Six tips to bring your home alive with colour

When we bought our first home at the beginning of 2021, it wasn’t the prospect of not having a landlord or having our own outside space that got my heart racing – sorry, no green fingers here.

In true colour-addict fashion, it was the fact that I could finally paint my living room the perfect shade of warm, bright pink – a colour I’d dreamed of for so long.

You see, having rented in the UK for much of my life, I’ve become averse to the sight of magnolia and beige. You can tell me they’re soothing, or still on-trend, all you like, but I’ll only ever see limitations and boundaries through my colour-loving eyes.

Eighteen months down the line and my Pepto-Bismol pink living room is complete – DH Blossom by Dulux Heritage for those wondering – and my bright orange vintage modular sofa (picked up from eBay in 2020) provides the perfect contrasting pop of pigment.

That’s not to say I haven’t learned a thing or two about bringing colour to a rental.

In fact, I should probably have a qualification in it – my orange sofa says it all. But too frequently we are told that being bold with our interior design schemes will depreciate house prices or be hard to change when that simply isn’t the case. You spend most of your time in your home, so why wouldn’t you allow it to spark some joy, owned or not?

If you’re struggling to find the confidence to pick up a paintbrush or take a leap with a highly-saturated furniture piece, these tips on how you can use colour – whatever your style or space – will assist you on your journey to creating a home that screams you.

Think about the vibe

When you’re thinking about decorating a room, start by considering the mood you want to create. Do you want it to be a relaxing space to chill out in? Or are you looking to entertain guests frequently?

“I always start with how I want the space to feel rather than how I want it to look,” says interior designer, upholsterer and broadcaster Micaela Sharp. “If you’re trying to create a calming, fresh space, you should use lighter tints, but this doesn’t mean you’re stuck with white walls. Pale shades are a good option, paired with darker colours on furniture or via textiles. To create a sense of cosiness, explore darker shades balanced with metallic furniture.”

Look to the colour wheel

Select your base colour, and a colour wheel will show you what goes with it.

Colour can have an impact on how we feel, with no hue having the exact same effect on every person. Start your own design process by mulling over a colour wheel, and embarking on a little experimentation to see where it heads.

You should select a base colour first – this translates to your primary paint colour – before working out the hues that pair with it.

“If you’re unsure of what colours you like, start by looking at the colour wheel and reading about which colours evoke different emotions,” says Sharp, one of the stars of the new Changing Rooms on Channel 4. “For example, green is calming, fresh and natural, whereas red is about strength, love and passion. Unless purposefully choosing a monochrome scheme, you’ll want to find colours that complement your base choices. There are many ways to do this according to the colour wheel: using two or three other colours, or even pairs of colours. Ultimately I’d recommend finding two colours to sit alongside your first choice.”

Experiment with paint techniques

As well as understanding the colour wheel, you should aim to stick with similar saturations – the intensity of colour – in your scheme.

If you are starting with a very saturated piece, you should keep other colours high in saturation to ensure that they speak the same visual language. If you are opting for a pastel, choose other pastels to match; if you’re drawn to muted colours, stay within that spectrum. From this point forward, it’s just a matter of how you combine them.

Colour blocking, a technique used in fashion and interior design, involves pairing two or more colours together in large blocks and tends to look most effective when used in larger areas such as connecting walls and ceilings or creating two-tone kitchen cabinets.

“Colour blocking is a great way to inject colour and personality to a space and should be approached with a creative and bold mindset,” says Emma Gurner, of the award-winning interior design studio Folds Inside. “The great thing about colour blocking is that there are no real rules. However, I would advise sticking to two or three colours, and sampling them on paper first to make sure they work well together. It is also good to sketch out your ideas before taking to the walls, to help visualise your design.”

Inject life into your rental

While you might be stuck with untouchable walls in your rented home, there’s plenty of opportunity to bring a burst of vibrant hues to your abode with furniture and decor.

Furniture brands such as Rockett St George sell directly through eBay, offering customers discounted end-of-line products or seconds. The thrifters among you can check out the dedicated homeware edits that round up vintage pieces that will bring unique charm, or can be upcycled in a crafty session.

Gurner says that colour-blocking techniques can also be applied to your rental, without the need to pick up a paintbrush. “It’s all about choosing bold colours that complement each other,” she explains. “This can be done using furniture, textiles and accessories. For example, against a rental’s neutral walls, a large coloured rug and a contrasting sofa, or a bright sideboard with complementary art, would be really effective ways to do this.”

Zeena Shah, an art director and author of Marbling: Projects, Design Ideas and Techniques for a More Colourful Life, has previously bought vintage candleholders and dishes through eBay, and given them a new lease of life using the classic marbling technique. “It’s a fantastic way to bring colour and creativity into our rented home,” she says. “Marbling is a beautiful and unique surface pattern design technique that is so quick and easy to experiment with. You can create a colourful pattern in an instant, transforming something from boring to statement.”

It’s not just about paint

A successful interior design scheme doesn’t just include paint and furniture; you should consider adding colour and texture using wallpaper, built-in furniture, light fixtures and panelling. Sectioning with colour can help to zone a space and turn an open-plan area into a multi-functioning room that has multiple areas for different purposes.

A colourful curtain across the room to hide a desk setup, a built-in den in a kids’ room, or wallpapered panels that create a focal point in a small space.

“Commonly we think of colour as only for walls,” says Sharp. “But I consider every item as an opportunity to add more detail, whether it’s a yellow side table or an olive sofa with contrasting dark piping.” The designer is a whiz at bringing colour to vintage pieces and has her own upholstery course to help others reimagine their furniture. eBay shops such as ClearCycle are great places to look out for potential projects that can add character to your space.

Don’t be afraid!

With Sharp, Gurner and Shah all offering me words of encouragement to “be bold” and “not to overthink it” as their parting words, the final tip to those looking for the go-ahead on getting creative with colour, is to simply go for it.

“Colour is so energetic and really has the power to enhance your mood, bringing you joy, calm, peace or whatever you want it to bring,” says Sharp. “Use it creatively to depict your personality throughout your home, whether it’s in tiles, on the ceiling, or in a rug, there is always an opportunity to add more colour to a space. It’s easy to get bogged down with the rules, but the truth is if you like a colour, and it will create the feeling you want for the space, then go for it!”

Shah adds: “By being brave with colour, you can really bring some personality to a space, not to mention some colour therapy. You’ll instantly notice the joy that those colourful additions bring!”