You can instantly switch up the mood in a room with a simple colour change. From painting your walls, ceiling or beams in warm, sunny tones to incorporating lamps, curtains and other accessories in eye-catching colours, you can easily brighten up your space with new colours.
Whether you want to go all-out and repaint your home or you want to accessorise with colour to subtly add a brighter feel to it, we’ve picked out some uplifting colours that we know will be on-trend this spring and the best places to incorporate them into your home.
Striking shades of bright orange will instantly lift the atmosphere of a room. Feature walls painted in this vivid tone will create a great interior design moment. A glossy finish to an orange paint will be picked out by warm, yellow lights, giving the impression of sunshine inside your home!
Looks great in…
…kitchens or dining rooms, creating a sense of warmth and togetherness. Northern light picks out the cooler tones in a colour, so orange will also work well to brighten north-facing rooms.
Style with…
…citrus-coloured furnishings – think rich yellow cupboards and lime green workbenches – to really bring a room to life. Consider painting your kitchen cabinets in the same shade of orange as your walls to create an interesting blending effect!
Glidden has announced Vining Ivy as its Colour of the Year. A mix of blue and green, this colour is instantly calming and versatile. Although this shade is darker, that doesn’t mean it can’t help to brighten a space. It’s a good idea to use this deeper tone as an accent colour to paint trims, beams and skirting boards. Placing Vining Ivy against lighter greens and blues, like pistachio or cyan, will create a lightening effect.
Looks great in…
…bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms, creating a grounding, chilled out atmosphere. East-facing rooms tend to catch sun in the morning and enjoy more muted light in the evenings, so the lighter accent colours will bring a lively atmosphere at the start of day, with the deeper green creating a pleasing, cocooning feel as the evening draws in.
Style with…
…matching cushions, bedspreads and lampshades, whilst leaving the main section of your wall a lighter shade. This will create pleasing pops of colour throughout the room.
This pastel shade carries a youthful lightness. Painting all four walls in this sweet shade will create a sense of brightness in even small spaces. If you want to create a striking interior design moment, try painting your ceiling lavender as well! Use warm-toned lightbulbs with this colour to further brighten your space.
Looks great in…
…smaller living spaces, such as reading nooks, children’s bedrooms and playrooms. A soft shade, lavender feels light and playful.
Style with…
…a range of accessories in deeper tones, like soft, inky blue blankets and velvet leaf-green chairs, offsetting the sugary pastel with a richer accent colour.
Sunshine yellow instantly creates a sense of positivity. A vibrant tone, this colour is energising and mood-boosting, enhancing the natural light in a space. Hanging a mirror will help to further brighten this colour by reflecting the light!
Looks great in…
…hallways and alongside staircases. A bright yellow will make these often-smaller spaces feel larger and brighter.
Style with…
…cool greys or warm whites. Keeping it simple with your skirting boards, trims and staircase bannisters will allow the yellow to shine. Consider a warm-toned wood-effect floor to continue this sense of cosiness.
Chic powder blue brings a sense of sophistication to your room as well as a brightening effect. This colour is dreamy and soft, encouraging a tranquil, peaceful atmosphere. Paint your door in the same pastel shade as your walls to really lighten the mood of the room!
Looks great in…
…bathrooms and studies, creating a calm coolness. Pale tones like this work especially well to brighten south-facing rooms, which catch more warm, natural light. A powder blue with silver undertones will look great in a west-facing room, as the natural light changes throughout the day, subtly shifting the dominant tone.
Style with…
…muted pink tones, such as rose or a soft peach. This will disrupt the cool shades of the blue, creating a sense of fun.
