Five easy ways to add colour to your home

While we often think of blue as a soothing and calming colour, adding just a touch of brighter, bolder electric blue to a room can stimulate the senses and give you a shot of energy.

Adding an accent of bold blue into your existing space is easy – this hue goes with almost every colour, especially neutrals like white and grey. Why not try adding small pops of rich blue through soft furnishings or accessories, such as a cobalt rug, an aquamarine feature lamp or a couple of electric blue cushions.

Bright shades of red, such as scarlet, crimson and berry will add a feeling of energy and excitement to your space, while dark, muted reds like burgundy and maroon will evoke a feeling of luxury and warmth.

Bright red can be difficult to get right in large spaces – a clever way to use this hue without overwhelming the room is to use it in small, unexpected places, such as inside an alcove, on shelves or inside cabinets.

Darker reds make for a fabulous feature wall colour, especially when paired with cool neutrals, such as white (all shades), pale pink-greys and soft, natural browns.

If you are looking for an uplifting colour, yellow is the perfect hue. Bright, acidic yellows like lemon and chartreuse work wonders to help break up the neutrals in a room, especially when used in unexpected spaces, like on the window trim, door frames and inside shelves and bookcases.

Darker yellows, like mustard and gold, are softer on the eye than vivid yellow but just as warm. These rich hues really pop out when combined with charcoal grey and look crisp and fresh when paired with bright white.

For a fresh and invigorating home all year round, try adding touches of deep, dark green – such as fern, forest and teal – to your neutral colour scheme. Bold but subtle, these hues are perfect for creating a feeling of calm in bedrooms, sitting rooms and nurseries.

For busier spaces like the kitchen where energy levels run high, look to adding a dollop or two of a brighter shade of green. For a crisp, modern look, mix splashes of emerald with off-white or create a softer finish by combining a few different shades of green in varying hues, such as a pale, sea green for the walls and a richer teal for accents and accessories.

Gutsy, vibrant and uplifting, orange is a bold colour that brings positive energy to any space. When using it as an accent, bright orange works best when combined with warm off-whites such as ivory, camel or cream, or darker neutrals such as chocolate, slate or mid-grey.

If bold is what you’re looking for, why not try combining bright orange with shimmering gold to create a daring and dramatic colour-blocked effect? It also looks fabulous when paired with lots of white and warm wood tones, like oak and timber.