Pink Please

BY the end of the month we’ll start to see a stretch in daylight, and although still in the clutch of winter, that light will show up paintwork yellowed by open fires, and black patches on walls above radiators.

While huddling at home on stormy evenings, think about a spring decorating project inspired by new colour trends — relaxation and how to achieve it is a key theme.

Pastels are in for 2015, and while we’d normally associate them with nurseries, this year’s approach gives them edge while harmonising and sometimes contrasting with your overall room design.

Colour consultant for Crown Paints, Judy Smith, says: “It’s youthful and fun, using chalky, soft tones throughout; incorporating angular shapes to your design with unexpected materials such as concrete or steel giving an added modern twist to these ‘so sweet’ pastels”.

Layering, it seems, is key and helps create a modern and relaxing space.

“Colours can be combined with modern furniture and hard edge materials to give an interesting mix of soft and hard that is surprisingly sophisticated,” says Judy.

Choosing colour based on your personal preferences might catch your eye but may not create the right atmosphere in the space, so start by considering the feeling you want to create and then choose new colours to suit.

Be adventurous and try colour where you hadn’t previously thought to do so. It doesn’t mean the result will be overly dramatic —- just different.

“Darker colours look fantastic in rooms lacking natural light,” says Sarah Cole, director of Farrow & Ball. “They work really well on skirting boards to ground a room.”

But it’s not all about dark shades used in isolation. Too much of this can actually have the opposite effect to the one intended and create a look that is oppressive and likely to drown out natural light.

“Bright shades are being used on furniture to add accents of vibrancy to spaces,” says Sarah. “2015’s key colours reflect a desire for spaces that offer escapism and a place to relax and unwind, with an earthy, natural look and feel, helping to create interiors that live and breathe.”

One of the most interesting and accessible colour looks for the coming year has been labelled ‘His & Her’ by Dulux, which colour consultant Louise Tod describes as celebrating differences.

“This look is subtle and sophisticated with a mature palette that represents the masculine and feminine point of view,” says Louise. “All of these colours sit beautifully together so can be blended into the perfect unisex space.”

This amounts to combining hues of damson, powder pink and cream with more masculine khaki, teal and slate grey in shared spaces.

“Bedrooms are such a personal space”, says Louise, “that it’s often difficult to create a look that both sides of a couple will feel at home with. This is the perfect palette to resolve those arguments and create a sanctuary for him and her.”

Overall, decorating projects are set to extend beyond the slapping of clean, fresh paint on walls, to being more considered, adding in contrasting materials for a new, but cohesive look. Copper, for instance, is the material of 2015 and a perfect companion to any of the year’s colour looks.

* Next week we’re going to the sales to buy a sofa.