Introducing colour to a neutral decorating scheme doesn’t necessarily mean losing all its space- and light-enhancing qualities, writes Carol O’Callaghan

Every few years there’s a major trend that dictates how we use colour in our homes. In the early 90s it was wallpaper below the dado rail and emulsion above it. If you didn’t have a dado rail, then a paper border did the trick.

Yellow-based neutrals work well in Irish light

As the fashion for colour declined in favour of neutrals, we enjoyed the transition period that dictated we had to have three pale walls with the fourth in full colour or, at the very least, a chimney breast in fire engine red.

Neutrals then took over and washed out every vestige of colour as we craved the feeling of larger spaces and became obsessed with flooding our homes with light.

Now we’re reintroducing colour but we don’t want it to affect the perception of space that neutral schemes helped us to achieve. Nor do we want to be slaves to interior fashion trends either.

Joa Studholme, colour consultant for Farrow & Ball, says, “Do what makes you feel happy. Don’t get hung up on historic detail and trends.”

Let’s all breathe a sigh of relief.

If you’re determined to stick with neutrals, the current wisdom of using different whites in different parts of a room to get a uniform white look is not one Joa agrees with. “Don’t try to neutralise, especially if you have a room running east to west where the light will change all day. Use colour as a living thing. Whites have other colours in them, red, green, yellow, or grey. Decide which one suits you and choose accordingly.

“Try yellow or red-based whites in north-facing rooms, but avoid green bases. Grey-based whites are sophisticated, and reds are warmer.”

Feature walls are something Joa believes should be approached with caution.

Grey-based neutrals are a sophisticated option

“People misguidedly change the shape of a room with a feature wall. Embrace colour on all four walls. If you feature it on one long wall, it can make the room seem narrow, which makes the space appear uneven. Consider the use of your room, the light and the architecture. Choose warmer colours for informal spaces and cooler colours for formality.”

If your heart is set on a feature wall, Joa advises to pick a short wall of a rectangular room and paint it with a darker tone of the main room colour. This is the most effective way of bringing in a feature as it will give the illusion of the room being more square than rectangular. Wallpaper is another option for a feature wall that works well if you choose a paper with a background colour that matches the painted walls.

For those who can’t resist the lure of current trends, Joa says, “Reactions to the current economic climate have produced a decayed look based on unpainted bricks, street art that suggests menace, and the theatricality of black on woodwork. On the other hand there’s the conspicuous consumption look with Moscow bling and shades of Middle Eastern treasure rooms that produce a gaudy glitzy look. They’re the reverse of each other but both work. Try darker colours on woodwork and lighter ones on walls to create a feeling of space.”

Warm colours work best in informal areas; cooler shades in formal ones

Joa’s work brings her to Ireland periodically so she’s familiar with our climate and how it affects our use of colour. “It’s important not to fight nature, so go for colours with an underlying brightness. Yellow-based neutrals work well in Irish light. Think about flow and equal strength of colour. Also think about using colour in new places. I like to paint the insides of my cupboards. They look great when you open the doors.”