Universal Paints: South African Colour Palettes for Your Home

Choosing paint colours is about more than finding individual shades you like. The colours you combine — and the way you use them throughout a room — can completely change the atmosphere of a space.

Some combinations feel calm and refreshing, others warm and grounded, while richer colours can create a more expressive and character-filled interior. The key is finding a colour mood that feels right for the home and the way its occupants want to live in it.

Drawing on familiar South African colour influences, Universal Paints has created three coordinated palettes using shades from the NCS Colour System. Each has its own personality, giving homeowners a starting point for creating an interior that feels considered, cohesive and distinctly theirs. These South African colour palettes offer a simple way to explore different moods and approaches to interior colour.

Highveld Skies: Grounded, Warm & Sophisticated

If a preference is for interiors that feel comfortable, composed and quietly sophisticated, Highveld Skies combines warm neutrals and earthy shades with muted green and cool blue-grey.

Veld Grass (NCS S 3020-Y20R) creates a gentle golden foundation that works particularly well across larger surfaces. Sunlit Ochre (NCS S 4040-Y20R) introduces a richer note of warmth, while Veld Clay (NCS S 5030-Y50R) adds earthy depth.

Balancing these warmer tones are Thornveld Green (NCS S 5010-G50Y) and Storm Veil (NCS S 6010-B10G), bringing understated green and blue-grey into the scheme.

Create the Highveld Skies mood

Start with Veld Grass across the main walls for a warm and versatile base. Storm Veil can introduce cooler contrast through furniture, cabinetry or a selected painted feature, while Thornveld Green adds a subtle natural element.

Use Sunlit Ochre and Veld Clay more selectively to bring warmth and depth into the room without making the overall palette feel heavy.

The mood: warm, grounded, elegant and relaxed.
Best for: living rooms, dining rooms, entrance halls and home offices.

Coastal Shores: Calm, Fresh & Effortless

For a lighter and more refreshing atmosphere, Coastal Shores combines cool blues and greens with softer neutrals.

Deep Tide (NCS S 4030-B10G) is the deepest shade in the palette, adding richness and definition. Tidal Turquoise (NCS S 2030-B20G) brings in a clearer blue-green, while Saltwater Mist (NCS S 1005-G20Y) offers a softer, lighter option.

Dune Sand (NCS S 2010-Y20R) brings warmth into the combination, while Coastal Grove (NCS S 4020-G30Y) introduces a muted green that helps balance the cooler colours.

Create the Coastal Shores mood

Use Saltwater Mist or Dune Sand across larger areas when the aim is to keep the space open and airy.

Deep Tide can then become the stronger statement through a feature wall, cabinetry, headboard or statement furniture. Add Tidal Turquoise in smaller doses for freshness and use Coastal Grove alongside timber, linen and woven textures to soften the combination.

The mood: calm, fresh, easy-going and restorative.
Best for: bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens and open-plan living areas.

Jacaranda Spring: Expressive, Soft & Contemporary

If the ideal colour mood has a little more personality, Jacaranda Spring balances purple and lilac tones with green and warm brown.

Jacaranda Bloom (NCS S 3040-R70B) creates the strongest statement, while Petal Lilac (NCS S 2020-R70B) provides a softer interpretation of the same colour family.

Jacaranda Dusk (NCS S 4020-R50B) adds a deeper muted purple, Spring Leaf (NCS S 4030-G30Y) brings fresh contrast, and Warm Bark (NCS S 4010-Y30R) grounds the combination with an earthy neutral.

Create the Jacaranda Spring mood

This palette can be made as subtle or expressive as desired.

For a softer interior, begin with Warm Bark or Petal Lilac and introduce the stronger purples through furniture and smaller painted features. For a more confident look, allow Jacaranda Dusk or Jacaranda Bloom to take on a larger role through a feature wall, cabinetry or statement furniture.

Spring Leaf provides an important contrast, keeping the purple shades feeling fresh and balanced.

The mood: expressive, creative, contemporary and inviting.
Best for: lounges, bedrooms, dressing rooms and statement dining areas.

Find the Colour Mood That Feels Like You

There is no single right palette for a home. The best colour combination is the one that creates the atmosphere the occupants want to live in.

Choose Highveld Skies for a warm, grounded and sophisticated mood, Coastal Shores when a calm and refreshing atmosphere is desired, or Jacaranda Spring for a more expressive and colourful interior.

There is also no need to use every shade equally. One colour may become the main wall colour, another could appear on cabinetry or furniture, while the strongest shades are reserved for accents. Changing those proportions can completely alter the mood while still keeping the palette coordinated.

Visit the nearest Universal Paints Direct Outlet for expert advice and product selection. The Universal Paints team can help homeowners explore the NCS Colour selection and create a colour mood that feels completely at home in their space.