Design for Life
Creative ways for colourful living, by guest editor Victoria Gray

Spring is definitely in the air and with it, a collective desire to refresh our homes after the long winter months. I believe paint is one of the most effective ways to introduce colour and personality to your living spaces. In recent years, we've been moving away from pale monochromatic schemes, with more of us embracing colour and techniques that make spaces feel inviting, inspiring and fun.

Whether you're looking to create a sanctuary that evokes a feeling of serenity and calm or something fun and stimulating, understanding your space and the direction of light that it has, is key to creating a successful scheme.

North-facing rooms generally have a cooler natural light, so spaces benefit from warmer shades. If your room is small, north-facing and has little light, selecting a pale colour may not be the best choice. Pale, cool shades can flatten the atmosphere, so instead choose a warmer palette, red-tinted neutrals, and peachy terracottas would all feel mellow in the summer and cosy in the winter. Task lighting such as table lamps, picture lights and decorative wall lights will all enhance an earthy colour scheme, rather than distort a cool pale palette. And with the recent development of rechargeable lighting, no space is off limits.

If you’re lucky enough to have south-facing rooms, which enjoy bright, natural light, all colours work well.

This technique has been gathering popularity and involves wrapping an entire room with a single colour - painting the walls, woodwork, ceiling and even the radiators. It can help make a room feel bigger and lighter or more cosy and inviting, depending on which colour you choose. To add interest, use the same colour, but introduce eggshell or semi-gloss on any wood woodwork, flat emulsion on the walls, and satin for the ceiling.

Colour drenching in lighter shades is perfect to make smaller rooms appear bigger as they blur the line between where the walls meet the ceiling.

Darker tones work wonderfully for colour drenching too, by evoking a cosy cocoon-like environment . This is especially good for rooms that are used in the evening, making them an inviting space to retreat to, relax and unwind.

In the same way that we’re embracing vivid colours in our homes, bold pattern is now playing an important role too. Wallpaper, historically, has been the ‘go-to’ way to introduce design and pattern to our walls. However paint can be a wonderful way to truly add a bespoke touch and deeply personalise your space.

Painted stripes, deep borders and relaxed scalloped edging can all be used to great effect. Enhancing the architectural features is a wonderful way to add personality to your home too.

Effectively decorating with a neutral palette involves layering, not only in the texture and textiles that furnish the rooms, but also the paint palette. So opt for a tonal scheme - gentle gradations will create a sense of harmony and depth.

Recently, designers and trend-makers alike have moved away from crisp whites and cooler grey schemes towards warmer earthier tones. Soft and pigmented ochre, blush pinks and sunbaked terracotta work beautifully alongside caramels and velvety chocolate tones. Brown hues have been gathering momentum too and are the perfect addition to a neutral scheme as they are rich, inviting and sophisticated.