Colourful room ideas

Colour definitely has the power to transform. It can completely change the proportions and the mood of a room, as well as having an impact on an emotional level, giving us the comfort, support or excitement that we crave. But when faced with decorating, the sheer choice of paint shades alone can be overwhelming. So where to start? Here are some of our favourite ways to boost colour confidence and find your perfect match.

As a trend, feature walls come and go. As a considered design statement, though, blocks of accent colour are always on point. It’s a particularly useful decorating trick in open-plan spaces where it can help to define zones and create pace and interest – think of a dining space in an open-plan kitchen, for example. Working with a small area, it’s also easier to be that bit braver with your colour choice. After all, it’s not too expensive or too much of a chore to change if you tire of it.

‘Swatches are essential as colour responds to the light,’ says Wil Law, Partner & Home Design Stylist. He suggests painting small pieces of card that can be moved around the space and propped up in different areas where the light will vary during the day. ‘You can’t fight the light,’ he adds. ‘If a space is small and dark, white paint won’t make it look bigger and brighter, so just lean into what the room offers instead.’

Colour is everywhere and we are always influenced by it. ‘When using colour in the home, consider the context in which you want to use it,’ advises Karen Haller, a leading authority in Applied Colour & Design Psychology. ‘We tend to focus on creating a mood but what we are looking for is the impact it has on how we behave.’

In The Little Book of Colour Karen explains why we are drawn to certain palettes and points to tonal relationships as the key to putting colours together in a harmonious way that reflects our authentic personality. ‘When your home reflects you, you will be connected to it – and when you are connected to it, you will want to go home to it,’ she assures. ‘And you can trust your gut. If a colour scheme doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.’

Wil agrees. ‘Step away from what you think is “on trend” and instead consider which colours you connect to emotionally,’ he suggests. ‘Look through a colour chart and note which colours truly make you happy. If your favourite shade is something really sharp and acidic, you don’t have to paint it on all four walls. Consider it for an accent, paired with colours that bring out its best.’

Unsure of how to balance a colour scheme? Try a favourite interior design rule: 60% of the room in the main colour, 30% in a secondary colour and 10% in an accent colour. Use your card paint swatch and cut out the colour chips from paint charts to find accent shades that gel for you.

You don’t have to go for all out decorating in order to add a colour lift. Accessories such as new cushions in a favourite shade can have an enormous impact but think about throwing in a few surprises too. Adding little splashes of colour to unexpected places feels fresh and exciting. Use tester pots to paint the wall between shelves or inside the window recess. A flash of bright colour inside a cupboard can be fun and a block of colour behind pieces of art can be bold and striking. Match accessories to your highlight colours, magnifying their power.

Sofas, curtains and carpets can be a great starting point for a scheme. It’s always easier to match a paint colour to soft furnishings and fabrics than the other way round. Pick a multi-coloured pattern and you don’t even have to worry about choosing accents – all the work will be done for you giving a palette that’s ready to go.

Like choosing a paint colour, fabric swatches and flooring samples should be viewed in situ. ‘Put your sofa fabric swatch where the sofa is going to sit and hold curtain swatches up to the light to see how that affects it,’ says Wil. ‘I usually advise against sticking swatches to a mood board – keeping them loose lets you play around with layering different combinations and makes them easy to take with you when choosing accessories.’

If you want a colour to sing, quite often it’s a complementary shade that will make it pop. Look at a colour wheel online – the colour opposite your shade is its complementary. You don’t have to go full power. Red is opposite green but a gorgeous shade of dusky pink is still sitting in the right part of the spectrum. 

Colourful furniture can be an eye-catching addition so think carefully about where you place it – what you want to highlight and the less appealing features it can be used to distract from. Colour can be a powerful tool for changing the balance of the room.

‘I like to suggest people break away from the ‘traditional’ way of decoration such as colour on walls but white on the skirtings, woodwork and ceilings,’ says Wil. ‘Think about where the eye will be drawn in a space. For instance, in a room with deep green walls, dark wood floors and a white skirting board the eye will naturally be drawn to the white – probably the least interesting part of the room. If you are going to draw the eye in this way, at least make it a surprise with an accent colour or alternatively just paint it the same colour as your walls to give a smart, blended look.’

And sometimes a colour will just grab your attention. You’ll see an object in a surprising shade and know that it simply has to come home with you. On an emotional level it might highlight something you’re lacking at that time. For instance, the desire for a red chair might point to the need for more stimulation in your environment especially if your home is quite neutral.

Small pieces like accent chairs are easy to move around but you never know… they might inspire a whole new decorating scheme, encouraging you to always be bolder with colour.