-tone cool griege, for a contemporary twist in harmony with the blue.

These were partnered with a crisp light not-quite-white grey that wouldn’t be too glarey or washed out in the blazing Gold Coast sun.

The painter, Higgins Coatings, applied several sample paints for the clients to examine as we sought the perfect shades of the chosen colours.

The client representatives were active participants as we refind the colour scheme, and it was their clear brief that helped us achieve a fantastic result.

What’s more, now that the property looks amazing, the tenants are now also taking better care of the appearance of their units, the client said.

The result is strong and upmarket; a chic-marine look.

So satisfying!

Email to learn more about colour help

The post Fresh colours transform commercial marine precinct appeared first on Digital Overlay.

The reason comes down to a small but significant distinction between property maintenance and improvement:

If a property is being repainted in the existing colour scheme, that’s considered maintenance.

But if a strata property is being painted in new colours, that’s considered an improvement.

That’s because the purpose of the change is not just to make repairs. It’s also, ideally, to increase the value of the property by using more contemporary colours.

Property improvements require a special resolution and must be voted on by the community of owners.

While rules vary slightly from state to state, general rule-of thumb is at least 75% of votes must be for the new colour scheme, or at least no more than 25% against it.

This process takes time, and sometimes no small amount of heartache depending on the rapport within the voting community.

How to make colour change easier

• Begin considering a colour change at the same time as deciding to repaint This saves a huge amount of time. Leaving it to the last minute creates an enormous headache for everyone involved, possible additional EGMs, and the stress of trying to get everything decided on in time for the painting start date.
• Work with a colour consultant at the same time as obtaining quotes from painters This allows multiple decisions to be made at each meeting, rather than having to call extra meetings to vote on colour.
• Committees often like to see a few options New colour schemes visualised via digital colour overlays allow committees to choose their preferred one or two options to take to the owners to vote on.
• Colour overlays assist owners to visualise new colours, and can be emailed or mailed to interstate owners, and help them see the value in selecting a contemporary, suitable colour scheme.
• Having actual paint colour samples available to view on the property helps owners understand how the colours appear on their property at different times of day.

Need help choosing colours? Contact now for colour consultation and colour overlays

For more details, read Hynes Legal article: A fresh coat of paint: Maintenance or improvement?

Need help visualising colours? Order overlays now!

The post Reduce the strata property colour-change headache appeared first on Digital Overlay.

I’m hearing people are say they’re getting tired of the grey trend and want to see a little more… wait for it… colour on their homes!

They’re also afraid of choosing a colour scheme that will look dated in years to come, like the way fake terracotta tiles and purple suede wall paint look to us now. (Sigh, did you love the 90s too?!)

It’s not a trend specifically, but a noticeable number of people over the past several months have been asking for green-based colour schemes for their properties.

A whole range of muted green colours: beiges with khaki undertones, muted greens and green-blues, and greys with hints of sea-green.

Wondered I, is it due to environmental factors, like longing for greener days during a drought or being inspired by the bright new grass growing around the fire-blackened tree stumps of bushfire devastated forestry?

Probably not… but what I suspect is that property owners are branching out, looking beyond grey, but not too far beyond grey.

Which brings us to my crystal ball paint colour prediction, which is what I tell people when they ask me how long until grey’s over:

Trends in paint colours move sloooowly. That’s because it’s a long time between repaints of a building.

“Yes, and that’s why we don’t want to choose a bad colour scheme,” they say. And I agree.

No-one knows what the future holds. But we can make predictions based on the trajectory of what we’ve seen already, combined with general assumptions on human psychology and guesses about future technology.

And now, for my own humble predictions:

Greys, grey-beiges, and high-contrast black and white, will continue for some time into the future.

Black and white is gaining in popularity, and may well overtake grey as a dominating trend.

But property owners who are getting bored with these neutrals are looking for a scheme that will look different from (but not ghastly next to) the neighbours, are beginning to play with undertones, as in “a-neutral-with-an-undertone-of-my-favourite-colour-please”. 

I’m predicting we’ll see people getting slightly more adventurous with their colours, maybe even branching out into a full spectrum of muted hues, including barely-there greens and blues, along with dusty pinks and bright mustards.

We’ll see these as a colour pop against black and white, like a lapel pin on the tuxedo suit of colour schemes.

And I’d love to see these hues play a starring role as the key colour of a property.

We’ve already been seeing red, yellow and teal in statement front doors and feature walls for a while now, and I’ve been receiving requests for muted greens and green-blues in feature walls over the past 12 months.

I’ve been offering pinks and mustards occasionally, which have received varying levels of enthusiasm!

I think we’ll see colour creeping in around the edges of black and white, as we ease away from the grey trend.

Ultimately, when it comes to trends and choosing colours for your property, we need to hone in on what we know right now: the constraints of the property and which colour schemes you like.

With this information, an experienced colour consultant can help you choose a beautiful colour scheme for your home or property.

For help choosing colours, contact me via your preferred method of communication:

– Phone 1800 015 935 to book a time to meet

– Email projects@digitaloverlay.com.au and get your new colour scheme sorted

The post Paint colour trends got you confused? appeared first on Digital Overlay.

The owner of this century-old timber home in Clayfield has style.

After completing a stunning renovation of the bathrooms, the owner turned her impeccable eye for design to the exterior – but it has not all been smooth sailing.

The client’s previous painter quoted – and delivered – a cheap job, which had to be cut short and underwent investigation by the Master Painters. This left her unhappy and seeking a professional service.

Brisbane’s Signature Painters came to the rescue and asked us to help the owner choose her new colour scheme.

Together we worked through dark grey-browns, but inspiration can in the form of a dark charcoal house in a nearby neighbourhood and Colorbond Monument was selected to be the wall colour.

The owner knew she wanted black and white for the trims, so we fine-tuned which would go where in a series of digital overlays to get the colour design just right.

The newly replaced gutters were already black, so that was a no-brainer.

We continued the black on the handrails, post knobs and finials.

The remaining trims, including post moulds, veranda brackets, balustrade, fascia and window hoods were chosen to be in Lexicon Quarter for high contrast.

We had originally selected Antique White USA for the white, which worked with the original dark grey-browns we were looking at, but it looked too creamy against the Monument walls so we had to switch whites.

Lexicon Quarter is just about as white as paint can be while still maintaining good colour coverage, so was the perfect choice for a super high contrast black and white colour scheme.

The result is a dynamic, head-turning colour design which will stand out in a neighbourhood of beautifully renovated houses.

Here are the original colours + overlay:

The post Black & White Wonder appeared first on Digital Overlay.

Statement doors work best in highly saturated colours, including glossy black, bold red or cheery yellow.

Pay attention to the whole colour scheme to ensure the colours match, especially if your statement door colour is muted or pastel.

More colour themes:

Colour Trend: Pink

2020 Colour Trends

The post Statement Doors appeared first on Digital Overlay.

Pair with cool blues and minty greens for an exciting edge, or match with warmer hues for a cosy feel.

Here are some fabulous pink colour schemes:

More colour themes:

Statement Doors

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This soft, pastel brown supports bold colours, and packs a punch in some of the best colour schemes we’ve seen recently.

Beige can have undertones of pink, purple or orchre, or may be an undertone itself, warming up a grey or white.

Versatile, there are is a beige out there to work with almost any colour limitation – for example, if you are seeking a colour scheme to match blue gutters, or colours to tone down red brick.

While grey is the dominant trend, we’re seeing some beautiful beige-based schemes shine through!

Here are some of the best colour schemes we’ve seen lately, featuring beige:

This contemporary coastal home is softened with fleshy beige colour Dulux Finishing Touch and a darker pinky brown Dulux Toffee Fingers, which blend with the orange hues of the brick feature wall:

These townhouses look bold and chic in a beige and dark grey colour scheme of Dulux Self-Destruct and Dulux Raku. This colour scheme is an excellent choice if you are searching for colours to match a blue gutter, such as Colorbond Deep Ocean, or dark roof tiles:

Beige-greys are a warmer option to grey, and look fantastic with whites that have beige undertones and dark grey trims, like this scheme of Dulux Natural Flow, Dulux Whitsunday Island and Colorbond Ironstone:

Looking for something a bit bolder? This colour scheme on a coastal unit block includes a mocha feature wall of Dulux Baton, the warm white with beige undertones of Dulux Baltic Sand, and charcoal of Colorbond Monument:

If you are searching for colours that match and tone down red brick, these beige-leaning-tans, trimmed with cream and black, will complement the brick, while looking good in their own right. This chic scheme features Resene colours Triple Sisal, Pale Oyster, Half Spanish White and Ironsand, in both Half and Double.

Would you like to see one of these colour schemes on a photo of your home?

We create digital overlays to help you see new colours on your property – perfect if you are having trouble imagining how new colours could look.

Find out more here, or if you have a photo handy of your place, click this button to order a set of overlays:

The post Best of beige appeared first on Digital Overlay.

The owners of this home knew they wanted light grey walls, and loved Dulux Miller Mood, a nice light, clean grey.

However, they needed help to decide whether to match their light grey wall colour with dark, almost charcoal trims or lighter white trims.

That’s when their painter, BJC Painting Services, came to us to render colour mock-ups to show what each option could look like.

The darker Dulux Guild Grey on the gable trims, gutter, fascia and handrail creates a stronger, high-contrast look. Meanwhile the all-white trims in Dulux Lexicon Half create a softer, almost fairy-tale cottage look.

The post Light or dark trims for grey house? appeared first on Digital Overlay.

This was a huge painting job, and an expensive undertaking, so the owners wanted help to visualise the new colours to make sure they were making the right decision – before painting.

Their painter, Angel Painting asked us to help them, by creating our digital overlay colour mockups.

Our digital overlays feature a contemporary grey scheme which combines white with mid and dark greys.

The result is fantastic:

The post Apartments get chic in greys appeared first on Digital Overlay.

We gave it a dynamic virtual makeover, with these renderings of new colour schemes, to help the body corporate committee decide which colours to choose.

The post Contemporary colours for art deco building appeared first on Digital Overlay.