Room color ideas – masterclass lessons in decorating with color

Color theory, which touches on color psychology, can be a complicated subject but there are a few basic principles to help steer you in the right direction. Below, Patrick O’Donnell, brand ambassador for Farrow & Ball, explains. 

'Red is linked with passion, energy, and action. The color is also associated with increasing our metabolism, hence its popularity for dining room color ideas but at the darker end, especially a reddish-brown shade, it can look elegant and dramatic for a bedroom.

'Blue has many emotional attributes: at the paler end, tranquillity and calm, to intelligence at the darker end. It is often considered a restful and sympathetic color, so a paler blue is ideal for a bedroom, but I’d err towards darker blue shades for the home office, living room or for kitchen color ideas.

'Yellow (orange shares similar characteristics) is the color of energy, happiness, and optimism and therefore a brilliant choice for either a kitchen or a home office but try and avoid in a bedroom as this primarily is a space for rest.

'Green is a joy to use: the primary color of nature and the outdoors. It is the perfect color family to deliver calm and serenity and therefore has the flexibility to be applied in every room throughout the home but is especially great for bedrooms and for living room color ideas. It symbolizes renewal and growth.

'White represents purity, innocence, and new beginnings, as well as cleanliness and clarity. It can be used everywhere in the home but is very successful in the bathroom and any room where you want to create order and with little distraction. It is also an ideal foil for a well-curated room of art and furniture.'