It’s smart to shortlist colours early, but finalise them only after most of the dust and major work are done. During heavy renovation, walls are dirty, floors might be covered, and natural light is often blocked by plastic sheets and tools. Any colour you pick in that chaos may look very different once the space is clean and open.

What you can do early is decide the direction: do you want warm neutrals, cool greys, bold accents, or soft pastels? Choose a few options and keep sample cards or small testers ready. Once the main mess is over – walls plastered, floors in place, most fixtures installed – paint small patches on different walls and live with them for a day or two.

Look at the test patches in morning light, afternoon light and at night under lamps. You’ll quickly see which shade feels right in the real environment.

So, don’t leave all colour thinking to the last second, but don’t lock yourself into exact shades when the room is still a construction site. Give colours a chance to prove themselves in their true setting.